Northern Ballet School
Northern Ballet School is a centre of excellence in training for classical ballet and musical theatre, sharing its home with Performers College Manchester at The Dancehouse.
Northern Ballet School was founded under its current name in 1977 by Patricia McDonald but its history dates back much further to 1918 when Madge Atkinson then ballet mistress at the Gaiety Theatre in Manchester founded a school of what she termed ‘natural movement’. Northern Ballet School moved into the Dancehouse in 1992, with the 430-seater theatre opening in 1994.
It is exactly this mix of history and the fresh eyes from Performers College and through a continuous process of development, that it has reached its present status as an outstanding school training dancers for professional careers in classical ballet and commercial theatre.
It is the place where you can develop yourself as a dance artist and performer at one of the most prestigious training academies in the UK.
What is the Diploma course?
This 3-year Diploma in Professional Dance is a full-time professional course leading to the Trinity College London Diploma in Professional Dance, in addition to the Northern Ballet School Diploma in Professional Dance.
This course is designed to prepare you for a career in an industry that demands an ever-widening range of dance performance and related skills. This is why all students study a range of dance styles and genres throughout the three years of the course.
What are the benefits of training with Northern Ballet School?
Everyone at Northern Ballet School works together to help our students become the performers the theatre dance industry around the world demands – artistically accomplished, technically skilled, industry-savvy and confident.
The professional industry around the world is more demanding than ever before. It expects performers to have a wide variety of dance and other performance skills.
Technique and artistry must be strong, as must bodies as well as the mental resilience to withstand the rigorous demands of professional work. Students must be quick learners capable of fitting into demanding schedules. They must also have the confidence and respect for others necessary to work within groups of highly talented people.
Northern Ballet School is dedicated to giving you all these things so that you leave us with the skillset to find work and develop a rewarding career. Northern Ballet School graduates have joined classical and modern theatre companies and are now performing on stages all over the world. With an industry showcase at the pinnacle of the 3rd year, success is the keyword.
The Northern Ballet School corps is supported by a dedicated team of highly qualified and experienced lecturers all with the same laser-like focus – to create dance artists.
Key facts
Practical Performance Experience
3rd-year industry showcase
Central Manchester location
Up to date with current industry trends
High contact hours – 30 a week
Two pathways – Jazz & Ballet
Northern Ballet School ’s lecturers have had many years of professional performance experience. They constantly draw on this to prepare students for the physical and mental demands of their chosen careers.
In addition, lecturers have the particular technical expertise and theoretical knowledge. This allows them to give students a deeper insight into the range of dance styles and disciplines that underpins a creative approach to dance.
They also have the physiological expertise to help prepare would-be performers to deal with the physical and mental demands of the dance profession.
Andrew is a principal lecturer in Jazz Technique, Musical Theatre, Audition Technique and Professional Practice, for the Jazz Focus programme at the Northern Ballet School, as well as contributing creatively to a variety of in-house productions as director and choreographer.
Jackie trained at Northern Ballet School whereupon graduation in 1984 she joined the staff, teaching a wide range of subjects, including Classical Ballet, Jazz, Tap and Teaching Studies. In 1992, she became Head of the Children’s Department, in 1995 Head of the Teacher Training Department and in 2013 Deputy Principal at the school. She has also taught at a variety of Vocational Colleges, including SLP College Leeds, Preston College and North Liverpool Dance Academy.
Sarah oversees the Ballet Training of all Northern Ballet School students and heads the Classical Focus Pathway. She is also responsible for the delivery of the Contextual Studies programme. Sarah feels privileged to be part of the journey of our talented young artists as they prepare to enter the professional dance world.
Live public performances are an integral part of the training at Northern Ballet School. Our student productions are all staged at a professional level in the amazing surroundings of our 430-seat theatre.
This gives students a hands-on experience of theatrical discipline and performing in front of a public audience while providing their family and friends with an opportunity to see the work.
- Adonais
- Ajkun Ballet Theatre – New York
- Alexander Roy
- Ballet Creations
- Ballet Gwent
- Ballet Imaginaire
- Ballet Ireland
- Berlin Oper
- Berlin Metropole
- Birmingham Royal Ballet
- Canterbury Ballet – New Zealand
- Cinevox Junior Company
- Coastal City Ballet
- Detmold
- Dublin City
- Dusseldorf
- Essen
- European, Gelsenkirchen
- Haagen
- Lewis London
- Linz Oper
- London City Ballet
- Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures
- Munster
- New English Contemporary Ballet
- Norwegian National
- Northern Ballet
- Peter Shaufuss Ballet
- Romanska
- Royal Ballet of Flanders
- Royal New Zealand Ballet
- Vienna Festival
- Wiener and the Yuma Ballet of Texas
- Beauty and the Beast
- Brigadoon
- Buddy
- Cabaret
- Calamity Jane
- Carousel
- Cassandra
- Cats
- Chess
- Chicago
- Chitty Chitty
- Bang Bang
- Contact
- Evita
- Fame
- Fosse
- Funny
- Girl
- Gigi
- Gold Diggers
- Grease
- Hair
- Hello Dolly
- Hot Stuff
- Joseph and his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Kes
- Kiss Me Kate
- La Cage aux Folles
- Lion King
- Love Shack
- Mary Poppins
- Movin’ Out
- My Fair Lady
- Oklahoma
- Oliver
- Peter Pan
- Phantom of the Opera
- Pajama Game
- Saturday Night Fever
- Some Like It Hot
- South Pacific
- Spirit of the Dance
- Starlight Express
- The King and I
- The Snowman
- The Wedding Singer
- Wicked
- West Side Story
Professional Networks
Any questions?
For questions on how Performers College can prepare you for a career in the entertainment industry, or if you’d like more information on how to apply, please contact our Enquiries Team on 01273 840 346 or email [email protected].
