Auditions

Auditions Timetable

Audition application deadline: Monday, 22 February, 2010.

Date	Details
Sunday, 7 March 2010	First round
Sunday, 21 March 2010	Associate Division recalls
Monday 12 - Friday 16 April 2010	Professional Division
Days & times of recalls to be confirmed

To download an application form click here. or to request an application form via email click here.

Auditions Information

Academy Prospectus & Application Form.

Auditions for the 2010 courses will take place in March, further details to follow soon. Auditions for 2009 courses have already taken place.

Students can apply for one or more of the courses. When a student applies for more than one course their preliminary audition will be combined. Please indicate clearly on the application form which courses the student is applying for.

Successful applicants for the Centre for Advanced Training and Associate Programmes will commence classes in September of that academic year.

To apply for either / all programmes please down load complete and return the attached application form, along with requested photos and relevant fee, to:

Northern Ballet Theatre Academy
West Park Centre
Spen Lane
Leeds
LS16 5BE

For further information regarding any Programmes please contact the Academy on 0113 274 5355 or academy@northernballettheatre.co.uk

Auditions will take place at Northern Ballet Theatre head quarters in Leeds.

About the Auditions

Selection

We have chosen to select students via audition to take part in the programmes rather than make it available to all on a first come first served basis. There are several reasons for this:

• We are limited in our resources and are currently only able to offer training to restricted numbers of students.
• We want to make these unique training opportunities available to those students regionally, who have the potential to benefit from them the most; in terms of the progress they are likely to be able to make over the course of the programmes.
• We want to maximise the opportunities for those students with a certain potential and don’t believe the resulting training to be suitable, beneficial or healthy for those students who we consider either physically or mentally not able to cope with the demands.

Important

Whilst we make this selection we DO NOT wish to make definite judgements or decisions about young people’s ability to have a life in dance. We are only able to make decisions about our own training programme and recognise that there are a multitude of alternative ways to fulfil dancing potential.

What do we look for in young dancers?

We look for different things at different stages of a young person’s development. This depends on age, previous experience and potential to develop.

We look for students who have certain skills, innate ability and potential to develop in the following five areas: physique, mental application, movement & co-ordination, expression, personality and musicality.

Below are the main focus points of selection criteria, which are all equally important. Students will have strengths and weaknesses across these areas but should have some innate ability and potential in each, within a certain range.

Physique

• Bone structure: build & proportion
• Flexibility
• Musculature

Mental application

• Concentration
• Mind to body co-ordination
• General alertness
• Self motivation

Movement & Co-ordination

• A natural movement ability
• A potential to co-ordinate limbs and body
  (also in response to music)

Expression & Personality

A certain presence and ability and drive to communicate - through movement.

Musicality

A natural response to rhythm and ability to interpret music. (with body co-ordination)

The expected level of all the above will vary depending on the age of the applicants. However, all successful applicants will show potential in all areas. All applicants are notified of the result of their audition.

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