ENBS in a Nutshell Dance Schools Page

The school
From the outside English National Ballet School (with its discreet plaque) looks no different to the inner city primary school I went to, a traditional two storey red brick building with large sash windows. As I climbed the stairs to the first floor, memories of my own school days came back. I was anticipating peeling paintwork, furniture that that had seen better days, wooden floors with the odd dodgy tile and a piano music being thumped out -until I opened the door to reception "Better Homes " had struck: ! The interior had a complete makeover 4 years ago when the School moved to Chelsea aided by £78, 000 of Lottery monies. It is now a modern and aesthetic showpiece.

I was given a quick tour, the studios are stunning, airy, dominated by natural light and laid with Harlequin flooring. I could not fail to notice the little details such as the excellent condition of the much used physio and Pilates equipment, the protective glass for the books in the Study Room and no out of date notices falling off the board. The whole environment was uncluttered, spacious and well cared for. It took a nano second to decide that I wanted to be a student there.

Straight to the point- How do you get a place ?
Before I could delude myself about a career change, I met Administrator, Laura Jane Lavendar and was ushered into the Director, Kathryn Wade's office. They made me feel at ease straight away and I asked the question that was my whole reason for being there "What are you looking for in someone who auditions for the school". There was no easy answer. The overriding selection criterion applied was whether it was felt that a candidate had what it took to be a professional ballet dancer - i. e get a contract to dance with a ballet company after graduating.

Unlike E-commerce, professional ballet is not an expanding area and those who get a contract are nearly always filling someone's shoes

Unlike E-commerce, professional ballet is not an expanding area and those who get a contract are nearly always filling someone's shoes. There is an oversupply of available dancers. and the competition to get a ballet job, especially for girls is fierce. Remember the documentary when Artistic Director of English National Ballet, Derek Deane he had just rejected all the girls who auditioned, most had bodies, turn out and feet that I would kill for. saying - "People often say that my standards are too high but this is a really tough business and only the strongest survive" In fact, that day he had looked at 125 dancers and was only interested in one.

The Audition
Despite this depressing statistic, the school gets about 600 enquiries each year and looks at 240 candidates for 25/30 places. Entry to the school is by audition, which takes the form of a class (no variation is required) and is observed by a panel of the Director and teachers. The panel are all ex professional dancers themselves and experienced jury members of International dance competitions

“People often say that my standards are too high but this is a really tough business and only the strongest survive” Derek Deane

who try to make the audition process a positive experience. They appreciate that a panel may seem scary to the candidates, but selection is subjective and it is always possible that one panel member could have spotted something that others might have missed. In order to be fair all decisions are joint and if there is any doubt the candidate is invited back to the final audition. The Spring Course, designed to give prospective candidates a week at the School prior to auditioning, is proving to be increasingly valuable. It is 'trial period' for the young dancer to experience the demands which would be placed on him/her in future training as well as a chance for the teachers to explore in more depth the candidate'' potential for a longer and less stressful period of time. Overseas candidates may audition by video.

What the school are looking for
"How to spot potential classical ballet dancer" is almost impossible to reduce to a checklist of answers. There are however 2 main areas of vital interest.

The purely physical side- physique, proportions, face and facility. The importance of the body is that it is the first thing the audience and future employer spots. Without the right physique for ballet it is almost impossible to get a contract in the present highly competitve job market. The standard within the larger companies is generally so high that certainly a girl, for example with an overly long torso and/or short legs will stand out for the wrong reasons. It is in this climate that English National Ballet School is looking for "harmonious proportions", a special, aesthetic look desired by employers;a neat head, long neck, long legs, arched insteps and a pliable, slim, honed

Without the right physique for ballet it is almost impossible to get a contract in the present highly competitive job market.

body. An interesting, but not necessarily cosmetically beautiful face with a quality that draws the observer to want to watch is always noticed. Anatomy is crucial because good flexibility and turn out are essential for the technical demands imposed by classical training.

Dance ability or quality of movement, co-ordination, musicality, dynamics and artistry are more difficult to assess because the panel are speculating what the candidate is going to be like after 2 years of training. An ability to jump, lack of fear turning and good centralisation of weight are good indicators. Some candidates will have had excellent previous training with the more common basic technical bad habits such as rolling ankles, sickled feet and weak abdomens already addressed but others may not have been so fortunate and/or may have started training a little later. The panel must see beyond this and have the almost impossible task of predicting candidates potentials. Kathryn Wade demonstrates this beautifully with the "crystal ball" paperweight on her desk.

There are many myths perpetuated around acceptance by a ballet school. Attending a vocational school, Advanced ballet with Honours, hyper mobility (with flat turn out and a develope a la seconde at 180), the ability to do fouettes etc would not, per se guarentee a candidate a place.

The decision

Many dreams are shattered

To those not invited to join the school after either the preliminary or final audition, the news can be devastating. The candidate is typically a fifteen year old who has taken classes since he or she was very young, worked hard to get excellent results in ballet exams and has dreamt of becoming a professional classical dancer. Many are not offered places because "in our opinion and experience, their physiques are not suitable for careers in classical ballet". Sadly this is a factor which is most outside anyone's control. English National Ballet School realises the disappointment of not just the candidate but the parents. Many dreams are shattered at this point, but, although it may seem a harsh decision at the time the School would be doing a great disservice to both candidate and parents if it knowlingly accepted a student who was not suitable for the course and eventual career.

The English National Ballet School at work
Photograph by Leslie E Spatt and courtesy of ENBS

After the final auditions, successful candidates will be invited to join the School. They have come from as far as Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Japan and Canada and as near as London. There are no distinct patterns in training backgrounds, some are from vocational schools and some from private teachers.

Sadly, fate had dealt me a cruel blow- I was 28 years too old to apply. Why did I want to go there ?. Apart from the seductively beautiful interior and excellent job statistics, it became clear that the School was "in step" with students needs to-day. Surprisingly pastoral care was given gravitas, issues such as funding, quality of accomodation for students away from home and in London for the first time, weight and support for those who had to leave after the first year appraisals were all brought into the open and dealt with. Unfortunately, I would not be accepted before I even danced a step - I am in the "physique is not right for classical ballet" category. But then, that's life !.

More to follow in the next article on Fees, Funding and the course