Dance teachers, parents, and prospective students have always got lots of questions about Elmhurst Ballet School’s auditions.
We put those questions to Robert Parker, Artistic Director, who delved into various aspects of the School’s audition process and offered guidance on how teachers and parents can support students in preparing for auditions.
Audition applications for Elmhurst Ballet School’s full-time training programmes opened on Friday 10 October and will close on Sunday 7 December. Apply here
Tell us a bit about the full-time training programme at the School.
We are, first and foremost, a ballet school. That is the foundation of everything we do. We work in close association with Birmingham Royal Ballet and in partnership with Studio Wayne McGregor. Our full-time training programme is industry-led, designed to prepare dancers for careers with the world’s leading classical ballet and contemporary ballet companies.
That said, the dance world has evolved. It is no longer enough to be only a strong classical technician. Today’s choreographers expect dancers to be versatile, creative, and collaborative. The choreographic process now relies heavily on task-based improvisation, personal movement exploration, and dancers contributing original material. Gone are the days when dancers could simply wait for instructions. Instead, they must bring their own ideas and creativity into the studio, inspiring choreographers and shaping new work together.
This adaptability is central to our training at Elmhurst. Dance vocabulary is interpreted differently across cultures, so we prepare students to adjust to varied approaches. Our own system of training is rooted in the "big five" traditions: the English, French, Danish, Russian, and Italian schools. This blend reflects the vision of Ninette de Valois, who founded the Royal Ballet, and ensures our dancers develop a broad, flexible classical foundation.
Beyond ballet, we equip students with a wide range of skills to meet the demands of today’s profession. We offer contemporary and choreography classes, as well as jazz, and strength and conditioning. Physical resilience is essential: moving between a full-length classical ballet and a contemporary triple bill, each with distinct choreographic demands, places huge pressure on the body. That’s why physical fitness, stamina, and robustness are built into our curriculum.
At Elmhurst, we strive to prepare our dancers for every eventuality- technically, creatively, and physically- so they can thrive in an ever-changing dance world.
At what age do you audition students? Can students audition for Elmhurst for entry into any year group?
Elmhurst welcomes classical ballet students aged 11-19 years’ old. Entry to the school is by audition with students joining from Year 7 onwards and graduating after Year 14.
The only year group we do not accept into is Year 11, as students are in the middle of their GCSE exams and it would be highly disruptive to join at that stage. However, we welcome applications for all other year groups. The main entry points are Year 7 and Year 12, but we also accept students into other years where spaces are available.
How can dance teachers and parents prepare their students for their audition?
We run an Audition Experience Day, which has proven to be both valuable and very popular.
The day gives prospective students the chance to experience a typical audition with us. We share practical tips on what we look for as a school, guide participants through a standard audition class, and explain how to approach key aspects of the process. Everything from preparation and conduct to the reasons behind certain exercises and what they reveal to us.
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. While the Experience Day doesn’t necessarily give students an advantage in their audition, it does help reduce anxiety by making the process and the school feel more familiar. This allows students to walk into their actual audition feeling confident and ready to perform at their best.
If you can’t attend an Experience Day, the best ways to prepare are simple but effective: aim for a good night’s sleep (consider arriving the night before if you’re traveling far), warm up thoroughly beforehand, and stay well hydrated.
How are the preliminary auditions structured for Year 7 entry?
Parents drop their children off at the gate, and auditionees then enter the building. They will have time to warm up before going into the studio. Our Registrar, Rachal, will greet them, help them feel at ease, and explain who will be in the room and on the panel, so there are no surprises for the children.
The audition begins with a warm-up, followed by barre work. Candidates then demonstrate their physical facility to ensure they are prepared for the demands of training. This is followed by centre practice and allegro (jumps). At this stage, we do not expect or require pointe work for Year 7 entry, and it is not included even in the final auditions.
We also incorporate an element of free movement, as it’s important for us to see how prospective students respond to music creatively. We’ll play some contemporary tracks and invite them to metaphorically “let their hair down.” With guided prompts from the teacher, they have three to four minutes to explore the music, experiment with movement, and develop their own physical vocabulary. This is not about set choreography- it’s improvisational, allowing them to interpret what the music inspires in their bodies.
They then share their explorations in smaller groups, giving us insight into their versatility and, more importantly, their creativity. This exercise serves as a gentle introduction rather than a high-stakes test. Our goal is to gauge whether they are suited to the training offered at the School, not to set them up for failure. That’s why we maintain a rigorous and thorough audition process- to ensure students are both creatively and physically prepared, while safeguarding them from unnecessary risk.
The entire audition lasts approximately 90 minutes.
How are the final auditions structured?
The final auditions follow a similar structure to the preliminary round, with a standard audition class. However, they also explore the contemporary side more fully. A contemporary specialist joins at the end of the ballet section to deliver a 30-minute class, making the full audition class approximately two hours.
Beyond the class itself, auditionees also take part in a “getting-to-know-you” interview, a tour of the building, a presentation by the Senior Leadership Team, and a physiotherapy assessment, which is an important element of the process. Those auditioning for the Lower School also tour our warm and friendly boarding houses, and those auditioning for the Upper School tour The Elms, our state-of-the-art offsite accommodation, making the final auditions a much more comprehensive experience.
As for teaching, preliminary auditions may feature guest artists or teachers connected to Birmingham Royal Ballet. For the final auditions, however, we always ensure the classes are led by our own tutors.
What do you look for and consider in auditionees?
When prospective students ask me this question, I always turn it back to them: what do you believe are the necessary attributes for professional training? Without fail, they give the right answers, because what we are looking for is exactly what they admire in the dancers who inspire them.
At its core, we’re looking for a certain level of technical facility, which depends on the stage of audition. For Year 7, for instance, it’s about potential: do they show the raw qualities needed to grow into a ballet dancer? We look for postural alignment, use of turnout, leg and foot line, flexibility, and other technical attributes. But beyond that, there are qualities such as coordination, musicality, dynamics, and above all, presence and performance.
Personally, I always look for hunger- that spark in their eyes that says, this is what I want to do. It comes through in their energy, body language, and how they carry themselves, not just during the exercises, but on the sidelines too. How do they stand? How do they listen? Do they stay engaged with the teacher? Do they process the exercises quickly? Those qualities matter just as much in training as they do later in a professional career. Even at a young age, that spark, that drive, is unmistakable.
The audition itself is quite straightforward. We’re not trying to catch anyone out. It’s about seeing how they handle the essential elements of the studio environment.
What are the differences in what you look for at each entry stage?
At Upper School level, the focus shifts: we’re assessing whether they have the potential to be employable, whether in a classical company or a contemporary one. That means considering how they might work with choreographers, how adaptable they are, and whether they have the professionalism to succeed in the industry.We’re not expecting a finished product, we’re still very much focused on potential. What changes is the lens we use: will they be employable in three years? Can we help them grow into someone future employers will want to hire?
The emphasis may shift depending on the stage, but across all levels, we’re looking for the same foundation: technique, artistry, hunger, and the spark of a true performer.
Do headshot photographs for the application process have to be taken professionally?
Absolutely not. The headshots are just for identification. Keep it simple. Photos taken on a smartphone, whether at home or in a corner of your dance studio, are perfectly fine.
Would you recommend a child to attend an audition if they’ve previously been unsuccessful?
Yes, absolutely. Often, especially for auditions for year groups other than Year 7 or Year 12, much of the decision depends on factors like available bedspace or class size, and how full that year group already is. These factors can, of course, change from year to year. I would always encourage anyone who isn’t successful one year not to see it as a closed door, it absolutely isn’t. Everyone is welcome to reaudition at any time.
