Auditions

We hold annual auditions for our full-time and Associate programmes. We seek young dancers with a passion for classical ballet and the potential and motivation to pursue a career in dance.

We welcome applications from all, and no student should be discouraged from applying. Admission to the School is based solely on potential in classical ballet, not personal circumstances, or academic ability. Dancers are welcome to re-apply if they have auditioned before. We offer all applicants a preliminary audition.

We hold preliminary auditions in the UK for entry to:

Years 7, 8 and 10 at White Lodge (full-time training)
1st, 2nd and Pre-professional Years at Upper School (full-time training)
Our Junior, Mid, Senior and Advanced Associate programmes.

We no longer accept students to join the School full-time in the final year of either the Foundation (Year 9) or Development (Year 11) programmes – find out more here.

We accept video auditions from international candidates who cannot attend an in-person audition in the UK.

Students who are successful at the preliminary and semi-final stages will be invited to The Royal Ballet School in London for final auditions.

Find out which courses you are eligible for.

View eligibility requirements

When do auditions happen?

Applications for our full-time and Mid/Senior/Advanced Associate programmes open in September and close in October. Preliminary auditions take place from November to January. All auditions are for courses which start the following September.

Applications for our Junior Associate programme open in February each year and close in March. Auditions are held in the Summer Term for courses which start in September.

UK audition dates and apply

International video auditions and apply

Audition Insight classes

Preliminary auditions

The preliminary audition is a classical ballet class tailored to each age group. The class lasts between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes and includes a gentle warm-up.

Applicants do not need to prepare anything in advance and should expect to take part in a classical ballet class like that which they already attend regularly. They should not feel anxious about the content of the class or worried if they encounter steps or terminology they are unfamiliar with, but they should be prepared to participate, give things a try, and enjoy the experience. No applicant will be disadvantaged for not having previously learned steps or terminology and should ask the class teacher to explain and demonstrate anything they are unsure of.

The preliminary audition panel usually consists of two or three people, including one of our Intensive Courses and Auditions Artistic Managers and members of the Artistic staff. Our team is looking for dancers who show potential, artistry, musicality, and a love for what they do, who aspire to pursue classical ballet as a profession.

Semi-final and final auditions

If successful at preliminary audition:

We hold in-person semi-final auditions for applicants aged 10-11 years applying for female training in Year 7 at White Lodge
Applicants aged 13-14 applying for training in Year 10 at White Lodge and those applying for Upper School who are successful at the preliminary stage will be asked to provide a video of classwork
We hold final auditions for all applicants following successful preliminary and semi-final auditions. The panel at the final audition consists of the Artistic Director and members of the Artistic staff.