Despite generous Government support through its Music and Dance Scheme, many students and their families find it a financial struggle to attend The Royal Ballet School sometimes resulting in a student having to cease their training and end their dreams of becoming a dancer.
The School also finds it difficult to meet the costs of staging performances, commissioning choreography, employing guest teachers and taking the students on overseas tours. These are all an essential part of the students training and maintaining the School's reputation as one of the world's great ballet schools.
The support of our donors is fundamental to the success of The Royal Ballet School.
So whatever level of commitment you can give, we would like to work with you to make the dreams of our young dancers become a reality.
There are a number of invaluable ways you can support The Royal Ballet School, whether it is sponsoring an individual student, a piece of choreography, a performance or overseas tour, it will make a considerable difference to these young talented dancers.
Whether an individual, company or charitable trust, we would like to hear from you...
Please contact: Sarah Eliot-Cohen, Head of Development,
The Royal Ballet School, 46 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DA
t: +44 (0)20 7 845 7070 or email sarahec@royalballetschool.co.uk
Registered Charity No: 214364
Click on a header to show or hide information on the ways you can help:
At the heart of each and every Royal Ballet School student
lies a shared passion and dedication to their art
Perhaps one of the most rewarding ways to support the School is to sponsor one of our students and help them to fulfil their dream to dance professionally. The majority of our students depend on financial support to attend The Royal Ballet School. You can sponsor one of these talented young dancers and watch them develop and grow during their time at the School. As they finally graduate to an internationally renowned ballet company you will know you played an important part in their success.
Scholarships are primarily needed for international Upper School students who do not qualify for funding from the Music and Dance Scheme. A full scholarship for an Upper School student is £25,600 per year and a maintenance scholarship, which is particularly needed by EU students, stands at about £8,700 per year. Part-scholarships of £5,000 upwards are gratefully received.
As a Student Sponsor you would:
- Receive regular progress reports on your student and personal letters from them telling you how they are getting on
- Receive invitations from your student to attend performances where they will be dancing
- Be welcome to invite guests or entertain clients at these performances
- Be gratefully acknowledged in the School's Annual Report
Student Hardship Fund
Donations are also welcome to The Student Hardship Fund. This is an important fund to which students can apply if they are struggling to meet everyday costs such as for ballet shoes, uniform or travel to auditions.
Performing is the life blood of a dancer,
without it,
the endless hours of training are for nothing.
Without the tangible experience of performance, young dancers cannot fully understand what it takes to turn the steps they have studied into something magical and exhilarating for an audience.
The Royal Ballet School offers students many opportunities to perfect the art of performance by encouraging them to dance in a variety of performances nationally and internationally throughout the year. The end-of-year performances take place at the Royal Opera House comprising a week of performances in the Linbury Studio Theatre and culminating in a Matinée performance on the main stage. This magnificent production, involving the whole School from year 7 to the graduate year of the Upper school, is a sight to behold.
The cost of staging these events is considerable. Performance and music rights, choreographer and choreologists' fees, orchestra and costumes are just some of the expenses that must be met each year if the School is to provide its students with adequate opportunities to refine their performance technique.
Sponsorship opportunities are offered for both the Linbury and Royal Opera House Matinée performances both at £15,000 each.
As a Performance Sponsor you would:
- Be credited in the programmes
- Be included in any press releases relating to the performance
- Receive an agreed number of VIP tickets to the performance
- Have a private drinks reception for your guests
- Be gratefully acknowledged in the School's Annual Report.
Once or twice a year The Royal Ballet School hopes to give the graduate year students the experience of performing overseas, taking the expertise and reputation of The Royal Ballet School to the rest of the world. This is particularly valuable for the students to hone their performance skills in preparation for their professional careers.
Past Tours have included Japan, New York, Palermo, Salt Lake City, St Petersburg and Washington.
Tours however are costly with the flights, accommodation, theatre costs, staffing etc and can only take place with sponsorship.
Sponsorship of Ballet Tours typically cost between £6,000 and £10,000 - depending on the destination.
As a Tour Sponsor you would:
- Be credited in the programmes
- Be included in any press releases relating to the tour
- Receive an agreed number of VIP invitations to the preview performances in London
- Receive an agreed number of VIP tickets to the overseas performance
- Be gratefully acknowledged in the School's Annual Report.
The Royal Ballet School seeks to commission one or two new works a year from established choreographers for the students to perform in their overseas tours and at the end-of-year performances at the Royal Opera House. These pieces help to showcase the students at the different stages of their development. In addition pieces have to be specially commissioned every year to suit our younger students at White Lodge.
Choreographers will create the work with the students in situ thus the cost of fees, travel accommodation etc have to be met.
These unique pieces of choreography could have your/your company's name attached to them.
We are typically seeking sponsorship of between £5,000 and £10,000 for a commissioned work.
As a Choreographic Sponsor you would:
- Be credited in the programmes
- Be included in any press releases relating to the performance
- Receive an agreed number of VIP invitations to the performance
- Have a private drinks reception for your guests
- Be gratefully acknowledged in the School's Annual Report.
It is essential to the artistic development of young dancers that they are exposed to the widest possible range of teaching and performance styles in addition to the school's own system of training.
There is constant interest in working with The Royal Ballet School from some of the finest ballet teachers and coaches in the world, all eager to share their expertise with our students for a week at a time.
The Royal Ballet School is keen to maximise its annual Guest Teacher Programme to make it the envy of the British ballet world and seeks financial support to cover fees, airfares and accommodation for the teachers.
Sponsorship of the Annual Guest Teacher Programme is £10,000 or £2,000 per Guest Teacher. The extent of the programme depends entirely on the financial sponsorship received.
As a Guest Teacher Sponsor you would:
- Be invited to sit-in on classes given by your Guest Teacher
- Be included in any press releases relating to the programme
- Be gratefully acknowledged in the School's Annual Report.
