College or A-levels

[Mockingjay]

I'm in my final year of school and i really don't know what to do?
A-levels or to go to college to do a btec course in dance.
I want to do A-levels because if i don't get a career in dance or anything in that direction i want to be able to have the qualifications to be a teacher or something like that but then i want to go to my local city college to do a level 3 btec in dance and then go onto a dance college in London like bird or laines but i really don't know whats the best option, has anyone else had this sort of dilemma or can help me :/

[katkit]

Hiya,

It all depends on how serious you are about a career in dance. It also depends on how good your local college is that offers BTEC in dance.

Speaking on behalf of my daughter, she did 2 years BTEC in musical theatre which was pretty much a waste of time, with the exception she got her BTEC.

Be sure if you chose that route that your college is good, our local one just doesn't happen to be good for dance or musical theatre which was a shame.

You could also consider a college like Laine or bird that offers a foundation course, if money isn't an issue. Some of them give a Btec (i think) at the end of the year, like Cambridge BodyWorks. May be worth looking into this option if you could afford it.

[JayLou62]

Depends on whether you are able to keep your dancing level high enough while studying A levels. My older dd struggled with this.
Some colleges offer teacher training (DDI/DDE) alongside dance classes. Preston College is free for 16-18's. My younger dd is probably going to Dance Academy South West which offers a similar course but for £2500 pa as it's a private dance college. There's also a college in Devon and I think, one in Cornwall. My dd gets extra time for exams and has processing difficulties so A levels weren't really an option for her. A friends' dd who went to the college (Dance Academy South West) for 2 years has had offers at all 8 colleges she applied for so they must be doing something right! They can also help with accommodation if necessary.

[2dancersmum]

I agree with Jaylou in that you need to be able to accesss dance at a high enough level if you are to apply to somewhere like Bird or Laine at 18. If your current dance school has enough classes/a high enough level for you to continue alongside A levels, then that is fine. My DD briefly attended a dance school where almost all dancers were doing A levels and they had a very high rate of students getting funded places at Laine, Performers, Bird etc. You do need to remember that A levels in themselves are a lot of work though.

A BTEC in dance at a local college depends very much on how good the college is. Yes you will come away with a qualification but in your area, which provides the better dance training - your current dance school or the college BTEC. Look at the websites of the schools you are interested in at 18 and see what their auditions entails and you will see what dance styles you need to do at a high level.

Depending on where you live you might get to do both - BOA in Birmingham for instance offers the 2 year BTEC in dance with optional A levels alongside.

[carriecrafts]

Hi Mockingjay,

I agree that if you are doing A Levels you would need lots of additional high standard dance and singing training to get into one of the London Schools.
Do you have a Centre for Advanced Training near to you? In my experience, they offer high level training, about 10 hours per week, and really good support for auditions. The fees are part of the MDS scheme so will depend on your household income. Have a look: http://www.nationaldancecats.co.uk

You could try to find out where students from the local BTEC have gone on to. We are lucky to have a specialist performing arts academy offering a BTEC funded by a local college. Recent students have been offered places at Bird, Laine, Urdang, ArtsEd, GSA, Mountview and more. Also, don't dismiss a BTEC as a qualification if you want to go into teaching. Check university entry requirements, a BTEC may be perfectly acceptable

Good luck x

[katkit]

I totally agree with all the comments that you will need to ensure your dance level is kept to the highest standard if you are applying to Laine and Bird or similar colleges.

Now, please don't anyone shoot me for saying this........unless of course you are a boy :/ The level of skill seems to be completely different for boys as there are so few and competition is nowhere near as tough for boys (at least for the dance oriented colleges)

So girls need to work that much harder

[nextinline]

My ds has chosen to do A Levels but will be applying to drama schools this next year. At the end of the day, only you know what is best for you to do. My ds does a lot of productions outside College and it has been tough keeping up with everything but he is glad he has taken this course of action. Only time will tell if it was the right one or not. However, nothing in life is that straightforward and there are many paths to success whether this is on the stage or not. Think about it, consult other people who know you well and then make the decision and make it work for you. Good luck

[paulears]

I think I've always been a bit biased to Laines, but based on the ex-students I've had in my productions since 2004ish, very few got their dance skills from 6th form or college. They all did one or the other, but were the better kids from the regional 'proper' dance schools. By proper, I mean those that do grade exams in the usual styles, but ballet in particular. I'm seeing a few who have come up through ballroom too now - but they're standard is pretty high. Lots of BTEC and A Level dance people may well be the best in their class, and get Distinctions and A grades, but not good enough for entry to Laines and the others. This can be a big shock - as many genuinely believe they are really good. The big dance centres cherry pick the best applicants. When you look at the people who get in, they're good dancers already, but they have the stamina to do the work. Somebody who only dances term time, in tiny short sessions might physically just not be up to it. 6th form or college dance is great - but it's not dance as we know it! I can't dance at all - no coordination - so no amount of practice would improve me, but for fun, I did one of the assessments, and got a merit (fair enough, but for just one thing). The criteria were that a Merit was awarded for taking part and showing some improvement. So my 'dire', to 'awkward' would have got me a Merit, had I been a real student. A proper dance school student who is already very good, would find improvement pretty difficult.

For somebody already good - just look on it as an easy A Level or BTEC, that won't stretch them or stress them. Easier than Maths or Physics - but probably not anywhere near as much use!