Out of more than 400 applications, 15 promising juniors from all over the world were selected. Among them some who trained at the Royal Ballet School of Antwerp.
“The varied learning experiences which JBA is able to offer are invaluable! I hope to learn from my mistakes and develop into a trustworthy artist who can be of added value to a company. With its fine team of teachers, coaches, and choreographers, I'm positive that JBA will help me develop the skills needed for a professional dancer today.”
“On completing my initial grounding, I felt too young to start out on a professional career. The two-year training program which JBA offers is the ideal way to help me develop, as a dancer and as a person. I feel that the excellent teachers, choreographers and coaches guide me in strengthening my strong points, and correct weaker ones while the variety of repertoire on offer is essential for a career in dance today.”
”Originally I had my sights set on a purely classical career but since my experience with JBA has opened my eyes to a variety of styles - classical, neo-classical, contemporary and more…”
“I hope that the time I spend here will allow me to grow, mature and develop as a dancer. JBA offers so much of value to dancers in this respect - the wide variety of first-class teachers and choreographers as well as the opportunity to perform for young pre-professionals as myself is invaluable in the lead up to a dance career.”
“Now that I have joined Junior Ballet Antwerp I hope to strengthen my classical technique as well as my musicality and of course to enrich my dancing by exploring the different qualities of contemporary choreographies.”
Since I joined JBA last year I have come into contact with a variety of new and exciting people- coaches, teachers and choreographers. All this helps me to dance in a different way and to become a more all-rounded dancer. When I was young my inspiration and models were the beautiful Russian dancers of the Bolshoi and Mariinsky companies. It was only later when seeing videos of new, inventive choreography by the likes of William Forsythe and David Dawson that I understand how much more there was to ballet.”
“This has been an amazing period; I am working with so many different choreographers, learning so many new styles and all the while sharing life and work with good colleagues- JBA really became like a second family to me!”
“Encountering Junior Ballet Antwerp was the most important thing to happen to me - my very first talk with Alain Honorez and Altea Nuñez (a zoom audition) confirmed this; the feeling was mutual as they sensed my positive energy and dedication through the computer.”
“Because it offers a smaller environment, at JBA there is room for more feedback and out of this improvement should be inevitable. I feel JBA is a nurturing, loving place which is the kind of atmosphere needed to enable a dancer to fulfill their full potential. Aside, the JBA training program offers the wealth of top-class professionals - teachers, choreographers and coaches - whom they bring in to work with the dancers”.
“Classical ballet was and is my real love but my interest for a more modern way of dancing increased when I took part in ‘BOLERO’ during the graduate recital of the Antwerp school. Co-choreographed by Eva Moreno, she gave me a feel for expressive contemporary movement and this has been strengthened since I joined Junior Ballet Antwerp’s training program.”
“While in Munich the name of JBA came up, always with positive reactions. I took part in a zoom audition and was accepted. JBA has strengthened both my classical and my contemporary technique and I hope soon to join a classically - orientated company, the London Royal Ballet would be a dream!”
“JBA offers its dancers a chance to work with some of the foremost professionals - choreographers and coaches- in today’s dance world. The time I spend training and performing with JBA helps me grow, not only as a dancer but also as a person. I love the atmosphere here because it’s such a warm one. All of my colleagues and teachers will remain part of the ‘second family’ in my life.”
"This is the beginning of my first year with JBA and I greatly appreciate the manner in which each dancer is treated as an individual. The direction and the coaches/teachers see it their goal to nurture their dancers and foster their talents. A very important factor in this is the wide diversity of the repertoire.”
“In Japan there is little opportunity to study modern or contemporary ballet, and the students were longing to follow the new styles of dance they saw on YouTube. At JBA I have the chance to learn with and from so many different teachers and choreographers. I feel that has given me insight into the importance of having more than just a good technique: how I can use my dancing to convey emotion expressively and - very important - to be an intelligent dancer in order to excel.”
“I fully appreciate JBA’s fresh outlook and their approach to training young dancers for a professional career. The varied repertoire which incorporates a wide range of both classical and modern styles is most advantageous in the dance arena of today. I hope the JBA experience will strengthen me in every possible way so that I’m ready the professional work.”