Despite the generous support of the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme, many students and their families still struggle financially to attend The Royal Ballet School. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in a student having to cease their training and end their dreams of becoming a professional dancer.
The School is also challenged with meeting the costs of staging performances, commissioning choreography, employing guest teachers and taking the students on overseas tours and exchanges with other vocational schools. These are all essential to the students training and help maintain the School’s reputation as one of the world’s foremost ballet schools.
Since its launch in 2003, the Royal Ballet School’s Dance Partnership and Access Programme goes from strength to strength. Now with five centres throughout England, the Programme works with up to 2,500 young people each year in primary and secondary schools. The Programme is currently funded by the Government.
The support of our donors plays a vital role in the success of The Royal Ballet School and helps us to continue to provide our students with the best possible education and training. With the impending Government cuts, this support will become even more important. So whatever level of commitment you can offer, we would very much like to work with you.
There are a number of ways you can support The Royal Ballet School. The most valuable of which is to make a donation to the School’s General Fund, allowing it be used at the discretion of the School and where it is most needed. Whether it is sponsoring an individual student, a performance, an international tour or exchange, a piece of choreography or our invaluable Guest Teacher Programme, you can make a considerable difference and help ensure the future of these talented young dancers.
If you are 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 7845 7070 or email development@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 their careers progress and they graduate to an internationally renowned ballet company, you will know you played an important part in helping them to realise their potential.
Sponsorship is most needed for those international Upper School students who do not qualify for funding from the Government’s Music and Dance Scheme. Full sponsorship for an Upper School student is currently £28,080 per year and maintenance sponsorship (primarily needed by European students) stands at about £10,000 per year.
We seek Student Sponsorship of £5,000 upwards - please click here to download our sponsorship brochure.
Student Hardship Fund
Despite the support students receive from the Music and Dance Scheme many of them struggle to meet their additional day-to-day costs such as their uniform, ballet shoes or travel to auditions. Thanks to the generosity of many Friends of The Royal Ballet School a Student Hardship Fund has been set up to which students may apply to help with these costs. Donations at any level to this fund can make a considerable difference and are most gratefully received.
For further information please contact:
Sarah Eliot-Cohen, Head of Development,
The Royal Ballet School, 46 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DA
t: +44 (0)20 7845 7070 or email development@royalballetschool.co.uk
Registered Charity No: 214364
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 as many opportunities as possible to perfect their performance technique, and encourages them to dance in a variety of competitions and productions nationally and internationally throughout the year.
At the end of each academic year, a season of performances takes place at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. This comprises a week of performances in the Linbury Studio Theatre and concludes with a performance on the Royal Opera House main stage, accompanied by a professional orchestra.
These performances sell out quickly and generate much interest from the dance press. Staging costs, however, are considerable. Performance and music rights, choreographer and choreologist fees, orchestra and musician costs, costumes and front-of-house staff are just some of the expenses that must be met each year.
Sponsorship opportunities are offered for both the Linbury Season and the Royal Opera House main stage performance at £20,000 each.
As a Performance Sponsor you receive:
- Acknowledgement in the printed programme
- Inclusion in any press releases and promotional material relating to the performance
- An agreed number of VIP tickets to the performance
- A private drinks reception for the Sponsor’s guests
- Grateful acknowledgement in the School’s Annual Report
For further information please contact:
Sarah Eliot-Cohen, Head of Development,
The Royal Ballet School, 46 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DA
t: +44 (0)20 7845 7070 or email development@royalballetschool.co.uk
Registered Charity No: 214364
The Royal Ballet School seeks to commission a number of new works every year from established choreographers. Showcasing the students at various stages of their development, these pieces are performed during international tours and are an exciting feature of the end-of-year performances at the Royal Opera House. In addition, a new work is commissioned each year especially to complement the younger students at White Lodge.
Working collaboratively with the students, choreographers create their work ‘on site’ in the School’s studios. The cost of choreographers’ fees, airfares and accommodation all has to be met. The School is constantly seeking support for these unique new choreographic works which could have your or your company’s name associated with them.
We typically seek sponsorship of between £5,000 and £10,000 for a commissioned work.
As a Choreographic Sponsor you receive:
- Acknowledgement in the printed programmes
- The opportunity to watch the choreographer rehearsing the students
- An agreed number of VIP tickets to the performance
- Inclusion in any press releases or promotional material relating to the performance
- Grateful acknowledgement in the School’s Annual Report
For further information please contact:
Sarah Eliot-Cohen, Head of Development,
The Royal Ballet School, 46 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DA
t: +44 (0)20 7845 7070 or email development@royalballetschool.co.uk
Registered Charity No: 214364
Once or twice a year The Royal Ballet School endeavours to offer graduate year students the experience of performing overseas, sharing the expertise and reputation of the School with the rest of the world. This is particularly valuable for students on the brink of their professional careers to hone their performance skills.
The School also runs Exchange Programmes with other vocational ballet schools designed to give students first-hand experience of the training systems and performance styles of other great schools and the benefit of training with other high-achieving students.
Recent tours have been to Japan, Canada, the US (New York, Salt Lake City and Washington DC), Italy (Palermo) and Russia (St Petersburg). There have also been Exchange Programmes with The Vaganova Academy in St Petersburg and American Ballet Theatre II in New York.
Tours and Exchanges are costly and can only take place with financial support to cover airfares, visas, accommodation, ground transport, staffing, theatre costs and ancillary expenses.
Sponsorship of Tours or Exchange typically cost between £6,000 and £15,000 - depending on the destination.
As a Tour Sponsor you receive: (subject to permission from the host)
- Acknowledgement in the printed tour programmes
- The opportunity to attend classes or rehearsals when the dancers are on tour or at The Royal Ballet School prior to them leaving.
- An agreed number of VIP invitations to the preview performance in London
- An agreed number of tickets to the overseas performance
- Inclusion in any press releases or promotional material relating to the tour
- Grateful acknowledgement in the School’s Annual Report
For further information please contact:
Sarah Eliot-Cohen, Head of Development,
The Royal Ballet School, 46 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DA
t: +44 (0)20 7845 7070 or email development@royalballetschool.co.uk
Registered Charity No: 214364
Students follow The Royal Ballet School’s unique system of training. It is an essential element of this system that students are exposed to the widest possible range of teaching and performance styles.
There is demand to work with The Royal Ballet School from some of the finest teachers and coaches in the world, all eager to share their expertise with our students. Recent Guest Teachers have included Jean Yves Esquerre from San Francisco Ballet and Emilietta Ettlin from New York. Royal Ballet Principal Dancers including Federico Bonelli, Tamara Rojo and Carlos Acosta have also augmented the School’s artistic faculty over the last two years.
Developing the annual Guest Teacher Programme requires ongoing financial support to cover fees, airfares and accommodation for the teachers. Its scope and success depends entirely on our Sponsors’ support.
Sponsorship of the Annual Guest Teacher Programme is £20,000 or £3,500 - £5,000 per Guest Teacher.
As a Guest Teacher Sponsor you receive:
- Invitations to watch classes given by the Guest Teacher
- Inclusion in any press releases relating to the programme
- Grateful acknowledgement in the School’s Annual Report
For further information please contact:
Sarah Eliot-Cohen, Head of Development,
The Royal Ballet School, 46 Floral Street, Covent Garden, London WC2E 9DA
t: +44 (0)20 7845 7070 or email development@royalballetschool.co.uk
Registered Charity No: 214364
