DNBA

Dutch National Ballet Academy

© Antoinette Mooy

The Dutch National Ballet Academy (NBA) is The Netherlands’ top national school for classical ballet and is affiliated with the Dutch National Ballet. The academy is part of “de Theaterschool”, the faculty for Dance and Theatre of the Amsterdam School of the Arts. Our training course aim to prepare children and young adults between the ages of 10 and 19 for a career as professional ballet dancers. To help our students attain the required level of excellence, the NBA boasts an outstanding teaching faculty, most having danced with The Dutch National Ballet. As part of the diploma course the students are also required to study dance-related educational subjects such as anatomy, injury prevention, dance history and music theory. We are proud that over the last three years, all the students of the NBA have managed to find jobs after graduation.

Students of the NBA dancing with the Junior Company of the Dutch National Ballet

During the 2013-2014 season, the Dutch National Ballet and the Dutch National Ballet Academy deepened their long standing relationship with the establishment of a Junior Company. This company is a small, independent group consisting of 12 young dancers under the auspices of the Dutch National Ballet. During a two-year programme, young talented dancers have the chance to develop into fully-fledged professionals.

In 2014, the Junior Company will tour the Netherlands with a compelling programme consisting of excerpts from the classical-romantic and neo-classical repertoire and new ballet creations by George Williamson and Ernst Meisner. In addition, these gifted students will dance in major productions of the Dutch National Ballet. As a result the Junior Company will become the perfect launching pad for aspiring dancers.

Stage experience in productions by the Dutch National Ballet

© Antoinette Mooy

From an early age, students of the school acquire valuable stage experience in productions by the Dutch National Ballet such as Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, La Bayadère, Don Quichot, and also in school performances. For full-time students, a weekly class with the Dutch National Ballet Company and repertoire taught by members of the company’s staff provides them with a unique and important professional insight into a future career. The students are trained to become versatile artists who excel not only in the classical romantic repertoire but also in the contemporary forms of classical dance.