Insight into auditions

Grace Dessillas Brown, Level 5, BA (Hons) Ballet Education Student

What made you want to audition?
At my old dance school, I was given the opportunity to be a teaching assistant. I absolutely loved every moment of the experience and realised just how much I loved working with children. My ballet teacher inspired me so much that it encouraged me to apply for the programme and audition. I wanted to fulfil my dreams of becoming a ballet teacher.

How did you prepare for the audition day?
Throughout my ballet classes I would make up a variety of enchaînments to teach in my audition class. I was able to understand the teaching methods, improve my vocabulary and gain confidence in order to be fully prepared.

What was the most memorable thing about audition day?
My most memorable part of the audition was the feeling of being at the RAD and my journey starting to feel real. This made me really excited and I realised what a great opportunity this was for me. It was also really good to meet such lovely people on the day, with whom I am still very close with.

What was your first impression of the audition experience?
I was really impressed with how professional and traditional the RAD is and that made me want to get started and do the best that I could.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone preparing for the audition for the BA (Hons) Ballet Education Programme, what would you say? My one piece of advice would be to just have fun and enjoy the experience! I was so nervous for my audition but looking back now it was not as scary as I thought!

Belinda Roy, Level 5, BA (Hons) Ballet Education student

What made you want to audition for the BA (Hons) Ballet Education programme?
I was an assistant at my old dance school and I absolutely loved the experience and knew from that what joy I would get from becoming a professional ballet teacher. I was also inspired by my teachers and peers, some of whom had done the degree in the past. They had become both amazing dancers and teachers, so I definitely wanted to follow in their footsteps, so I applied for the programme and was invited to one of the audition days held at the RAD, London.

How did you prepare for the audition day?
As well as practising my ballet technique in class, I also prepared various enchaînments which I would teach to my fellow classmates. This gave me great practice for the teaching section on the audition day.

What was your first impression of the audition experience?
I was thoroughly impressed by the institution. The programme sounded perfect for me. It was great to find a programme that balanced my interests in performance, teaching and the academic side of ballet.

What was the most memorable thing about audition day?
I really enjoyed the ballet class. It was challenging but the teachers were really encouraging and helped me to perform my best. It was also really nice to dance in a studio which contained so much history!

If you could give one piece of advice to someone preparing for an audition for the BA (Hons) Ballet Education programme, what would you say?
My one piece of advice would be, throughout each stage of the audition process, let the panel see how much you love your chosen subject and how eagerly you want to study it further – that is, after all, why you are there!

Laura Lluo Lin Tham from Singapore, Level 5, BA (HONS) Ballet Education student

How did you audition for the BA (Hons) Ballet Education Programme?
As I am an International student, I had to submit a video audition and afterwards had a Skype interview with the BABE Programme Manager.

What made you want to audition?
Dance and being around children is something I have always been passionate about. My ballet teacher, Sylvia McCully, has always been a great inspiration to me. Through the years of dancing, she has instilled in me a sense of discipline and I’ve grown to be a more confident individual through dance. I would love to share my love and knowledge of dance to the next generation of dancers and studying onsite at the RAD and being in London is like a dream come true!

How did you prepare for the audition?
I was fortunate to have a dance friend who submitted an audition like this before and he helped me with my video submission. I also did this with the help of a kind videographer friend that was willing to lend me his time and studio space to dance in.

What was your first impression of the audition experience?
It was nerve wrecking not knowing how the video might turn out and what the people watching it might be thinking, but I’m glad I just danced to the best of my ability and hopefully show who I was through my dancing.

What was the most memorable thing about audition day?
This was the first time submitting an audition video and I realised that I really wanted this as I prepared my solo and a short teaching clip. It made me realise how much I loved what I was doing and wanted this more than ever.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone preparing for the audition for the BA (Hons) Ballet Education programme, what would you say?
Just go for it! It’s never too late to pursue your dream. Being in London and studying on campus, living overseas has been a life-changing experience. It really made me grow so much in my dancing and my life experience. You won’t regret it. I’ve learnt so much from the wealth of knowledge I get from all the amazing teachers, and I know that coming back to Singapore, I’d definitely come back a changed dancer and person.