The academy successfully pleaded for an earlier start of the program, so that children could be admitted at an early age.
As the Netherlands did not have its own classical dance tradition, the Nel Roos Academy adopted the Russian Vaganova technique as its teaching method.
The academy has since been run by the following people: Erna Droog, Francis Sinceretti, Joanne Zimmerman, Simon De Mowbray, Vicki Summers, Hlif Svavarsdottir Christopher Powney, Jean-Yves Esquerre.
Hans van Manen, one of the world's most influential choreographers and Ted Brandsen, artistic director of the Dutch National Ballet, respectively hold the positions of Honorary Patron and Artistic Advisor of the Dutch National Ballet Academy.
NBA students participate in some of the Dutch National Ballet's major productions, such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet.
[1] In 2020, K-pop star Kazuha from Le Sserafim attended this ballet school before being recruited by the CEO of Source Music in mid-2021.
The children that get through the final audition are admitted to the first year of the National Ballet Academy and they will leave their own school.
The children are taught at the Agamemnonstraat facility during the first three years and then transfer to the College for Theater and Dance at the Jodenbreestraat.
During the BA programme the dancers will also gain their first professional experience during a practical internship with one of the major dance ensembles in Holland or abroad.