Royal Ballet School

The Royal Ballet School is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the Royal Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Royal Opera House in London. The school comprises a lower school (for students aged 11-16) based at White Lodge, Richmond Park, and an upper school (for students from 16 years old upwards) based in purpose-built studios on Floral Street in Covent Garden, adjacent to the Royal Opera House. The school exists exclusively to provide specialist co-educational training in classical ballet, with graduates achieving employment with professional ballet companies worldwide. The Royal Ballet School is most noted for training some of the most celebrated ballet dancers and choreographers of the 20th century, including Dame Margot Fonteyn, Dame Beryl Grey, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Darcey Bussell and Alessandra Ferri. The Royal Ballet School also trained Dame Monica Mason, a former ballerina of the Royal Ballet, who is now the company's Artistic Director. Graduates of the school have also achieved employment in musical theatre, contemporary and jazz dance, television and film.