What Is a Ballet Performance Team? A Parent’s Guide to Training, Performance & Competition
When parents hear the words “Performance Team”, the first thing that often comes to mind is competition.
And yes, competitions can be part of the journey.
But at The Ballet Academy, our Performance Team is about much more than medals, trophies and competition results.
It is a training pathway for dancers who are ready to take on additional challenges beyond their regular RAD ballet classes — developing their technique, performance skills, musicality, confidence and discipline while learning what it means to train as part of a team.
What is the Performance Team?
The Performance Team is TBA’s dedicated training team for selected dancers who show the potential, interest and readiness to take on additional performance-focused training.
Team members receive additional training alongside their regular RAD classes, with opportunities to participate in:
Conditioning & Strength Training
Additional technique training
Classical Variations
Competition Training
One important thing for parents to know is that being selected for the Performance Team does not automatically mean that a dancer will compete.
The Performance Team provides the foundation and training environment. From within the team, teachers may identify dancers who are ready and suitable for competition opportunities. For dancers selected to participate in competitions, additional private coaching will be required to prepare them for their competition repertoire and individual goals.
In other words:
Performance Team → Training & Development → Possible Competition Opportunities
The focus is first on developing the dancer.
Why Join the Performance Team?
Being part of the Performance Team is not simply about adding another class to your child's schedule.
It is about giving dancers opportunities to develop skills that may not always be possible within a regular syllabus class.
1. Dedication Beyond the Classroom
Progress in dance takes time.
Performance Team dancers continue attending their regular ballet classes while taking on additional training, and where applicable, private coaching. They learn how to balance dance training with school and other responsibilities.
What makes this journey meaningful is not simply how advanced a dancer is at the beginning.
It is their willingness to keep learning.
A difficult step may take many attempts. A performance may not go exactly as planned. A competition result may not be what they hoped for.
Through these experiences, dancers learn the value of consistency, patience and perseverance — qualities that can stay with them far beyond the dance studio.
2. They Learn From Both Successes and Setbacks
Not every competition ends with a trophy.
Not every performance goes perfectly.
And that's okay.
Competition and performance experiences give dancers the opportunity to learn how to respond when things don't go according to plan.
A correction becomes something to work on.
A mistake becomes a learning opportunity.
A disappointing result becomes a chance to reflect and improve.
The goal is not to teach dancers that winning is the only measure of success. Instead, we want them to understand that growth happens throughout the process — not just at the end of it.
3. They Develop Performance Skills
There is a difference between knowing the steps and knowing how to perform them.
Performance Team training gives dancers more opportunities to work on:
Musicality
Expression
Dynamics
Stage presence
Confidence
Performing choreography
Working within formations
Responding to different styles of music and movement
These experiences help dancers become more adaptable and expressive performers.
4. They Learn to Work as a Team
Dancing as part of a group requires more than simply knowing your own choreography.
Dancers need to understand spacing, timing, formations, musical cues and how their movement connects with the people around them.
They learn to listen, communicate, stay aware of their surroundings and take responsibility for their part of the performance.
These are valuable skills — both inside and outside the studio.
What We Train in Performance Team
What you see on stage is only one part of a dancer's journey.
Behind every clean turn, controlled landing, strong extension and confident performance are hours of training and small details that dancers work on consistently.
In Performance Team, we focus on conditioning and additional technique to help dancers build the strength, mobility and control they need for more advanced ballet work. Dancers can also bring some of these exercises home and make them part of their regular training habits.
1. Foot & Ankle Strength
Examples include:
Relevés in parallel and first position
Single-leg relevés
Theraband foot exercises
Slow articulation through the feet
Strong, well-controlled feet help dancers with balance, jumps, turns and overall stability.
2. Core & Stability
Examples include:
Planks
Controlled leg lifts
Core stability exercises
Coordination exercises
A strong and stable centre helps dancers maintain control and alignment as movements become more complex.
3. Turnout & Hip Mobility
Examples include:
Gentle butterfly stretch
Clamshells
Side-lying leg lifts ( Not focused on the height, slow and steady)
Controlled retiré exercises
For competitive dancers, having good hip mobility, turnout control and strength can help support cleaner positions, better alignment and greater control when executing movements.
4. Jump Preparation
Examples include:
Demi-plié and relevé exercises
Small sauté exercises
Échappé sauté
Changements with a focus on controlled, quiet landings
Strong jump technique is not only about jumping high — dancers need power, coordination, control and safe landings.
Good jump preparation helps dancers develop the strength needed to push off the floor, maintain their technique in the air and land with control. This can contribute to cleaner, more confident jumps during variations and choreography.
5. Flexibility
Depending on the dancer, training mamobility and flexibility work such as:
Hamstring stretches
Calf stretches
Hip-flexor stretches
Active leg extensions
Gentle mobility exercises
Flexibility can support a dancer's ability to achieve clear lines and execute movements with greater freedom. In competitive ballet, dancers may need flexibility for extensions, arabesques, développés, penchés and other movements within their choreography.
However, flexibility on its own isn't enough. Dancers also need the strength and control to actively use their available range.
Building a Stronger Competitive Dancer
Competition training isn't just about learning a variation and performing it on stage. A dancer needs the physical strength and technical control to execute movements consistently under pressure.
That's why part of our Performance Team training focuses on conditioning — developing the feet, ankles, core, turnout, jumps and flexibility that support stronger ballet technique.
These foundations can also be worked on outside of class. 30 minutes to an hour of focused practice can add up over time.
What Makes a Dancer Stand Out at an Audition?
An audition isn't simply about who has the highest leg, the biggest jump or the most advanced tricks.
Teachers are looking at the dancer as a whole — including their potential, musicality, coordination, focus, attitude and willingness to learn.
Here are a few things that can help a dancer make an impression:
1. Perform, Don't Just Execute
Good technique is important, but dancers also need to bring movement to life.
Listen to the music.
Use your dynamics.
Show expression.
Let your energy reach beyond your body.
Two dancers can perform exactly the same choreography and create completely different impressions because of how they perform it.
2. Don't Hide at the Back
Find a position where you can clearly see the teacher and follow the choreography.
When it's time to perform, use the space confidently. You don't need to push your way to the front — but don't make yourself smaller just because you're nervous.
Let yourself be seen.
3. Be Confident, Not Perfect
Everyone makes mistakes.
You might forget a step. You might turn the wrong way. You might miss a musical cue.
What matters is how you respond.
If you make a mistake, keep going and rejoin the choreography when you can.
A dancer who stays focused and keeps performing can demonstrate something very valuable: resilience.
4. Show Your Personality
There isn't one “perfect” personality for a dancer.
Some dancers naturally have lots of energy. Others are quieter and more subtle.
The important thing is to let your individuality come through while still respecting the style and choreography.
We want to see you, not a dancer trying to look like someone else.
5. Be Coachable
One of the most important things during an audition is how a dancer responds to feedback.
Listen.
Try the correction.
Have another go.
You don't have to get everything right immediately. Showing that you are willing to learn can tell a teacher a lot about your potential.
What Happens After the Audition?
Being selected for the Performance Team is the beginning — not the end — of the journey.
Selected dancers will continue developing through Performance Team training, while teachers observe their progress, strengths and readiness for different opportunities.
Some dancers may eventually be selected for performances, workshops or competitions.
For those selected for competitions, additional private coaching will be required to prepare them for their individual competition repertoire.
This means that not every Performance Team dancer will necessarily compete, and competition participation is not the only purpose of the team.
Every dancer's journey can look different.
Is the Performance Team Right for My Child?
The Performance Team may be a good fit for dancers who:
✨ Enjoy performing
✨ Want additional challenges outside their regular classes
✨ Are motivated to improve their technique
✨ Enjoy learning choreography
✨ Are willing to receive corrections and keep trying
✨ Can commit to additional training
✨ Enjoy working as part of a team
But being selected — or not being selected — should never be seen as a measure of a dancer's worth or potential.
Children develop at different rates, and readiness can change over time. Our goal is to place dancers in an environment where they can grow, enjoy dancing and be appropriately challenged.
More Than a Competition
At the end of the day, we don't want dancers to remember only the medals they won.
We want them to remember the rehearsals, the friendships, the performances, the nerves before going on stage, the moments when a difficult step finally clicked — and the feeling of knowing they worked hard and grew along the way.
Because competition can be part of the Performance Team journey.
But the journey itself is what matters. 🩰
Ready to Take the Next Step?
Our upcoming Junior Performance Team Audition is open to dancers aged 7 - 10.
📅 26 September 2026 (Saturday)
🕧 12:30–2:00 PM
📍 The Ballet Academy, Upper Thomson
The audition is free of charge.
Only selected candidates will be contacted after the audition.
Selection for the Performance Team does not automatically guarantee competition participation. Dancers selected for competitions will require additional private coaching as part of their competition preparation.
Sign up here.
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