Spring Intensive students share their experience at White Lodge

‘Amazing’, ‘inspiring’ and ‘fun’ were the top three words to describe our 2024 Spring Intensive at White Lodge.

This week, from 8 to 12 April, our Spring Intensive returned to White Lodge, offering a week of classes for aspiring young dancers aged 10 to 15.

Over 100 students from different parts of the world attended the Spring Intensive, boarding at White Lodge for the first time since the pandemic.

The students had an action-packed week, attending classes in classical ballet technique, repertoire, character, contemporary, jazz, Pilates and strength and conditioning. They immersed themselves in life at The Royal Ballet School, taking part in Q&A sessions with Artistic staff, photoshoots on the iconic White Lodge stairs, and even lip-sync karaoke of an evening, all while forging life-long friendships.

Three female students at the barre in the studio at white lodge spring intensive

Some of our Spring Intensive students shared their experience at White Lodge:

Spring Intensive experience

Zoe, United States

The training has been very good, and I feel like I’ve learned a lot here. The classes are fun, especially the repertoire classes. Learning variations and how to dance in a corps de ballet is very useful.

Alice, England

I’ve really enjoyed my experience here, especially learning repertoire. Participating in a corps de ballet has helped me make new friends. I’ve also loved all the training from the amazing teachers here.

Millie, Scotland

My experience has been amazing. I’ve made so many new friends and I’ve learned so many new things. The teachers are amazing, and the meals are great. In total, I’ve just had such a good time here.

Intensive highlights

Mimi, Australia

My favourite class has been learning variations. We learned the pas de trois from Giselle, and I love exploring artistry and all of the performance aspects, which is really fun.

Noah, England

As well as learning about the corps de ballet and how to dance in that way, I’ve really enjoyed jazz because it’s a whole new way of dancing for me; it’s a different way of turning out and moving my body.

Grace, England

I’ve enjoyed jazz and repertoire because repertoire I get to learn new styles of dance and different pieces. And with jazz, it’s nice and clean, and turning in is totally different.

Boarding at White Lodge

Yuno – Japan

I like everything about the School because this is where some of the best ballet dancers train. I like how we have three or five beds in the same room so we can make friends. We even had a photoshoot on the main entrance stairs at White Lodge.

Millie – Scotland

I love boarding here because it’s so new for me; I’ve never boarded anywhere before. Boarding has made me feel so comfortable making new friends, even though I was a bit nervous before coming here because I didn’t know anyone who was boarding.

Grace – England

Boarding here has been amazing: I’ve made new friends, gone through the tunnels, and seen that when we go to bed, there are people who have signed the walls; it’s just amazing that some of the top ballet dancers have been here, and I’m in the same place as them.

Two girls in the white lodge studio holding hands

Learn more about our Intensive Courses.