BRB2

[Jan McNulty]

Not a dance school but I was lucky enough to go to a grammar school that had a much better academic record than the fee paying school down the road that was much sought after.

 

They may not have had a better academic record but the pupils had the associated prestige of going there…

 

BTW - principal of BRB Max Maslen graduated from Central and now retired principal Tyrone Singleton graduated from Tring.

[Emeralds]

1 hour ago, BalletParent123 said:

As a parent of a younger dancer, I'd love to see more ENBS grads getting positions at ENB and more Elmhurst grads getting positions at BRB. Anything they can do to strengthen those links is a good thing. The cynic in me says I'll believe it when I see it but at least in the case of ENB it sounds like there is a genuine desire to work together. I'm not sensing the same about Elmhurst (as the desire perhaps seems one way) but I would love to be proven wrong. 

 

At the moment, it appears to me is that if you graduate from RBS then you're likely to get a classical ballet contract. If you are in the top few at ENBS you will also likely get a classical ballet contract. If you come through Elmhurst or Central or RCS then realistically it's maybe only 1 or 2 girls who get a contract, probably a bit higher for boys.

 

And this is against the backdrop that RBS Upper is extremely hard to get into (and also it's not a given that you will make it to the end of Upper School even if you do get in), ENBS is a bit easier but still very competitive, Elmhurst I don't really have a feel for how difficult it is to get a place and Central and RCS are not that hard to get into. Am I way off the mark here? 

If it's any help at all, I think contracts at a ballet company are impossible to predict or work out the odds for so I wouldn't take any notice of the stats as long as your offspring is happy, healthy and making sufficient progress to get up to a good professional standard. If RB always took 5 graduates from RBS, and BRB always took 3 from Elmhurst, and ENB took 3 from ENBS, that's not much consolation for the graduates who were not among the 5 or the three. But if you trained at Central and got a contract at, ENB, BRB or RB and there are no stats for that, because they hardly ever do, then you'll be thrilled and wouldn't care what the usual figures and stats say.

 

A way to improve one's chances might be to look at the way the new joiners dance and how they present themselves on stage. What do they seem to have in common? With social media now a widely used tool, many graduates and new professional dancers often post videos of their dancing on social media, especially if they have won awards or progressed to the final at ballet competitions. They can be useful as a way to see what directors are looking for. 

Edited Thursday at 12:12 by Emeralds

[tired dance mummy]

This year I understand a few of the Elmhurst graduate students have been selected to dance with BRB in the Nutcracker.  I don't believe it has happened for a few years.

[Farawaydancer]

On 26/09/2024 at 12:52, BalletParent123 said:

I think we need to be realistic that many of the graduates from the other schools will not end up getting a classical ballet contract. Maybe that's ok, maybe the training and experiences gained there are still useful, but I am a realist and I don't think it helps to sugar-coat the number of jobs that are ultimately available and who they are going to. 

 

As I mentioned above, I could be way off the mark. That is just my current (personal) impression of the UK upper schools. 

Three quarters of the graduates from my son’s class (2023) gained company (mainly classical) contracts either by graduation or within a year of graduation. The remaining grads also have dance contracts and are working as dancers. It’s really not easy but they do get them. 

[SpideyDad]

On 26/09/2024 at 13:58, tired dance mummy said:

This year I understand a few of the Elmhurst graduate students have been selected to dance with BRB in the Nutcracker.  I don't believe it has happened for a few years.

I believe that it's been the case for a few years with 3rd-Years at ENBS too, dancing in the Corps in the ENB Nutcracker.

 

It does mean that DD won't be coming home for Christmas (injury permitting): Christmas may have to go to her. 🎄

What an experience for them, though!

Edited 10 hours ago by SpideyDad

[Jan McNulty]

This is the description of BRB2:

 

https://www.brb.org.uk/the-company/brb2

 

In its first year the company was a mix of more junior BRB dancers and graduating students.  As it is a 2 year programme in 2024 the company has been those who were new the previous year plus more new dancers.  The same this year although the BRB2 tour doesn't start till spring 2025.  A number of the dancers have come into the main BRB company.

 

It does describe itself as "a company of some of the very best young ballet graduates from around the world."

 

Olivia Chang Clarke graduated to full company member via BRB2 (although I think she may also have classed as an apprentice) and came from Elmhurst.

 

I believe Oscar Kempsey-Fagg was publicly offered a contract after a performance at Elmhurst and now his brother is the Elmhurst apprentice.

 

There has always been a trickle of dancers coming to the company from Elmhurst and I believe that during SDB's directorship it had been described as a partner school.

 

Not that it has anything to do with the price of fish but there was a party of Elmhurst students attending the performance on Thursday evening.

[Babyballerinamum]

9 hours ago, Farawaydancer said:

Three quarters of the graduates from my son’s class (2023) gained company (mainly classical) contracts either by graduation or within a year of graduation. The remaining grads also have dance contracts and are working as dancers. It’s really not easy but they do get them. 

May I ask if that’s boys and girls or just the boys?

[Farawaydancer]

32 minutes ago, Babyballerinamum said:

May I ask if that’s boys and girls or just the boys?

The whole year, boys and girls.