Auditioning for 2017

[jasmine2]

Hi Robin64 - She is having private singing lessons just started in order be song ready for auditions and has found a voice she never knew she had and has weekly drama lessons although only 15 mins to get her monologue prepared. We have been to Laines audition day back in October as well as Performers, Birds and LSC and Bodyworks in Cambridge Open days. We are lucky enough to be able to get into London easily so see musicals regularly - saw Aladdin and Mathew Bournes Red Shoes over the xmas period. She has had lot of performance experience with National Youth Ballet and All England Dance Finals. It's just scary when you see the numbers auditioning at these colleges! She gave up the recorder age 5 no is not musical much to my disappointment as I played flute and piano up to grade 5 and A level. Also doing Laines and Performers Easter Schools

wow your dd has been busy....is she auditioning this year?
Good luck

[Robin64]

Hi Robin64 - She is having private singing lessons just started in order be song ready for auditions and has found a voice she never knew she had and has weekly drama lessons although only 15 mins to get her monologue prepared. We have been to Laines audition day back in October as well as Performers, Birds and LSC and Bodyworks in Cambridge Open days. We are lucky enough to be able to get into London easily so see musicals regularly - saw Aladdin and Mathew Bournes Red Shoes over the xmas period. She has had lot of performance experience with National Youth Ballet and All England Dance Finals. It's just scary when you see the numbers auditioning at these colleges! She gave up the recorder age 5 no is not musical much to my disappointment as I played flute and piano up to grade 5 and A level. Also doing Laines and Performers Easter Schools

well belledancer, sounds like you have got things well and truly covered!! We have done far less than that and yes DD is auditioning this year. DD did Laines day, she found it useful but thought it was not the place for her. She enjoyed the GSA summer school and it would be a fave for her along with Bird (after the open day there) but we will see how auditions go. The others she hasn't seen yet so that will be an interesting part of the auditions. To be honest I would not be too sad for her to work for a year and audition next but obviously I would be thrilled for her if she got a place somewhere she liked. Sounds like your DD would prefer a strong dance course with her ballet experience. I am sure she will be super-prepared.

[jennifer1972]

Don't be so quick to turn down the unfunded offer of a Diploma place at Bird - dd2 got the same letter last year. We accepted the place and I put in a note on the acceptance letter to say that she would be unable to go without funding. Dd2 heard at the beginning of June last year that she had been awarded a DaDA. She's now in her first year at Bird and is so happy

Great advice! Thanks!!

[islandofsodor]

Hi All - this is my first post. I have been reading with interest everyone's audition experiences so far as this will be my dd this time next year. Whilst she has a very good idea of where she wants to go etc it is lovely to get some knowledge. I have been on Balletco forum for a while as my dd was quite ballet focused but on going to the open days, audition workshops and from advice from her current teachers she is wanting to more of a triple threat but is focusing on Level 6 Dance Diploma. She is currently doing a BTEC in Dance at our local college. So lovely to here of all the success stories on here. Let's keep them coming

Hi Belle,

It seems to me that with your daughter's strong ballet/dance background but wanting triple threat musical theatre she should perhaps look at the Dance Diploma courses at both the Hammond & Northern Ballet (Manchester). Don't be put off by the name Northern Ballet or the fact Hammond is known for its lower school ballet. Both institutions offer a common first year before students decide whether to specialise in Dance or Musical Theatre at Hammond and Classical or Jazz/MT at Northern.

[Belledancer]

Thanks all for lovely advice so far. DD is very organised and determined when she wants to be and has planned this all out. Luckily we lived in SE England so visiting a lot of the London based colleges is quite easy. I have researched Hammond, Northern Ballet and Kate Simmons but although they look amazing places to train she would prefer not to go north and would prefer a 1 ish hour trip home initially as she does like her home comforts Luckily both her current dance school and BTEC College have been very helpful in guiding us. The Dance School like to keep hold of them for as long as they can ie 18 unless they are truly ballet blessed - which is double edged but they offer Advanced 2 RAD Ballet and the same ISTD Tap and Modern and it's good quality training and also lots of performance experience as well. Although I worry about the drama she has never done any LAMDA only GCSE A* between the dance school and the college in the last 18 months have had one girl to Royal Ballet Upper School, Laines, Urdang, Performers, Millenium, Bird - so hopefully we are on the right track but who knows what the colleges are looking for!

[JayLou62]

Belledancer, dd2 was in the same position as your dd 2 years ago. Dd2 wanted to go down the ballet route but when she was offered a place at age 17, realised it wasn't for her and that she wanted to audition for Musical Theatre. She had already decided she did not want to do A levels (we have a strong history of ASD with both her brother and dad diagnosed and she definitely has traits) so went to a local private dance college full time at 16 where she did ballet (ISTD and RAD), tap,modern, lyrical, hip hop, contemporary, commercial, acro and aerial and musical theatre including a private singing lesson per week). After she turned down the ballet place she auditioned for a local Foundation course and went part time at the dance college (3 full days) and part time on a one year pre-vocational Foundation course in Acting/Musical Theatre (2 full days including a private singing lesson). She auditioned for 6 schools (Millennium, Urdang, Laines, Bird, Bodyworks and Performers and was offered a Diploma place at 5 schools and a Foundation place at 1 school and 3 DaDA's (would have been 4 but she didn't get the letter back in time).
Dd was studying Adv 2 Ballet (she passed with Distinction last summer); Adv 1 modern (she passed with Distinction last summer) and tap Adv 1.
She chose Bird and is really happy there (first year).
The funny thing is her dance college thought dd2 'too balletic' and that she wouldn't get anywhere in MT. Even some of the teachers at Bird thought dd2 was a'ballet girl who couldn't do other styles but has proved she can'. So ballet won't hold your dd back

[Belledancer]

JayLou62 - sounds like you have a very talented daughter and I am so glad she is enjoying Birds. We really enjoyed the open day there and it had such a lovely welcoming feel about it. That sounds like my DD's dream list too! Could I ask you where the foundation offer was from. DD knows a couple of really beautiful dancers who have at 18 been offered Foundation Courses and they have been a little bit disappointed - wondering why the aren't quite ready for the Diploma or Degree Courses and I guess it's a big mix of things - we are still being constantly told though that it very important to have a sound strong classical training. DD has come completely out of her comfort zone at college now doing street, commercial in heels etc and is loving it all. You have another daughter who was more acting based am I right in thinking - I recall earlier posts on here and balletco formum as well.

[JayLou62]

Hi Belledancer - the Foundation place was from Urdang- but not until dd2 went to the recall audition and did one dance class followed by the interview (she hadn't done her monologue or song at that stage) was told that she had been recalled for the Foundation She wouldn't have gone if she had known that was what she was being considered for.
Yes, I do have an older dd who wants to do acting - she decided not to audition again this year but has joined a Youth Company affiliated to one of the big drama schools, is working part time and continuing with dance classes while she can. She's done a few open auditions and invited to audition for another casting but nothing as yet. Time is on her side as she's 21 but still gets a child fare on the bus and is constantly ID'd

[martint]

DD was gutted yesterday to only get a Foundation offer from Urdang. This was her first choice. She's still waiting to hear from Bird and has an audition at Laine coming up. She's currently in her second year at CAPA.

I've told her to cheer up and not see it as a NO. It's another option she has to fall back on if she doesn't get a place at one of the other colleges.

My question is - do many students who complete the Foundation Course then get degree places at the end? Does anyone have experi nice in this?

[jaybeeyellow]

Hi there,
Slightly different I know in that your daughter seems to be pursuing dance? I would say it is difficult to get on to the full course after doing the foundation. The foundation courses are definitely not feeder courses for the BA courses.
My daughter completed an acting foundation last year at a well known school, but didn't get on to the 3yr BA course subsequently. In fact, the audition process in relation to the one she initially completed was poor. Think 5 minutes compared to full day the previous year. At least the course was funded, many are not.
Thankfully, she did eventually get on to a BA course in another good school, so please tell your daughter not to give up

[princess1]

My DD' s friend is now in her 2nd year at Urdang after completing a foundation year there! The 1st year she auditioned she got an offer from Chichester and the foundation at urdang! She decided to take the foundation offer and was quite successful when she auditioned at the end of the Year! My DD is at LSC and one of the girls on her course did the foundation at urdang so I think they do quite well!

[carriecrafts]

DD was gutted yesterday to only get a Foundation offer from Urdang. This was her first choice. She's still waiting to hear from Bird and has an audition at Laine coming up. She's currently in her second year at Urdang.

I've told her to cheer up and not see it as a NO. It's another option she has to fall back on if she doesn't get a place at one of the other colleges.

My question is - do many students who complete the Foundation Course then get degree places at the end? Does anyone have experi nice in this?

It varies from college to college and there are no guarantees. However, my dd is on the degree at Urdang and there are definitely students on the degree who came from the Urdang Foundation course as well as other Foundation courses.
x

[tequila189]

Hi there

Just wondered if anyone had any experience of Northern School of Contemporary Dance and London Contemporary Dance School. My DD has been offered a place on the BA at Northern, very excited, but her first choice is London. She has a recall audition in London in a few weeks so just wondered if anyone knew what the difference at the two schools were? We already live in Leeds and she has been at the Cat scheme at Northern so she´s hoping to have a change of scenery if she gets into London.

Just wanted to know if anyone had any experience of the two and if the BA offered is essentially the same offering?

Thanks in advance

[Robin64]

Hi there

Just wondered if anyone had any experience of Northern School of Contemporary Dance and London Contemporary Dance School. My DD has been offered a place on the BA at Northern, very excited, but her first choice is London. She has a recall audition in London in a few weeks so just wondered if anyone knew what the difference at the two schools were? We already live in Leeds and she has been at the Cat scheme at Northern so she´s hoping to have a change of scenery if she gets into London.

Just wanted to know if anyone had any experience of the two and if the BA offered is essentially the same offering?

Thanks in advance

I cannot help with any experience of the schools but it might be worth considering the difference in accommodation and living expenses, travel etc obviously that depends if it is something that you need to bear in mind but there will probably be a significant difference. Our eldest found the hardest thing about uni (not London but almost as expensive) was the cost of living and it was not as easy to get a pt job as she thought with so many other students looking. We had to spend a small fortune on rent, agency fees etc in the first year as student loan did not even cover the rent. She has a pt job this year so we don't cover as much but still have to contribute a fair bit. However, exploring a new place is exciting so if she has her heart set on London then I think go with her first preference (and scope out potential part time jobs early!)

[lbm1e14]

Hi martint. It is tough. Our DD had her heart set on Urdang, Montview or Artsed but had no's ie nothing at all from all three by Christmas! But she, and we, kept going and she is now in her first year at another school which she fell in love with at audition in the January. She has no regrets whatsoever. She also got a second offer in the January from another school.

Just intrigued by one thing you wrote. You say she got a Foundation offer from Urdang but is in her second year at Urdang?