Year 11 Student Alyssia Secures Place at Prestigious English National Ballet School 13 April 2026
We are delighted to share the exciting news that Alyssia, a Year 11 student, has been offered a place at the English National Ballet School for entry next year.
The English National Ballet School is one of the UK’s leading ballet institutions, attracting applications from talented young dancers across the world. With only a small number of places available each year, competition is exceptionally fierce, making Alyssia’s success a remarkable achievement and testament to her talent, commitment and resilience.
Over several years, Alyssia has balanced an intensive dance training schedule alongside her academic studies, with the support of her family and school staff. In this article, Alyssia reflects on her audition experience, the dedication required to reach this stage, and her ambitions for a future career in professional dance.
A WORD FROM ALYSSIA’S DAD
“I am thrilled for Alyssia. The commitment and effort she puts into dance is something she should be really proud of. There are early mornings at weekends and late nights in the week as the bulk of her commitments are in London. This means she often has to sacrifice social events with friends. But she is motivated and that makes it much easier, especially to balance school, dance and other commitments she has.
BMS have been great from day one and really bought into what she is doing and what a commitment it is and how we can work with them to make this work for us as parents, Alyssia and to ensure school commitments are met. It’s also been great that she has been supported wholeheartedly by teachers in the performing arts faculty and been able to dance and perform at the school and in various productions which she has absolutely loved.”
How did you feel when you found out you’d been accepted into the English National Ballet School?
“I was absolutely delighted when I found out I was offered a place at the English National Ballet school. I have been working towards this for a number of years. The audition process is in two stages which involves a ballet classes and solos. I have been attending ENB on Saturdays for the last few years as part of my training, but there is a lot of pressure to get everything right on the day. About 400 people audition from all over the world and they have about 22 places so it’s a really intense experience.”
What do you think helped you stand out in such a competitive international application process?
“It’s really about the preparation to ensure mentally and physically I am confident. I receive great support from my teachers in London where I take classes 3 or 4 times a week, after school and at weekends. I also have had a lot of support from BMS with the dance tuition I have. The school has been very supportive since Y7 in allowing me to balance my academic studies and training during the week.”
Can you tell us about a moment in your dance training that was especially important or memorable?
“There have been so many great moments. I have performed in New York with the International Contemporary Ensemble and competed nationally as well as internationally in Italy. I also performed to a full house at Sadlers Wells Theatre in London with the National Youth Ballet. I also had great fun and performance training at BMS with Beauty and the Beast in Year 7 and the Bugsy Malone Production in Year 10 when I was lucky to play Tallulah.”
How did you prepare, both physically and mentally, for such an intense competition?
“It’s important to look after myself with ensuring I have good diet and gets lots of rest between training. I dance for about 15-20 hours a week so with this and travel to and from London and school work and revision, it’s a lot to fit in so I have to be organised and disciplined with my time. But it’s important to have some fun and see my friends. I love dance so it’s easy to motivate myself – there’s not much downtime, but the support I have had from school has made this a lot easier.”
How do you see this opportunity shaping your career as a dancer?
“ENB is one of the best Ballet schools in the UK so it’s a great opportunity to take the next step. It will be full time training but also gaining a Level 6 diploma in Professional Dance at the same time. ENB has a great track record of students going on to dance in professional companies which is my ambition.”
What role has the school played in helping you get to this stage?
“The school has been really supportive all the way through. I joined BMS in Y3 and I have had great support from all of my teachers, especially my Head of Year Mrs Neville and my form tutor Mr Millar, helping with the flexibility and understanding to allow me to balance studying and training. I have also had great support from the school to perform with the Performing Arts departments in productions, perform in Showcases and dance exams, singing in choir with the Music Department and Speech and Drama exams. I have also made some great friends at BMS, who include me in everything, even though it isn’t always easy as I’m so busy. They are very supportive and I think this is because school encourages us to embrace our passions and work hard towards our goals. I’m also very thankful for the school dance studio, a space to practice with support and great teaching from Mrs Power and Miss Berrill.”
What advice would you give to younger dancers who dream of achieving something similar?
“It’s a big commitment and you have to love what you do. This gives the motivation and drive for the early starts and late nights. Dance gives me so many things like resilience, discipline and fitness. I also have a great network of friends that I have met through the dance schools, training and performances which has been amazing. I find it’s very rewarding and confidence boosting.”
