Episode 4 School for Stars

Many people dream of fame, success and life in the spotlight.

But few realise it takes years of hard work.

We're going behind the scenes

of one of the most famous stage schools in Britain...

-Motivation, commitment, let's do it.

-It's got to be sharp, guys.

..where pupils learn to cope with rivalry,

sacrifice and rejection every day.

Russell Brand, Pixie Lott and Leona Lewis all studied here

but this series is about the talent of tomorrow.

This is the School For Stars.

Coming up on School For Stars, one of the school's best dancers,

Layton, gets pushed to the limit.

You shouldn't really be asking this. You should just be doing it.

And there's blood, sweat and tears for Marni

as she faces her biggest challenge yet.

And if you give up, girls, you can't be in it.

At the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts in central London,

the summer term is well under way.

People studying at stage schools learn to sing, dance

and act to a professional standard

and one of this school's brightest stars is year 11's Layton.

Layton's an amazing dancer, like, in everything. He's just, like, wow!

He's really good at dancing

but he's still got, like, an amazing singing voice.

He's just really talented.

There's really good and then there's Layton.

I'm from Manchester but I live in London at the moment.

Just so I can come to this school. I've been here for two years.

I played Billy Elliot in the West End.

I like it when it's live, you know.

You don't get a second chance so what you do there, that's it.

The audience is watching. If you go wrong, you've got to cover it up.

Layton lives with guardians in London and although he misses his family

back in Manchester, this term, he's got plenty of exams to keep him busy.

We have to do maths, English, science, history, art,

GCSE dance, GCSE drama, French.

And as if that wasn't enough, he's got a full-on rehearsal schedule.

Right then, Layton, can we run it this way

and just pull out a little few bits that maybe need tightening up, then?

Today, he's working with choreographer Pat Dennison

on a complex solo routine for the school's end of term gala.

One, block it. Down and up and in, step.

The other dancer is Phillip, who will be performing the same routine

on a different night.

Seven and eight and one.

Layton's got a reputation for being the best but today,

Pat is not impressed.

Eight and one. Stop.

Again, you're doing that. You've got a habit which needs to go.

Come on, get your mind on it. Your mind's not completely on it.

To become a top dancer, you need more than just talent.

You have to be 100% physically fit.

Get your breath back, Layton.

I want you to run it again in a minute, please. For stamina.

But Layton's been so busy studying for his GCSEs,

he's let his training slip and it shows.

It's hard.

Tired. I think I've lost a bit of fitness.

Phillip, on the other hand, seems to be keeping up just fine.

Seven, eight, one. See what Phil's doing.

He's getting his leg higher.

Right, have a little think a minute and a breather.

Phillip, let's run you from the top, please.

I never thought that this rehearsal would be so hard.

Not sure whether she wants me back in now but I feel a bit unhealthy,

cos I've not danced in so long so this is a bit of a wake-up call.

Hopefully, I'll be fine and I'll survive this last...

however long she's got me for.

I'll see you later.

So can Layton turn this rehearsal around?

Layton, come on, push it on a bit.

Finish it off! Come on. Kick in.

You're letting it swing. Come on.

Despite his best efforts, Layton isn't as fit as he needs to be.

You didn't move back, back, back. Back. Back.

Remember, you've got to lock that. That's a finish.

You shouldn't really be asking this. You should just be doing it.

'I can honestly say that's probably one of the hardest rehearsals

'that I've ever done here. When you dance, it should look effortless

'and that did not look effortless.

'It's really hard because, obviously,

I've got three GCSEs next week

so when I'm going to find the time to go to the gym, as well as revise

and have my beauty sleep, I'm not sure how I'm going to do that

but I'm going to have to do it.

With mountains of revision stacking up and another rehearsal

with Pat later in the week, how is Layton going to manage it all?

Lyndsey is another year 11 student trying to juggle exams

with life as a performer.

One, two three. Up. Heads.

She dreams of one day opening her own dance school and knows

that good grades in her GCSEs will help her in the world of business.

If I want to go for a job, I need my GCSEs on my CV.

I can't be like, "Oh, well, I went to a performing arts school

"so I haven't got any GCSEs, I just danced!" You know?

In the run-up to the exams, the teachers are putting on

last minute revision sessions after school and Lyndsey

is determined to go to every single one.

I just don't want to look back and think, "Could I have worked harder?"

Or, "I didn't get my A in that or my B in that

"because I didn't really try as hard as I could have."

But this afternoon, Lyndsey's got a problem.

French and English revision are on at the same time.

Lyndsey and the rest of year 11 will have to choose which one to go to.

Tonight, there's a French revision class

and an English revision class and they're at exactly the same times

so we kind of have to choose which one to go to.

It's like English v French.

But in the English room, it's kind of all free food, pizza, drinks.

You know why I'm here!

So it's English versus French. In the English corner,

Miss Makin is showing a revision DVD accompanied with free food and drink.

Oh, Miss, thank you so much, we love you!

And in the French corner, it's a little more serious.

FRENCH AUDIO TAPE

Lyndsey is the only year 11 who's chosen French.

What does 'mince' mean, because I thought it was Japanese.

OK, what could it mean?

'I chose the French revision session over the English

'because...just needed to catch up with the French.'

So, while Lyndsey works on her French vocab...

Ecoutes. Je n'aime pas la plage.

..the English class don't seem to be getting quite as much done.

CLAMOUR OF NOISE

Right, can we turn the lights off, please?

Thank you very much.

Maintenant, ca commence, oui?

D'accord.

Lyndsey may be missing out on pizza and a movie

but with her French test just around the corner,

will she have made the right decision?

# Live your life Live your life

# Beauty's deep inside... #

With the end of term gala approaching, senior student, Marni,

has been rehearsing hard for a jaw-dropping aerial routine,

where dance moves are performed on metal hoops suspended from the roof.

# Beautiful people. #

And today, training is going to a whole new level.

This is the hangar, a huge specially-designed studio space

in London used to train professional circus performers.

Aerial can be dangerous and it isn't something you can try

unless you have professional training like Marni and her fellow dancers.

I'm just trying to keep calm so that I go onto the hoop

and do the routine and just stay calm, that's all you can do.

Aerial can only be performed under strict supervision,

so today's rehearsal is being directed by a professional aerialist,

Hayley Newton.

Hayley starred in Chicago in the West End.

She's choreographed Take That's live shows

and she knows how hard today will be.

I think everyone's going to be very scared

and there's going to be a lot of tears.

OK, guys, come over here.

It's going to be the toughest lesson some of these pupils have ever faced.

Really scary!

So, there will be tears today, cos the girls are going to be up there

all day, so you can imagine how in agony they're going to be.

But if I listen to you crying all day long, we'd get nothing done,

so you're going to have to fight through that.

Now, guys, you want to be turning them anticlockwise.

Don't get that wrong, because one girl will be spinning the wrong way.

You all right, Lucy?

# Oh, written in the stars A million miles away

# A message to the main. #

They're doing well, but they whinge a lot.

I'm trying to balance it out by being tough

and sympathetic at the same time, cos it does hurt.

It hurts a lot more than it looks.

You'll see them look at their hands a lot and go...

That's pain.

Does anyone want tape now, before it gets bad?

Also on hand to help today is another professional aerialist, Amy.

It'll also be a little bit sore when you're doing that much,

but they should start getting a bit tougher.

Today's rehearsal will last a gruelling eight hours and Hayley

will be watching the pupils closely, as she's yet to pick her final cast.

At the moment, we have seven aerialist girls

and we only need six for the number, so one has to be cut.

Seven girls but only six hoops means someone's going to end up

as the understudy.

I just want this role so bad, cos I've worked for it so hard

and I'd really love to go out there and show everyone what I can do.

It's a couple of hours into the rehearsal

and Marni is struggling with one of the moves.

Come on! Bend your elbows.

You need to be... Chin above the bar. And that'll be so much easier.

-It's too wide. Her arms are too low.

-You're holding too wide.

Cos if she holds there, she won't be able to do the next section.

-Let's go again, I think I can get you high enough.

-Yeah.

One, two, three.

I will get it.

'Frustration, it's so bad,'

cos you know you can do it at the end of the day

and when you don't do it, it just upsets you

cos you won't want to be put on the list to be an understudy.

Every time we do it, you just want to do it the best that you can

and when you mess up, it's upsetting.

Marni's determined to get a place in the opening number.

So can she overcome her frustration

and show Hayley she's got what it takes?

Training for the performing arts

doesn't always mean taking centre stage.

Some young people here dream of becoming superstars

behind the scenes.

Um, let's do the chorus.

Year eight Amber is a talented dancer

whose ambition is to become a choreographer.

I love making up dances

because I have quite a lot of ideas

and I have a certain way I would like to teach my dancing.

Mum!

-Mum!

-Mum!

-Wings, mum.

-One, two, three...

-Mum!

'It is quite fun being in charge'

because you can tell people what to do and they listen!

It's a big day for Amber and her friend Jade,

as top choreographer Sean Parkins has come in to audition dancers

for a Michael Jackson routine for the end of term gala.

Then you're going to jump up and over.

Sean works on West End musical, Wicked.

He's choreographed Pixie Lott's videos

and now he's adapted four of Michael Jackson's most famous routines.

Three and four.

Working with him would be a dream come true for Amber.

He's inspiring, that's the type of choreographer I'd like to be.

He doesn't shout, and everyone looks up to him.

-What's your name, Jade?

-Jade.

And for Jade, who's already got a singing role in the gala,

a dancing part would be the icing on the cake.

MUSIC: "Thriller" by Michael Jackson

The first Michael Jackson song Sean's working on is Thriller.

But something is bothering him.

-From there, how many is in this group now?

-24.

-Right now?

I might have to get rid of a few of you.

Who's in Bad?

He's got too many dancers for the routine and someone has to go.

Can you come out of the section? Is that all right?

He's dropped wannabe choreographer, Amber.

But he's not done yet.

I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to get rid of you

cos you're going to be reserve. So sorry.

Jade's gone, too.

Although it seems tough on the girls, the hard truth of show business

is that sometimes there are no explanations.

They simply didn't fit into Sean's vision for the performance.

It is really harsh, unfortunately, for the students,

but we're preparing them now

for the professional world, where they will get through

to the final round and then get cut.

It is really disappointing, but you just have to get on with it.

It's like, "Oh, I could be doing that, if I could just show him."

-That is exactly it.

-He'll change his mind, but he can't.

One, two, three, four. Even more with the head.

Now all Amber and Jade can do is watch from the sidelines

and hope Sean can find a place for them

in one of the other Michael Jackson routines.

It's a major day for year 11's Lyndsey,

as she is sitting her all-important GCSE French exam.

Earlier in the week, Lyndsey missed out on pizza

and a DVD with all her friends to spend time studying French.

So with the exam over, has the extra work paid off?

Well, I think I did my best with my French GCSE. That's all I can do.

I didn't understand it at first, so I had to get my brain in gear.

My French revision sessions,

I think they definitely did help with the listening tapes,

because you can get a feel for the French when they speak and stuff.

French is out of the way, but if Lyndsey is going to achieve her dream

of running her own dance school, she wants all her exams to go well.

That means the hard work has only just begun.

One, two, three, four, five.

Seven and go, one and two.

Students here are always busy.

As well as school, some have jobs, working evenings and weekends

in theatre productions.

Year nine pupil, Lecia, has dreamt of being on stage

ever since she watched her first big musical show.

About four years ago, I went to see Grease in the West End

and I remember watching it and thinking, "wow"!

I remember just wanting to do it,

and that's kind of how it all started, really.

And now, after years of waiting,

she's finally landed a role up on stage.

She's performing three nights a week

in one of the West End's biggest shows, Billy Elliot.

And with her first night just a week away, Lecia's been rehearsing

and getting used to life in the theatre.

This is probably the biggest show I've been on.

You look at all the seats and think, "This will be full of people!"

It's quite scary but exciting as well. This is the stage.

These are all, like, the trap doors

where Billy's bed comes up and down in the show.

And that's the orchestra pit.

So underneath the stage is where all the orchestra plays.

Lecia plays one of the comedy roles

and she's loving getting into character.

I play Susan Parks. She's the tallest and oldest ballet girl.

She's always smiling and that's kind of what I am normally,

so I really like... I love my character. I love playing her.

Just like any star in the West End, Lecia's got her own dressing room,

although on show nights, it's not always the most relaxing place to be.

We have a 27-second quick change, so we literally run in here,

pull off our white tutus and we put on...

I like, my personal one, the pink one,

so quickly shove on the pink one

and then we quickly shove on our headdress.

And it's really hard and complicated,

because you have the wire that keeps it on.

And then pull in your hair...

You're literally running off, pulling your hair through!

It's taken a lot of work for Lecia to get to this stage

and now she's here, she's loving every minute.

It's quite weird from sitting in the seats to being on stage.

I've seen the show three times.

I remember thinking, "I want to be in that."

When I got the part, I was just so happy.

It was all my dreams come true,

and what I'm going to school for is finally happening.

It was an amazing feeling.

So after years of waiting in the wings,

it's finally time for Lecia to take centre stage.

Another pupil with a lot on his plate is Manchester-born Layton.

He's been so busy revising for his exams that in a recent rehearsal,

he performed way below his usual high standards.

My fitness has gone down a lot because of the fact that

I've not been doing dancing, I've not been exercising

because I've been concentrating so much on all the exams and revising.

Layton's got another rehearsal with choreographer Pat

and he's still thinking about what went wrong last time.

She was like, "Come on, Layton, you need to get better than this,"

and I was like, "Sorry". I was getting well annoyed

and she could tell I was as well and I was like,

I didn't want to disappoint.

I'm going back into the rehearsal today.

Does it look good?

I hope so.

I am the last person in the number.

Last person people will see, you know?

Just me on the stage and if I don't do it justice,

it might pull the whole thing down, so a bit of a pressure!

It's rehearsal time and Layton is determined to do better.

Not just for himself but also for his family.

All these hours are worth it, because my mum's coming down

from Manchester to watch, my Nan's coming, my guardians and my friends.

I just want them to see, this is what I love to do

and this is why I'm down here,

this is why I'm not at home with my mum because I want to do this.

Layton's managed to find time to revise and go to the gym,

so will his dedication pay off? It's time to find out.

Right, we're just going to have a quick walk through

and then see what we've got. Here we go, then.

DANCE MUSIC PLAYS

Just as the rehearsal gets going...

..there's a problem.

He's caught his toe and ripped the skin.

Is it split? Have you got a plaster?

Layton might have to quit the rehearsal.

Skin off the toe.

I'm not going to be able to dance the last half.

It may hurt, but Layton didn't get to where he is today by just giving up.

Five, six and seven, eight!

Slowly, but surely, it's starting to come together for Layton

and choreographer Pat can see he's improved.

That's it. Good.

Right, better. It's better than it was last week, for certain.

All right, leave it there. Well done.

See you this time next week, then? Well done, thanks a lot.

'I just want to be good. I just want to do my best.'

So the pressure is that I just want to do as best as I can

and show what I can do.

Some of the school's strongest acrobatic performers

have been rehearsing for the gala's opening number -

a highly challenging and potentially dangerous aerial routine.

Seven girls but only six hoops

means one of the girls will have to be an understudy.

And that's the last thing Marni wants.

I just hope it's not me. It's not going to be me.

One, two! And go, two, three, four.

Hayley is directing the entire end of year gala.

Hold your tummy in!

And so far, she is not happy.

Right now, you're letting yourselves down

and we're going to have cut you doing aerial.

I have no idea what counts you're meant to be doing things on.

This is the only thing you do, and you can't get it together.

It's just a big mess, OK?

So can Marni convince her she should be one of the six girls chosen?

Up! Up! Get up! Get up!

One, two, three, four, drop. Not too early, Marni.

I feel really, like, drained now. On the last one I was like,

"Oh, God, I'm going to fall off!"

OK, aerialists up.

Aerial is incredibly demanding.

They have been lifting their own body weight

on the hoops for hours already.

And the physical nature of the routine

is starting to become a real challenge.

Go! One and two and three and four...five!

And relax. Sit down.

You will really kick yourselves if you give up.

You are either a fighter or you are not.

And if you give up, girls, on those hoops, you can't be in it.

We're going to run it again at 25 past.

Marni knows she's only got minutes to refocus.

It's just I want it so bad, I don't want to mess it up.

Hayley is running the routine one final time.

And it's Marni's last chance to show her how much she wants this.

Marni's come off the hoop again.

And she's taking her tape off.

But she's not giving up.

Marni's determined to complete the routine.

The toughest rehearsal these dancers may ever face is over.

It's an incredible achievement by everyone

and no-one's happier than Marni.

I had my tape on because I split my hand,

and I went to do my spinning section and the tape started to roll again.

I thought, "I'm not having this,"

so I ran off to take it off but I put it on so tight

that it didn't come off,

but then I tried to get back on the hoop as quick as possible.

Hayley's due to choose her six final aerialists

in just a few weeks. But has Marni done enough to be one of them?

If you want to be a success in whatever you do,

then you need more than just talent.

You need to work hard, try your best and never ever give up.

With a little determination and self-belief,

you can achieve anything.

Next time on School For Stars, Tyler performs in front of the school

but his co-star has trouble with her lines.

I just realised that's not the same song. I'm singing, watch me.

And the juniors head to a Harry Potter film location

to perform in public.

This is life at the School For Stars.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd