School Year Auditions | The Washington Ballet

NW Auditions

All students auditioning for TWSB programs will be placed by ability and readiness for the TWSB syllabus.

Students age 8-9 with no previous experience will be placed by ability and readiness for the TWSB Syllabus.
Children ages 10-11 should have a minimum of 1-2 years of ballet training.
Children age 11-12 should have a minimum 3 years ballet training. Students should be ready for beginner pointe work or have had 1 year of pointe.
Students 13+ should have a minimum of 2-4 years of ballet training and intermediate pointe work.
All auditions and placement classes carry a fee due at the time of registration.

Attire

Girls should wear a leotard, tights or white ankle socks (ages 4-6) and ballet shoes
Students ages 7 and older should wear ballet shoes, a leotard, and tights.
Students on pointe should bring pointe shoes. No skirts please or distracting embellishments.
Boys should wear black tights, a white t-shirt, and black or white shoes.

If your child has never danced before, he/she may wear form-fitting clothing for the audition. It is important that our faculty be able to evaluate physical proportions. Please remove all jewelry and be certain that the student’s hair is pulled away from his/her face and secured, preferably in a bun for girls.

COVID-19 Update
Students ages 5 and above must be fully vaccinated according to the latest CDC guidelines in order to enroll in classes. Religious and medical exemption requests must be made in advance of program registration. Find the exemption request form on the Parent Portal & Policies page. Please visit TWB’s COVID Policy page for mask requirements.

For Audition Results

Click below if you have completed an in-person or video audition. Please allow 2 weeks for results to be entered.

See Audition Results

Upcoming Auditions

All upcoming auditions for the NW Campus will be held in-person at 3515 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016
All scheduled auditions for the 2022-2023 school year have concluded.

Registration for Academic Year 2023-24 auditions will open Monday, April 3rd at 10am.

Saturday, June 24:
(Age ranges are indicative of Student’s age as of September 1st, 2023)
Lower Division (ages 8-12): 11:00-1:00
Upper Division & Professional Training Division (ages 12-14) for students with minimum of 1 full year on pointe: 10:30-12:30
Upper Division & Professional Training Division (ages 15+)for students with minimum of 2 full years on pointe: 10:00-12:00

Saturday, July 15:
(Age ranges are indicative of Student’s age as of September 1st, 2023)
Upper Division & Professional Training Division (ages 12-14) for students with minimum of 1 full year on pointe: 10:30-12:30
Upper Division & Professional Training Division (ages 15+) for students with minimum of 2 full years on pointe: 10:00-12:00

For more information, please email school@washingtonballet.org

Please note: Current TWSB students do not need to audition.

For video auditions please use the following guidelines:

Upper Division (ages 12+) & Professional Training Division Video Audition Guidelines:

Your recorded audition should be NO LONGER THAN 10 minutes and please include the following in your audition:

Introduction: name, age, years, and place of study.
Only one side of combinations at the barre and include: pliés, battement tendu, adagio, grand battement.
In center (ladies on pointe) adagio, pirouettes en dehors and dedans, petit allegro, grand allegro, and a variation of choice. Gentlemen include tour en l’air (single or double depending on your age and ability level) and allegro that includes beats and grand pirouettes.

Lower Division (ages 8-12) Video Audition Guidelines:

Your recorded audition should be NO LONGER THAN 10 minutes and please include either the following exercises for barre and center or exercises you are currently doing in your weekly class:

Ages 8-10

Introduction: name, age, years, and place of study.
Only one side of combinations at the barre and include: pliés, tendu, grand battement.
In center: tendu, sauté in 1st position, changement, échappe, port de bras.

Ages 10-12

Introduction: name, age, years, and place of study.
Only one side of combinations at the barre and include: plié tendu, dégagé, ronds de jambe, passé relevé facing the barre.
In center: tendu, adagio with developé or relevé lent, glissade, sauté 1^st position, changement.
If students have begun pointe, please include the following en pointe: At the barre – relevé in 1st and 5th positions, échappé, pas de bourrée, relevé passé.

SE Auditions

All students auditioning for TWSB programs will be placed by ability and readiness for the TWSB syllabus. Please note: Current TWSB students do not need to audition.

Students age 8-9 with no previous experience will be placed by ability and readiness for the TWSB Syllabus.
Children ages 10-11 should have a minimum of 1-2 years of ballet training.
Children age 11-12 should have a minimum 3 years ballet training. Students should be ready for beginner pointe work or have had 1 year of pointe.
Students 13+ should have a minimum of 2-4 years of ballet training and Intermediate pointe work.
All auditions and placement classes carry a fee due at the time of registration.

Attire

Girls should wear a leotard, tights or white ankle socks (ages 4-6) and ballet shoes
Students ages 7 and older should wear ballet shoes, a leotard, and tights.
Students on pointe should bring pointe shoes. No skirts please or distracting embellishments.
Boys should wear black tights, a white t-shirt, and black or white shoes.

For Audition Results

Click below if you have completed an in-person or video audition. Please allow 2 weeks for results to be entered.

See Audition Results

Upcoming Auditions

All upcoming auditions for the SE Campus will be held in-person at 1901 Mississippi Ave SE Washington, DC 20020

Pre-Ballet and Lower Level Auditions (Ages 5-12):

All scheduled auditions for the 2022-2023 school year have concluded. Please watch this space for 2023-2024 school year auditions which will take place during Summer 2023. For more information, please email kdeshields@washingtonballet.org

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Upper Level Auditions (Ages 12+ with experience):

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Teen Ballet Ages 11-18 (with no previous experience):

Teen Ballet is offered only at the TWSB SE Campus. Students ages 11-18 with no experience are welcome to register for Teen Ballet. An audition is not required. Questions? Contact Kayla DeShields at kdeshields@washingtonballet.org.

International Students

International students may audition via a video for the 5 week Summer Intensive at which they may be considered for the Professional Training Division (PTD) beginning in September of each year and ending in May. Attending the 5 week program will allow our artistic team time to fully evaluate candidates for the full year program. Alternatively, students are able to discern if TWSB is a good personal fit.

Auditions for International Students

Audition by Video

International students may audition via video audition. Please follow these steps:

Register for Video Auditions on the online registration portal.
Submit the $40 registration fee.

International students may audition via video audition. Your recorded audition should be NO LONGER THAN 10 minutes and please include the following in your audition:

Introduction: name, age, years, and place of study.
Only one side of combinations at the barre and include: pliés, battement tendu, adagio, grand battement.
In center (ladies on pointe) adagio, pirouettes en dehors and dedans, petit allegro, grand allegro, and a variation of choice. Gentlemen include tour en l’air (single or double depending on your age and ability level) and allegro that includes beats and grand pirouettes.

For Audition Results

Click below if you have completed an in-person or video audition. Please allow 2 weeks for results to be entered.

See Audition Results

Student Visa

The Washington School of Ballet does offer a F-1 student visa.

Once an international student is accepted we will ask for specific information including a photo of the student’s passport. Our administrative offices will then provide an I-20 form from the SEVIS system and include information about where to go online to pay the I-901 fee ($200) for the student visa. Once the I-901 fee is paid online, an accepted student may contact the US Consulate for an appointment. The processing time varies from country to country.

Student Housing

The Washington School of Ballet does not offer student housing. Students in our Professional Track Program (PTP) reside in shared apartments near the school. TWSB is located in a lovely neighborhood with many apartments that will allow a 9-month lease and will provide a lease for each student individually. It is important to note that a lease is a binding contract; the rent must be paid even if a student leaves the school. The lease agreement is between the apartment management and the student’s family. TWSB does not handle lease agreements but our staff will provide contact information for nearby apartments that enjoy housing our students. All suggested buildings are a short walk to the school. Our neighborhood offers many amenities with easy shopping so that our students do not need to use daily public transportation.

Student Medical Insurance

All students at TWSB must have medical insurance. There are many options available online. Be sure that you choose a plan that covers hospital emergency room visits.

For more information, please email school@washingtonballet.org.