The Royal Ballet School is one of the world’s most celebrated centres for classical ballet training.
The Royal Ballet School is one of the world’s greatest centres of classical ballet training, which for generations has produced dancers and choreographers of international renown including Margot Fonteyn, Anya Linden, Kenneth MacMillan, Lynn Seymour, David Wall, Antoinette Sibley, Anthony Dowell, Marguerite Porter, Stephen Jefferies, Darcey Bussell and Jonathan Cope. And now there’s a new generati
on making its mark on the world stage, all of whom trained at The Royal Ballet School – Lauren Cuthbertson, Steven McRae, Edward Watson and Christopher Wheeldon to name a few. Admission to the School is based purely on talent and potential, regardless of academic ability or personal circumstances and 89% of current students rely on financial support to attend the School. The School offers an eight-year carefully structured dance course, aligned with an extensive academic programme, giving the students the best possible education to equip them for a career in the world of dance. A founder-member of the Department for Education’s Music and Dance Scheme, the School also has an extensive programme of engagement with the wide community. Its Outreach Programme offers an extensive Associate Programme which provides pre-vocational training for 8-15 year olds across eight national centres: Birmingham, Bristol, Eastleigh, Leeds, London, Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Totnes, and its Intensive Courses welcome students from every corner of the globe. Former professional dancers can pursue a comprehensive teacher training course, enabling them to re-enter the dance world as professional teachers.
13/07/2026
✨ The making of Beauchamp's Garden by David Bintley for our centenary Summer Performances ✨
Alum, former Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet and choreographer, David Bintley, has created a new work inspired by Pierre Beauchamp for our 1st Year and Pre-professional Year students. We spoke with David and our students about the process.
09/07/2026
📸 Join us for our free photography exhibition ‘Backstage at Opera Holland Park’ featuring photographs by Laima Arlauskaitė 📸
See behind-the-scenes of our 2025 performance season with these beautiful images taken by Lithuanian photographer Laima Arlauskaite of Tiny Window Studio.
📍Ice House in Holland Park
🗓️ 10-20 July
09/07/2026
📸 Behind-the-scenes of our programme shoot with Photography by ASH and our poster shoot with Laima Arlauskaite 📸
🦢🩰 Our Swan Lake posters exclusively available to buy at our Summer Performances photographed by Laima Arlauskaite of Tiny Window Studio 🩰🦢
Our Upper School students are performing Act III of Peter Wright’s Swan Lake tonight and Saturday at Opera Holland Park and at our final performance of the season at the Royal Opera House.
🩰 These posters feature Upper School students Azusa and Sophie. Thank you to Birmingham Royal Ballet for their beautiful costumes designed by Philip Prowse.
07/07/2026
🎉 The School’s 100th graduate year achieve 100% employment rate 🎉
We are thrilled to share that all 30 graduating students have secured professional contracts with 17 prestigious companies worldwide, including six with The Royal Ballet and five with Birmingham Royal Ballet.
The broad range of companies in the UK and around the globe reflect the diversity of these student’s strengths, technical versatility and creative voices.
✨ See our Year 10 and 11 students perform Andrew McNicol's Of Strength & Grace in the School's centenary Summer Performances at Opera Holland Park ✨
Andrew trained at the School and returned to create a new work suitably named after the School's motto. We spoke to Andrew about his choreographic process and working with the students.
✨ 100 stories for 100 years: Christopher Saunders ✨
Today, we share the story of alum, Christopher Saunders, Rehearsal Director and Principal Character Artist of The Royal Ballet.
Christopher joined White Lodge in 1975 at the age of 11 and joined The Royal Ballet in 1983. He celebrated 40 years with the Company in February 2023, a rare and remarkable achievement that only his fellow Principal Character Artist and alum Elizabeth McGorian shares.
'I knew everyone else’s parts as a kid. At White Lodge, we were the last year to do Rudolf Nureyev’s The Nutcracker. We would go back to White Lodge in the evening after the performance, put the music on and dance everyone else’s parts as well. Now, I look back and I think maybe that’s why I do the job I do now, because I remembered everyone’s steps.'
✨ Next week we begin our run of Summer Performances at Opera Holland Park featuring Christening Suite by Christopher Wheeldon ✨
Enjoy a summer's evening in the beautiful grounds of Holland Park and watch an exciting mixed bill of classical and contemporary works celebrating 100 years of The Royal Ballet School.
09/07/2026
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02/07/2026
30/06/2026