From September 2026, The Royal Ballet School will expand its national Associate Programme to offer regional training at Dance City.

Junior Associate students in class © 2025 The Royal Ballet School. Photographed by Henry Curtis

This new location will increase the School’s total Associate centre count to nine across the UK – alongside existing centres in Birmingham, Eastleigh, Edinburgh, Leeds, London, and Manchester, and recently announced centres in Cardiff and Stroud – in a bid to continue encouraging and supporting talent around the country.

The new Newcastle Associate centre will be based out of Dance City’s state-of-the-art, purpose-built dance studios.

From September 2026, Dance City will be home to the School’s Junior Associate (8-11 years) classes every Sunday for 32 weeks in the academic year, and from 2027 the School intends to extend this to offer Mid Associate (11-14 years) classes.

Created in 1948 by the School’s Founder, Dame Ninette de Valois, The Royal Ballet School’s Associate Programme widens access to ballet through offering high-quality ballet training close to home for students aged 8 to 18 across the UK.

The Associate Programme provides a national pipeline of ballet excellence to the UK’s rich cultural industries: historically, around 90% of entrants into The Royal Ballet School have come from the national Associate centres, and other former Associates have gone onto further training at prestigious UK vocational schools like Elmhurst, Tring and the Hammond.

The programme is designed to complement an individual’s regular ballet classes while introducing them to The Royal Ballet School’s System of Training alongside other children who share a passion for dance. Pupils continue to study with their local dance teacher in addition to their weekly Associate classes.

After closing their previous Newcastle Associate centre in 2024, this announcement signals a new chapter for the School in the North East, and comes at a momentous time as the institution celebrates 100 years of nurturing the next generation of dancers.

Victoria Collinson, Head of Associates and Primary Steps Legacy Programmes, said of this announcement:

“This is an exciting new development for the School and we hope it will be the next step in seeking out and training more of the UK’s most talented young dancers.”

Anand Bhatt, Artistic Director and CEO of Dance City, added:

“We are proud to host The Royal Ballet School Associate Programme in the North East. By bringing world‑class pre‑vocational ballet training to Dance City, the programme strengthens our shared mission to make exceptional dance opportunities accessible to as many young people as possible in the region.”

Applications for the September 2026 intake of the School’s Junior Associate programme open Wednesday 25 February 2026 and auditions will be held at Dance City on Wednesday 20 May 2026. Click here for more information and to apply.