Ten things you didn’t know about The Royal Ballet School’s auditions
Every year, we look forward to welcoming aspiring students to the School for our full-time and Associate Programme auditions. Applications open on 5 September, and the prospect of applying may seem daunting. We want anyone considering auditioning to feel reassured about the process, so we’ve put together a handy guide to ten things you may not know about our auditions.
1. We welcome applications from all
We offer anybody who applies before our deadline a preliminary audition. Preliminary auditions are held in the UK for all age groups and internationally for those aged 14+. As the leading classical ballet school in the UK and an international institution, admission to the School is based purely on talent and potential, not the ability to pay fees. No student should be deterred from applying due to a lack of financial means. If you have the motivation to pursue a dance career, we want to hear from you.
2. You can audition again if you’ve auditioned before
You can re-apply if you were unsuccessful in previous years when auditioning with us. Dancers progress at different rates, and we love to see dancers who persevere. Some of our current students and alumni didn’t get in on their first audition, so don’t feel disheartened if you don’t get your hoped-for result on your first attempt.
3. The application process is streamlined
The application process for our auditions is easy, allowing you to submit the requested while completing the online application form. Always give yourself enough time to submit your application; remember, don’t leave things to the last minute!
4. All decisions are made by a panel
It’s never just one person assessing our auditionees; our audition panel is made up of at least two or three people. The panel includes one of our Intensive Courses and Auditions Artistic Managers and other Artistic staff members. The panel works collectively to make decisions.
5. You don’t need to prepare anything for our auditions
Our preliminary auditions take the structure of a typical ballet class. There’s no need to prepare anything before your audition – the audition should feel similar to your regular classes, so you just need to come ready to dance.
6. We want you to feel comfortable
It’s important that you feel at ease on the day, so we advise that you wear your regular dance gear. We won’t judge you on what you wear – this isn’t a fashion show! There’s no need to buy anything new or special for your audition.
7. It’s okay to ask questions at your audition
If you’re unsure about anything at your audition, please ask. We love to see curious students eager to learn, and there is never any shame in asking for help when you’re not certain. We want to see you try your best and give everything a go.
8. We aren’t looking for perfection
There wouldn’t be any need for our training if we took in faultless ballet dancers. We are a School, so we are searching for students who show potential, not perfection. While technique is an essential aspect of ballet, it’s not the only thing we look for at our auditions -there are many other crucial elements like artistry and musicality. Above all, we look for students with the right attitude and approach to learning.
9. We don’t just hold auditions in the UK
We are an international school and our students come from around the globe. Our auditions take place in various countries, and we also accept video auditions so that as many students as possible can audition with us.
10. We want you to have fun!
Your audition should be a memorable experience, and we want you to enjoy the day as much as possible. We aim to create a warm atmosphere, and there will be plenty of friendly faces happy to help you when you arrive. Nerves are natural but, we hope you still manage to have a great time.
If you want to learn more about our auditions and the School, we offer Audition Insight classes to help you feel more prepared and confident about the process – applications for these open on 5 September. We also have insight classes launching on our on-demand platform on 29 August.
Find out more about our auditions
