Methodist Girls’ School is one of Singapore’s most-selective DSA-Dance pathways. Their CCA is Modern Dance, taught with a strong ballet foundation, and the audition reflects that. Most successful applicants are dancers who have been on a formal ballet track since around age 6 or 7.
What MGS looks for
MGS’s Modern Dance CCA leans on classical ballet technique. The audition format expects girls to demonstrate:
- Clean ballet vocabulary — battement tendu, dégagé, rond de jambe, adage, pirouette en dehors/dedans
- Centre work — the audition usually opens with a barre warm-up and continues through centre combinations
- A short prepared piece — 1 to 1.5 minutes, ideally choreographed by a coach who knows the MGS standard
- Coachability — they will give corrections during the audition and watch how quickly you apply them
Threshold
The practical entry bar at MGS is RAD Grade 5 ballet or equivalent, with many successful applicants holding Grade 6-8 by the time they audition. Girls without a formal grade certification can still apply, but they need to demonstrate ballet vocabulary at a comparable level.
Audition format (recent cycles)
- Group warm-up: 15 minutes barre + centre
- Taught combination: the MGS dance teacher teaches a new combination; you perform it in groups
- Solo: prepared piece, performed solo
- Brief interview: “Why MGS? What does dance mean to you?”
What to wear
Standard ballet attire: black leotard, pink tights, ballet shoes, hair in a low bun. No skirts unless explicitly invited.
What we’ve observed from past applicants
The candidates who succeed at MGS tend to have:
- Sustained ballet training (5+ years)
- At least one performance experience under audition-like pressure
- The temperament to take corrections without visible discomfort
- A short, well-rehearsed prepared piece — not over-ambitious technique they can’t sustain
The candidates who don’t progress past audition often share one or two of:
- Last-minute prep (P6 panic)
- Mismatched genre — strong hip-hop dancers applying to a ballet-focused programme
- Audition video shot in portrait mode with the body cropped (yes, this still happens)
- Visible reluctance during the interview
How EV Dance can help prepare your daughter
Our EV Elites programme runs a P5-P6 prep cycle specifically tailored to MGS-style auditions. It includes 12 weekly 1-to-1 sessions, audition video production at our Waterloo Centre studio, 2 mock auditions with a 3-person panel, and interview prep.
We’ve coached candidates accepted to MGS in past cycles. We don’t promise admissions — but we do prepare your daughter to give her best audition.
Read the full DSA-Dance guide · Enquire about EV Elites prep · WhatsApp us
