Changes to the School’s Associate Programme

As part of The Royal Ballet School’s commitment to widening access to classical ballet, the School will establish a new Associate centre in Edinburgh at the end of the 2023/24 academic year. The Dundee Associate centre will relocate to Edinburgh, supporting our ambition to grow the Associate Programme.

The School established the Dundee Associate centre in 2019 and has been welcoming passionate and dedicated young dancers at Dundee and Angus College weekly since then. With this move, we are thrilled to extend the Associate Programme to more students in Scotland. We are hopeful all Associates from our Dundee centre can transition to Edinburgh for the 2024/25 academic year.

The Associate Programme is integral to the School’s work, allowing gifted young dancers aged between 8 and 17 to access high-quality training close to their homes. Based in centres across the UK, the programme aims to complement a student’s current training while introducing them to The Royal Ballet School’s unique System of Training through classes each weekend.  

The School is focused on delivering the Associate programme effectively and efficiently in areas where we can grow, ensuring the programme’s longevity into the future. We aim to improve accessibility for students and offer greater convenience for their parents and guardians.

As part of this, after careful thought, the School will close the Newcastle and Totnes Associate centres at the end of the 2023/24 academic year. All students will be offered alternative Associate centres to continue training with us.

Learn more about the Associate Programme.