Clearly a dancer needs to be trained in whichever career or style of dance s/he chooses. Professional dance generally falls into three principle styles – ballet, contemporary dance and musical theatre (jazz, modern dance, tap dance, drama and song). Other dance forms are growing rapidly in popularity – salsa, Hip Hop and Kathak for example, but the majority of people intending to pursue dance as a career study within one of the three major categories.
It is quite usual these days for choreographers and directors to work within a variety of forms and styles within the same dance piece. Consequently, dancers need to be expert in a number of techniques and flexible enough to adapt to others when necessary.

It is important for students to train in the style of dance that suits them. Prospective students should, therefore, make sure they know the employment destinations of the graduates of the schools to which they apply before they enrol. If your heart is set on ballet do not enrol at a musical-theatre school. Read prospectuses carefully and do not be attracted to a school for reasons other than the quality of its dance provision. The school needs to offer training that suits your professional ambition. It is wise to look at a number of prospectuses and to target a number of schools.

Most vocational schools offer a three year full-time training programme. Classes usually start at 8.30am and continue until 6pm. Taught sessions are frequently followed by two or three hours of rehearsal for five days a week with additional rehearsals often scheduled for weekends.

Many vocational schools now also offer excellent degree programmes. On degree courses there is an academic element in addition to the practical dance training. This will sometimes mean that after a strenuous day in the studio there may well be an evening of academic research ahead.

Those intending to dance professionally should also seriously consider pursuing academic qualifications. Qualifications in academic studies will always widen career opportunities, particularly at the time when a dancer ceases to dance professionally in order to concentrate on other dance or non-dance opportunities.

A dancer's career is uncertain, and prospective students are advised to take full advantage of all education opportunities and to gain as high a standard of academic qualification as possible. Dancers may often need to look for other careers as a result of injury, illness or other unforeseen circumstances. Formal academic qualifications will help to widen the choice of alternatives.

Many children develop an interest in dance by attending part-time classes while still at primary school. Serious training for performers could begin as early as 10 or 11 years of age (particularly for would-be ballet dancers), but full-time training should be undertaken from the age of 16 onwards.

Part time courses are offered at dance schools throughout the country. These offer lessons in different dance forms and usually prepare students for the examinations of one or more of the Dance Awarding Bodies e.g. the British Ballet Organsation (BBO), the British Theatre Dance Association (BTDA), the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD) and the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD). The choice of training depends on a student’s intended area of specialisation. Students should ensure that dance teachers hold nationally recognised dance teaching qualifications; a directory and a database of Registered Dance Teachers are available on the Council for Dance Education and Training (CDET) website at http://www.cdet.org.uk.

For pupils between 11-16, there are full-time courses in ballet and musical-theatre at specialist schools which combine dance training and general education. However, most students attend part-time dance classes while completing their general education at secondary school and then continue with full-time dance education and training at 16 or 17.

Applying for Dance School