About The Royal Ballet School
The Royal Ballet School is internationally renowned for classical ballet training of the highest calibre, offering a carefully structured eight-year dance course aligned with an extensive academic programme to A level.
Our mission is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers for The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and other top international dance companies, and in doing so to set the standards in dance training nationally and internationally.
From time to time, students from the Upper and Lower Schools are offered performance opportunities with The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet throughout their training.
The Lower School, for students aged 11 - 15 years, is based at White Lodge in Richmond Park, Surrey and is predominantly for boarding students.
The Upper School, for students aged 16 - 19 years, is situated at Floral Street, Covent Garden in the heart of London. Boarding accommodation is provided for students in their 1st Year, with shared accommodation in the Covent Garden area provided for 2nd and 3rd Year students.
The School is co-educational, international and entry is by audition only. The main intakes are at 11 years for Lower School and 16 years for Upper School and the sole criterion for entry is that the successful entrant has both the ability and commitment to become a professional ballet dancer. No potential student should be discouraged by lack of financial means from making an application to the School.
Founded by Dame Ninette de Valois in 1926, the School has a rich history and many famous graduates including Dame Margot Fonteyn, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Sir Peter Wright, Dame Antoinette Sibley, Sir Anthony Dowell, Monica Mason OBE, Lynn Seymour, David Bintley CBE, Darcey Bussell OBE, Alina Cojocaru, Adam Cooper, Jonathan Cope CBE and Christopher Wheeldon, to name only a few.
