Vocational Training 

Vocational Training offers 20-hours of weekday daytime dance-training (Tuesday to Friday) to work alongside a dancer's own academic home-schooling.  It covers dance-tuition only.

The training is in a small class with individual corrections and attention, and runs from School Years 8 to 13 (inclusive).

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Dancers come in daily from home or from a recommended home-stay, and Nicola has dancers coming from London, and previously Eastbourne and Cornwall on the Vocational programme.

This is a holistic dance programme designed to enable every dancer to achieve their potential, and focuses on classical ballet technique, body-conditioning, stamina and performance.  There is work too in creative, improvisation, and contemporary and modern dance.  

Nicola Tarry teaches ballet, with Victoria Hewitt (former Royal Ballet soloist) as a regular teacher.  

Contemporary is taught by Emily Adams, and Karen King teaches modern.

Vocational training also includes teaching from guest-teachers who are world-class dance experts.

For example, Jenny Tattersall teaching twice-weekly for the Summer 2024 term, and once weekly for the first half of Spring Term 2025, and Sarah Wildor and Sian Murphy who have also visited recently.

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Vocationals will take part in external classes together and workshops. Recent outings have been to the Acosta Centre and to Jasmin Vardimon.

Dancers are encouraged to take up associate programme places, and to attend international summer schools and competitions.

Nicola Tarry supports YAGP entries and auditions. ​

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The dancers are expected to be driven, highly disciplined and self-motivated in order to gain a place at a vocational dance school either in year 10 or year 12, and/or to continue into Nicola Tarry Upper School and ultimately to pursue a dance career.

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Nicola can also recommend home-stays where necessary.​

Vocational Programme Results for 2025

​​Vocational Programme results for 2025 for our 9 auditioning students (in alphabetical order):

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Year 12 Offers (8 auditioned)

Multiple 16+ offers for Acosta Dance

American Ballet Theatre School

 BalletMet

Ballet West

3 x Boston Ballet School

2 x Brussels International Ballet School

3 x Elmhurst Ballet School 

English National Ballet School
Hamburg Ballet
Italia Conti

Miami City Ballet School

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

5 x Tring Park, including 3 x funded and one bursary

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18+ Offers (one Upper School student auditioned)

Acosta Dance

Central School of Ballet with scholarship 

 Rambert

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There is also the option to continue into the Nicola Tarry Vocational Upper School.  
 

In every case, Nicola is looking to find what works best for that particular dancer for them to achieve a career in dance.  

At Nicola Tarry, it is all about the individual and what works best for them.

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2025-2026