As another year comes to a close, we are celebrating the achievements of our Graduate Artists Programme (GAP) students, who have spent the past year taking the final steps from vocational training into the professional ballet world.
This year, the programme has proven an invaluable stepping stone, with graduates securing contracts and places with companies around the world, including:
- English National Ballet – Full-time contract
- English National Ballet – Short-term contract
- Ballet de Monterrey Studio Company
- British Festival Ballet
- Joffrey Ballet Junior Company
- Richmond Ballet
- Milwaukee Ballet II
- Hamburg Ballet
- Cape Ballet Africa
Throughout the year, our Graduate Artists have embraced every opportunity available to them. From daily classes and rehearsals to touring the UK with English National Ballet’s My First Ballet productions and performing at the Royal Albert Hall, each experience has prepared them for the realities of life in a professional company.
Training, rehearsing and performing alongside English National Ballet offers something that cannot be replicated in the studio alone. Students gain first-hand experience of the expectations, discipline and pace of a professional environment, while working alongside dancers, répétiteurs, artistic staff and production teams.
Every rehearsal, performance and tour has helped prepare these young artists for the next stage of their careers, ensuring they leave English National Ballet School not only as accomplished dancers, but with the confidence and experience to thrive in the professional world.
We congratulate each of our Graduate Artists on everything they have achieved this year and wish them every success as they begin this exciting new chapter.
See the Graduate Artists Programme in action
Scan the QR code below to discover more about the Graduate Artists Programme and hear from graduates Elsie Pinder and Haru Yokoo, who share how the additional year of training helped prepare them for professional life. From understanding what directors look for at auditions to experiencing the day-to-day demands of company life, both credit the programme with giving them the confidence and experience to take the next step in their careers.
