Does anyone have a child who has gone to Performing Arts college post 16 ?

[mskitty]

I'm just curious how it all works. Dd is 13 and has her heart set on becoming a dancer. She currently does ballroom and musical theatre lessons and gets distinction in the majority of her exams (she doesn't compete though) but apart from this I dont know what else I can do to help her achieve her dream. Is it only the showiest of kids that would get picked or do they look for potential too? She's never been able to do the splits and worries this will stop her.

She takes part in lots of productions and workshops and I keep a dance CV for her with all the details. I've started saving videos of her when she has done performances in case we need some sort of showreel. Am I missing anything?

She knows it's a competitive business to be in and so wants to do well in her other subjects too as back up and is even taking business studies at GCSE so she can look at opening a dance school when she's older (she seems to have it all planned out! )

[duchy]

Do you have a particular college in mind ?
With such a competitive entry it may be worth starting to keep up with the different colleges you are interested in on social media. Get a feel for them.

[mskitty]

Originally Posted by duchy

Do you have a particular college in mind ?
With such a competitive entry it may be worth starting to keep up with the different colleges you are interested in on social media. Get a feel for them.

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Yes already on it 😂😂 My Facebook and Instagram account are full of nothing else at the moment.

[frances01]

Hi Mskitty, my daughter is at dance college. She has danced since she was 3 but was always in the background at her dance classes. For the two summers before she started applying to colleges she started attending summer schools at colleges she was considering applying to (Urdang and Bird). She did MT while at school but only wanted to study dance. She also wanted to do a degree rather than a diploma. In the end she did a foundation year at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and is now studying a degree in commercial dance at MGA in Edinburgh. I would say just resesrch all the colleges, findvout class sizes, attend easter or summer schools, if you are local to any watch their productions. It is hard and they can be quite blunt with the pupils about appearance, etc but it is no worse than what they will get when they are working in that industry. Even if she didnt get in to a college it is not always a reflection on their ability. There are some colleges who go for a specific look or that year they are looking for a specific strength. One thing my daughter was told at a college open day was if you want to pay for something to help them, pay for singing lessons. Hope this helps.

Frances01

[mskitty]

Originally Posted by frances01

Hi Mskitty, my daughter is at dance college. She has danced since she was 3 but was always in the background at her dance classes. For the two summers before she started applying to colleges she started attending summer schools at colleges she was considering applying to (Urdang and Bird). She did MT while at school but only wanted to study dance. She also wanted to do a degree rather than a diploma. In the end she did a foundation year at Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts and is now studying a degree in commercial dance at MGA in Edinburgh. I would say just resesrch all the colleges, findvout class sizes, attend easter or summer schools, if you are local to any watch their productions. It is hard and they can be quite blunt with the pupils about appearance, etc but it is no worse than what they will get when they are working in that industry. Even if she didnt get in to a college it is not always a reflection on their ability. There are some colleges who go for a specific look or that year they are looking for a specific strength. One thing my daughter was told at a college open day was if you want to pay for something to help them, pay for singing lessons. Hope this helps.

Frances01

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Thank you that is really useful.

[frances01]

Sorry meant to say there is an annual event in London called Move It. There are open classes they can book in to, college demonstrations and college stalls. It may be worth considering that. It's a good way to find out about colleges you are maybe not aware of.

Frances01

[VeryexcitedH]

My friend's daughter is doing a performing arts degree at The Hammond in Chester. I can't give you anymore info but may be worth a Google.

[EssexSue]

There a college in Loughton called E15, not sure where you live. I do know students live in. It's where Alison Steadman went.

[Vanillapod]

I’m curious about all of this too.
I think DS has decided on standard 6th form with a good performing arts reputation and then hopefully moving onto somewhere like Mountview, Chichester or Italia Conti afterwards.
I can’t decide what’s for the best. I don’t think I’m keen for him to move away at 16 so 6th form first seems a good path.
In the meantime he does LAMDA, has vocal coaching, has started to properly pick up dance and he auditions for as many youth projects as possible.

NYMT held their recalls yesterday and Saturday for this year but it might be worth keeping that in mind for next year.
NYT are still auditioning for this year but presumably musical theatre would be preferable OP?

[holidaysaver75]

Does she sing and act as well as dance? I teach Drama and have had quite a few pupils go on to places like Laine and GSA, some of whom are predominantly actors, some singers and some dancers. What they’ve said is that, in terms of getting regular work, having some training in the other 2 arts disciplines is a real bonus.
Also, have a look at things like the National Youth Music Theatre. They run lots of auditions around the country for summer projects.