Dance Parents

[Just Kate]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

We also eschewed the Joffrey audition, though ds is doing the Miami one in a week or two. Ds is hoping to go to Boston, though he's plotting with a friend to go somewhere together - possibly Pittsburgh. I outlawed any of the west coast auditions.

Just Kate, I don't know where you live, but intensives are probably going to be more important for a dancer who doesn't have the best year-round training options. Like Edelweiss, ds has been doing his home intensive in the summer and not going away, but you might consider it younger. This summer might be too soon, but you might want to plan ahead for next year. Does she have a grandparent or aunt and uncle in a city where she might go stay for a shorter intensive? A lot of smaller studios that are excellent have summer intensives that are more geared toward slightly younger dancers.

 

We live in WV. Close cities that would be easiest for us would be Cincinnati and Columbus, OH. We do have family near Minneapolis/St. Paul, so we could look into that area as well. The only reason I even signed up for the Joffrey audition is because the director sent us an email about it. How would we go about learning about other (maybe smaller?) summer intensive opportunities?

[edelweiss]

58 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Is this the same place? 

 

https://national.ballet.ca/Explore/In-Studio/Summer-Dance-Intensive

I am confused because it says that is for rec and not a pre-pro place? 

This is what I'm referring to.  https://www.nbs-enb.ca/Professional-Ballet/Summer-School

[edelweiss]

5 minutes ago, Just Kate said:

 

We live in WV. Close cities that would be easiest for us would be Cincinnati and Columbus, OH. We do have family near Minneapolis/St. Paul, so we could look into that area as well. The only reason I even signed up for the Joffrey audition is because the director sent us an email about it. How would we go about learning about other (maybe smaller?) summer intensive opportunities?

The best place to research various summer intensives would be the website Ballet Talk for Dancers.  But just be aware of their rules there.  They are VERY strict about them and will give you a good scolding if you break them.  For instance, don't ask for a comparison of programs.  You can definitely get information there and ask for opinions here though.  🙂

Columbus has a professional company and an attached summer intensive.  It is called Ballet Met.  https://www.balletmet.org/academy/summer/summer-intensive/

Cincinnati also has one at Cincinnati Ballet.  https://www.cballet.org/academy/summer-intensive/

 

 

 

 

[The Governess]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

 

My oldest will be 13 this summer so I guess it is getting to the important stage for her?   I guess it would be good to experience different teachers and schools.  

 

I would say that for your dd, who just recently started at a serious school and is just now starting pointe, she should definitely be ok continuing to train at her home school this summer. Next summer she should be ready to go off and train at an outside school on her own. At this age, exposure to new teachers, etc. will be more important.

Maybe this summer she can take some private lessons with one of her current teachers instead? 

 

[mommyoffive]

Thank you for all the advice ladies, I really appreciate it.   

The kids did 2 auditions for different shows at 2 other dance schools.  So we will wait and see how that plays out.  Dance starts back up again this week.  It was nice to have a break  for a week or 2. 

 

[mommyoffive]

We got back to dance last night.  Oh my.   I love that the kids are loving it and motivated, but the driving and waiting I didn't miss.    

We heard about some kids who went down to the audition that we skipped.  I had to keep in mind what you ladies are telling me, so I don't feel bad I didn't do it.  I think we may do some in 2 weeks.   But I do admit I would have liked to do it to see if they would have gotten in.  

How is everyone's audition season going? 

 

[Farrar]

Ds went back last week and was so relieved to be moving again. He's an addict. No waiting for me though. Gosh, I'm glad those days are over. Studio is closeish and he can take care of himself.

No auditions yet, but he's doing Nashville this weekend. It's a backup.

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, Farrar said:

Ds went back last week and was so relieved to be moving again. He's an addict. No waiting for me though. Gosh, I'm glad those days are over. Studio is closeish and he can take care of himself.

No auditions yet, but he's doing Nashville this weekend. It's a backup.

 

Good luck to him this weekend. 

Oh it would be my dream if we lived close and the kids could get there on their own.  My 3 youngest are way to young for that even if we were close.   Yeah I think their break was a little to long since lots of schools went back on the 2nd.  

[mommyoffive]

OH again I talked to one of moms who went to the MCB audition last weekend.  Her 11 year old is not on pointe yet and went to the 9-14 year old audition.  Every else in the audition was on pointe.  But she just did that part in flat shoes.  I guess the people asked her why she wasn't because they said she was ready. 

I am glad she did that and reported back.  One of the reasons that we decided to not try that one was because I emailed MCB 3 or 4 times and they never responded.   Every other place I have contacted has responded the same day.  So I didn't know if she would get turned away or be ok.   So we just decided to skip it. 

I just emailed SAB and even though it says to bring your pointe shoes, they said girls not on pointe can still audition, they don't turn people away.   

So just FYI if that helps anyone in the future. 

[mommyoffive]

Oh boo the RWB dance intensive dates came out and they have changed since last year. 

I was maybe thinking of doing that for 2 weeks and then doing two weeks ibstage in Barcelona.   Has anyone been to the ibstage in Barcelona or heard anyone that has gone?  Now the 2 programs overlap and mess up my plan.  

[mommyoffive]

Ugh we heard from one of the shows they auditioned for.  They got parts, although in the email it didn't say what part.  Boo 

I found that odd as our school always tells you what part you get.  The rehearsals got moved to Sunday, which doesn't work great for us.  If they were on Saturday they could swing by right after class.   Plus with that they couldn't do any SI auditions. 

I think we are going to hear about the other audition on Monday.  Then I have to decide on Monday what to do.  

 

Talking about SI auditions, do you think you have the same chance of getting in doing a video audition?   I am just mulling that over.   Or do you have a way better chance of getting in going to the Face to face audition?

 

How are SI auditions going for everyone?  Sending some good luck vibes to all the dancers. 

[Farrar]

Ds's auditions today were canceled because of weather. Good thing they were his backups and not first choices.

[mommyoffive]

7 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Ds's auditions today were canceled because of weather. Good thing they were his backups and not first choices.

 

Oh wow. That storm totally missed us, but it looks bad.  Will they come back another time?  

That is so nice when they  have more than one audition in one day.  

[Farrar]

4 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Oh wow. That storm totally missed us, but it looks bad.  Will they come back another time?  

That is so nice when they  have more than one audition in one day.  

There were like four or five potential SI auditions going on at ds's studio today. Not all of them got canceled. I think it must be that the people doing the audition couldn't get there, because honestly, I'm sure it's no small hassle for them to reschedule. One sent an email saying they'd try to come back. Who knows.

The snow isn't that bad by northern standards. But DC is, at its heart, a southern city, y'all.

ETA: Literally as I was hitting post, ds came in the room sulking. "I'm SO DISAPPOINTED. I wanted a warm up audition before Boston!" Aw.

Edited January 13, 2019 by Farrar

[Lady Marmalade]

We just had the best weekend.  🙂

Every year our studio takes the advanced competition dancers to Jump Dance Convention.  I always come away from convention pleased for my kids that they've worked so hard all weekend and enjoyed going from workshop to workshop.   This year their hard work multiplied, and on top of that, they were treated to a weekend with their dance idols.  Literally.  

Their first class Friday night was an advanced tap class, and my kids were pleased as punch to see that assisting the teacher for the class was none other than season 14 SYTYCD winner, Lex Ishimoto.   About five minutes after class started, I noticed a girl had joined my kids in the back corner of the dance floor.  I wasn't sitting super close, but I recognized the ponytail.  At the end of class, my kids confirmed that they were dancing WITH Taylor Sieve all through that tap class.  They interacted with her like she was any other dance kid, and I bet she appreciated that they didn't draw attention to her.    Their next class was a fusion class taught by Lex and assisted by Taylor.  

My daughter's classes included several hours with Ricky Ubeda (season 11 winner) (also assisted by Lex), and a musical theatre class with Melanie Moore (season 8 winner).  Melanie called my daughter out for a few things in class, and then at the end of the weekend awarded her a musical theatre scholorship. 

DS had another class taught by Lex, where their combo was super hard.  Lex called DS out for the way he was responding to the music.  DS came out of that class beyond pleased and said that his weekend was made right then and there.  Shortly after that we were sitting in the hall having lunch when we saw Lex walking down the hall, he saw DS and diverted his path to come over by us.  He high-fived DS, asked him what his name was and told him he did a great job in his class and to keep it up.  DS had a hard time eating his lunch after that.  You'd have thought he just won the lottery!  DS also survived the audition process (judged by the first SYTCYD winner, Nick Lazzarini) and won a VIP scholarship.

It just was a special weekend this year.  All of these professionals really made themselves accessible to their students.  They got right on the floor with them and worked with them and showed they what they were after, and just shared from their hearts.  I can't even describe the poetry when Ricky and Lex were dancing that contemporary combo together to show the kids.   It truly was a celebration of dance this weekend and the line that usually kind of separates the pros from the students simply wasn't there.  Every single one of those dancers were genuinely normal and friendly and wanting to share what they've learned about dance.  

[edelweiss]

On 1/13/2019 at 11:48 AM, mommyoffive said:

 

 

How are SI auditions going for everyone?  Sending some good luck vibes to all the dancers. 

 

On 1/13/2019 at 12:09 PM, Farrar said:

Ds's auditions today were canceled because of weather. Good thing they were his backups and not first choices.

 

DD has two auditions last weekend.  They were backups though and not very important to her.  She has only heard back from one of them so far (she was accepted with a scholarship). The other one should come in this week.

This weekend she traveled to another city for three auditions.  Surprisingly, none of them were cancelled! They had emailed warnings that they might be cancelled, but fortunately they weren't.  These 3 (well, 2 of the 3) were more important to my daughter, so I'm so glad that she was able to do them.

Next weekend she has one.  It will be her safety.

The following weekend she has 3 and then she'll be done.  If she gets an acceptance prior to then that she wants to attend, she will likely not do any of these last 3. Last year she knew that she wanted to go to 1 of 2 places.  She auditioned to them both early (the first and second weekend of January), got accepted to both, and was done auditioning.  This year she really isn't sure where she wants to go, so she is auditioning much more widely.  She is auditioning to a bunch of places that she's never auditioned before.  I'm curious where she will end up this summer!

Good luck to everyone else who is in the midst of audition season!

 

 

[Farrar]

Ds said his auditions went really well this past weekend. On to the next set! He's psyched up for Boston, which is this weekend. My fingers are just crossed for a scholarship anywhere.

[mommyoffive]

18 hours ago, Lady Marmalade said:

We just had the best weekend.  🙂

Every year our studio takes the advanced competition dancers to Jump Dance Convention.  I always come away from convention pleased for my kids that they've worked so hard all weekend and enjoyed going from workshop to workshop.   This year their hard work multiplied, and on top of that, they were treated to a weekend with their dance idols.  Literally.  

Their first class Friday night was an advanced tap class, and my kids were pleased as punch to see that assisting the teacher for the class was none other than season 14 SYTYCD winner, Lex Ishimoto.   About five minutes after class started, I noticed a girl had joined my kids in the back corner of the dance floor.  I wasn't sitting super close, but I recognized the ponytail.  At the end of class, my kids confirmed that they were dancing WITH Taylor Sieve all through that tap class.  They interacted with her like she was any other dance kid, and I bet she appreciated that they didn't draw attention to her.    Their next class was a fusion class taught by Lex and assisted by Taylor.  

My daughter's classes included several hours with Ricky Ubeda (season 11 winner) (also assisted by Lex), and a musical theatre class with Melanie Moore (season 8 winner).  Melanie called my daughter out for a few things in class, and then at the end of the weekend awarded her a musical theatre scholorship. 

DS had another class taught by Lex, where their combo was super hard.  Lex called DS out for the way he was responding to the music.  DS came out of that class beyond pleased and said that his weekend was made right then and there.  Shortly after that we were sitting in the hall having lunch when we saw Lex walking down the hall, he saw DS and diverted his path to come over by us.  He high-fived DS, asked him what his name was and told him he did a great job in his class and to keep it up.  DS had a hard time eating his lunch after that.  You'd have thought he just won the lottery!  DS also survived the audition process (judged by the first SYTCYD winner, Nick Lazzarini) and won a VIP scholarship.

It just was a special weekend this year.  All of these professionals really made themselves accessible to their students.  They got right on the floor with them and worked with them and showed they what they were after, and just shared from their hearts.  I can't even describe the poetry when Ricky and Lex were dancing that contemporary combo together to show the kids.   It truly was a celebration of dance this weekend and the line that usually kind of separates the pros from the students simply wasn't there.  Every single one of those dancers were genuinely normal and friendly and wanting to share what they've learned about dance.  

 

What a cool experience!!  

Congrats on the scholarship!!

[mommyoffive]

11 hours ago, Farrar said:

Ds said his auditions went really well this past weekend. On to the next set! He's psyched up for Boston, which is this weekend. My fingers are just crossed for a scholarship anywhere.

 

Where did he audition last weekend?  

Good luck vibes sent for this weekend.   Fingers crossed for a scholarship.  I will like to hear your experience of that with a boy.  I am wondering if it is easier to get one being a boy. 

[mommyoffive]

12 hours ago, edelweiss said:

 

 

DD has two auditions last weekend.  They were backups though and not very important to her.  She has only heard back from one of them so far (she was accepted with a scholarship). The other one should come in this week.

This weekend she traveled to another city for three auditions.  Surprisingly, none of them were cancelled! They had emailed warnings that they might be cancelled, but fortunately they weren't.  These 3 (well, 2 of the 3) were more important to my daughter, so I'm so glad that she was able to do them.

Next weekend she has one.  It will be her safety.

The following weekend she has 3 and then she'll be done.  If she gets an acceptance prior to then that she wants to attend, she will likely not do any of these last 3. Last year she knew that she wanted to go to 1 of 2 places.  She auditioned to them both early (the first and second weekend of January), got accepted to both, and was done auditioning.  This year she really isn't sure where she wants to go, so she is auditioning much more widely.  She is auditioning to a bunch of places that she's never auditioned before.  I'm curious where she will end up this summer!

Good luck to everyone else who is in the midst of audition season!

 

 

 

Congrats on the acceptance and the scholarship!  That has to be a great feeling. 

Where is she auditioning this year?   Are any of them places that she has gone to already?  Does she not want to go back to those places at all? 

I am interested to hear where she goes. 

[Farrar]

48 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Where did he audition last weekend?  

Good luck vibes sent for this weekend.   Fingers crossed for a scholarship.  I will like to hear your experience of that with a boy.  I am wondering if it is easier to get one being a boy. 

He had Miami and Pittsburgh. Miami is Balanchine and he didn't think he did as well.

In terms of boys - I think it's much easier for boys to get in the door, to get special treatment, to get deals. It's not free. I mean, some people seem to think that boys get to dance free. Um, maybe if you're the only boy in a tiny studio in the middle of nowhere and they really want you? In an urban area like where we are, they give more partial scholarships and discounts and do things to entice the boys, like giving special bonus free classes that are all boys for them. But 25% off of thousands of dollars of tuition is still a lot. Same for the SI's - more likely to get scholarships, though not every boy will get them, especially not for some of the programs. And scholarships tend to be half off the tuition only or they pay the  room and board and you pay the tuition - in other words, yes, good deal, but still a pricey experience.

At the top levels, it gets almost as competitive for the boys to get into training programs and then definitely just as competitive to have a career. So the legs up and boosts happen most when they're younger.

[mommyoffive]

3 minutes ago, Farrar said:

He had Miami and Pittsburgh. Miami is Balanchine and he didn't think he did as well.

In terms of boys - I think it's much easier for boys to get in the door, to get special treatment, to get deals. It's not free. I mean, some people seem to think that boys get to dance free. Um, maybe if you're the only boy in a tiny studio in the middle of nowhere and they really want you? In an urban area like where we are, they give more partial scholarships and discounts and do things to entice the boys, like giving special bonus free classes that are all boys for them. But 25% off of thousands of dollars of tuition is still a lot. Same for the SI's - more likely to get scholarships, though not every boy will get them, especially not for some of the programs. And scholarships tend to be half off the tuition only or they pay the  room and board and you pay the tuition - in other words, yes, good deal, but still a pricey experience.

At the top levels, it gets almost as competitive for the boys to get into training programs and then definitely just as competitive to have a career. So the legs up and boosts happen most when they're younger.

 

Good luck to the ones he already did.  I hope he gets in. 

Yeah I have heard the boys dance free thing.  It isn't where we are.  We get 0 discounts for my ds.    He does currently have a much easier time with show castings because there are not many boys.  And most of the boys are not dancers who come to auditions. 

[Lady Marmalade]

Lol, every time I hear that boys dance free I give the biggest eyeroll.  I have always paid more for DS for dance than his sister.  I do pay less for costumes because for competition styles of dance we use a lot of clothes that I can buy at Kohl's (dress shirts, tanks, etc.) or I make things if he's the only boy on the team and we're after a specific look.  

I sure wouldn't mind being told his tuition was less because he was a boy!  😄  

[edelweiss]

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Congrats on the acceptance and the scholarship!  That has to be a great feeling. 

Where is she auditioning this year?   Are any of them places that she has gone to already?  Does she not want to go back to those places at all? 

I am interested to hear where she goes. 

Thank you! It is a nice feeling, but I don't think she will end up going there.  

Her list this year includes Houston Ballet, ABT, Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Austin Ballet, Orlando Ballet, and Miami City Ballet. She has not attended any of these places before.  She decided that she did not want to return to the place that she attended for the past several years.  So, she didn't even audition for it at all.  She still loves it and may audition again in the future, but decided that she really wanted to try someplace new this year.  

I am interested in where she is going to go too! In the past she always knew what her top picks were.  This year it is wide open! I have no idea where she is going to end up. 

 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, Lady Marmalade said:

Lol, every time I hear that boys dance free I give the biggest eyeroll.  I have always paid more for DS for dance than his sister.  I do pay less for costumes because for competition styles of dance we use a lot of clothes that I can buy at Kohl's (dress shirts, tanks, etc.) or I make things if he's the only boy on the team and we're after a specific look.  

I sure wouldn't mind being told his tuition was less because he was a boy!  😄  

 

How do you pay more for your ds?  Is it because he takes more classes?  Or a different style of dance that is more expensive for males?   Just curious? 

Glad I am not the only one. 

[mommyoffive]

29 minutes ago, edelweiss said:

Thank you! It is a nice feeling, but I don't think she will end up going there.  

Her list this year includes Houston Ballet, ABT, Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Austin Ballet, Orlando Ballet, and Miami City Ballet. She has not attended any of these places before.  She decided that she did not want to return to the place that she attended for the past several years.  So, she didn't even audition for it at all.  She still loves it and may audition again in the future, but decided that she really wanted to try someplace new this year.  

I am interested in where she is going to go too! In the past she always knew what her top picks were.  This year it is wide open! I have no idea where she is going to end up. 

 

 

Neat that she has that chance to try so many places.   What a great learning experience.   Just curious how does she make the choice?   Is it from her teachers?  Just the audition and how she likes the teachers there?   What other people have said that have gone there?   Or styles? 

I know your dd is older and further along, but my kids as of now would have no clue as how to decide on one.   Their teachers don't give any advice and the only advice from the Ballet Master was go to the 3 letter ones or ones that teach the style we are teaching.  That was about it.   Do you weigh in on it at all? 

 

So exciting to be waiting on the word of where she gets in.  As much as I hate the audition process and the waiting, it is so fun to hear.     

Edited January 22, 2019 by mommyoffive

[Lady Marmalade]

4 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

How do you pay more for your ds?  Is it because he takes more classes?  Or a different style of dance that is more expensive for males?   Just curious? 

Glad I am not the only one. 

He takes more specialty classes.  His boys ballet class is extra on top of his regular ballet classes, as is the various classes he's done over the years that help him develop his partnering technique.  A stretching and flexibility class is a must for boys who go through growth spurts and often find themselves suddenly un-flexible in ways that they were just a few weeks prior.  

When DD was en pointe we were about even cost-wise with her extra classes and pointe shoes.  But then she dropped that.

DS also dances at a higher level than DD.  This year he was eligible for pre-company but we decided against it for various reasons.  Had he joined the next level up that would have been an additional increase in tuition for extra classes, guest choreographers and conventions.  That will be next year, but it won't seem so bad because I will only have one dancer to pay for.  Gulp. 

[mommyoffive]

3 hours ago, Lady Marmalade said:

He takes more specialty classes.  His boys ballet class is extra on top of his regular ballet classes, as is the various classes he's done over the years that help him develop his partnering technique.  A stretching and flexibility class is a must for boys who go through growth spurts and often find themselves suddenly un-flexible in ways that they were just a few weeks prior.  

When DD was en pointe we were about even cost-wise with her extra classes and pointe shoes.  But then she dropped that.

DS also dances at a higher level than DD.  This year he was eligible for pre-company but we decided against it for various reasons.  Had he joined the next level up that would have been an additional increase in tuition for extra classes, guest choreographers and conventions.  That will be next year, but it won't seem so bad because I will only have one dancer to pay for.  Gulp. 

 

I got it now.  Yeah this year we were paying more for ds even though dd was higher.   The boy's class was more money, but we couldn't be there another night a week so we were doing private lessons for him.  We haven't started that back up yet.  

Dd is about to go on pointe this weekend so maybe she can take back the lead.   😞  cry 

Wow pre-company.  What a great achievement.  Do you think he will do it next year?   

One dancer to pay for will be so awesome.   

Edited January 22, 2019 by mommyoffive

[edelweiss]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Neat that she has that chance to try so many places.   What a great learning experience.   Just curious how does she make the choice?   Is it from her teachers?  Just the audition and how she likes the teachers there?   What other people have said that have gone there?   Or styles? 

I know your dd is older and further along, but my kids as of now would have no clue as how to decide on one.   Their teachers don't give any advice and the only advice from the Ballet Master was go to the 3 letter ones or ones that teach the style we are teaching.  That was about it.   Do you weigh in on it at all? 

 

So exciting to be waiting on the word of where she gets in.  As much as I hate the audition process and the waiting, it is so fun to hear.     

She does get the opinion of teachers, however DD and I will make the ultimate choice based on a number of factors (which will partly include the thoughts of her teachers).  DD does consider the audition itself and whether or not she enjoyed the class, but she also knows that she might not have that particular adjudicator at all at the actual intensive, so that only tells her a little bit about the program itself.  Obviously she researches usually several ballet websites and talks to anyone she knows who might have gone there.  Style can certainly be a factor, but it isn't a deciding one.  Her home studio is primarily Vaganova, so she has been training in Balanchine in the summers.  She likes exposure to different styles, but she wouldn't rule out a Vaganova intensive if she felt that it had everything she wanted/needed for the summer.  This summer, she really feels like she wants a program that offers enough partnering opportunities since she doesn't get them at home. She also wants an end-of-session performance since the intensive she has been attending doesn't have that. She, of course, will be considering class sizes and leveling.  She doesn't want to go someplace for the name and the "prestige" if she is going to be in a large class and not get any personal attention. She wants to consider the schedule of each program and evaluate the amount and types of classes offered. Then, to a much smaller extent, she will be considering things like: what is the dorm situation like? are the dorms air-conditioned? how long of a bus ride is it from the dorms to the studio? is the environment super-competitive or is it friendly and supportive? are there things to do with the free time? etc. Overall, it is a tough choice because if she invests the time and money to go away, she really wants to come back feeling like she has gained something.

As for your teachers not offering a lot of advice, I don't think that is uncommon unfortunately.  A lot of ballet teachers don't seem to have a lot of knowledge about many of these summer intensives.  Or they might know a bit about a few of them (normally the well-known ones) but not much else.  The summer intensive world has expanded rapidly in the past several years alone and hardly existed at all when many of the teachers were school age.  So, a lot of them don't know that much about them unless they have invested a lot of time to research the various programs. I don't necessarily agree with your Ballet Master that your children should go with the 3 letter ones. (And I say this as someone whose daughter has spent the past 3 summers at a well-known 3-letter program and loved it and got a lot out of it.)  I think that the 3 letter programs (and those that are also in that category, like Houston Ballet) can be very good, but they can also be over-crowded (in some cases) and have a super-competitive feeling within the intensive. Some also offer inconsistent training based on whether you are a "favorite" or not.  A 3-letter program can be a great choice, but I do think that there are some smaller less well-known programs that can be a better fit and a solid choice for some people (or even just for some years of the training). I also think that the type of training method doesn't actually matter that much as long as it is quality training.  I can see where you might want to go someplace with the same type of training as your home studio if your child is young or just beginning ballet so they can have a consistent foundation.  But later on, they probably benefit from being exposed to different styles.  I have found that most kids easily adjust from style to style going from home studio to intensive (although adjusting to spotting front can be a bit of a challenge at first!).

Audition season is exciting!!! (And anxiety-provoking and tiring and patience-testing....LOL!) My DD loves auditioning, but I will be glad when it is over and she has made her decision!

What auditions are your children doing this year?

   

[mommyoffive]

45 minutes ago, edelweiss said:

She does get the opinion of teachers, however DD and I will make the ultimate choice based on a number of factors (which will partly include the thoughts of her teachers).  DD does consider the audition itself and whether or not she enjoyed the class, but she also knows that she might not have that particular adjudicator at all at the actual intensive, so that only tells her a little bit about the program itself.  Obviously she researches usually several ballet websites and talks to anyone she knows who might have gone there.  Style can certainly be a factor, but it isn't a deciding one.  Her home studio is primarily Vaganova, so she has been training in Balanchine in the summers.  She likes exposure to different styles, but she wouldn't rule out a Vaganova intensive if she felt that it had everything she wanted/needed for the summer.  This summer, she really feels like she wants a program that offers enough partnering opportunities since she doesn't get them at home. She also wants an end-of-session performance since the intensive she has been attending doesn't have that. She, of course, will be considering class sizes and leveling.  She doesn't want to go someplace for the name and the "prestige" if she is going to be in a large class and not get any personal attention. She wants to consider the schedule of each program and evaluate the amount and types of classes offered. Then, to a much smaller extent, she will be considering things like: what is the dorm situation like? are the dorms air-conditioned? how long of a bus ride is it from the dorms to the studio? is the environment super-competitive or is it friendly and supportive? are there things to do with the free time? etc. Overall, it is a tough choice because if she invests the time and money to go away, she really wants to come back feeling like she has gained something.

As for your teachers not offering a lot of advice, I don't think that is uncommon unfortunately.  A lot of ballet teachers don't seem to have a lot of knowledge about many of these summer intensives.  Or they might know a bit about a few of them (normally the well-known ones) but not much else.  The summer intensive world has expanded rapidly in the past several years alone and hardly existed at all when many of the teachers were school age.  So, a lot of them don't know that much about them unless they have invested a lot of time to research the various programs. I don't necessarily agree with your Ballet Master that your children should go with the 3 letter ones. (And I say this as someone whose daughter has spent the past 3 summers at a well-known 3-letter program and loved it and got a lot out of it.)  I think that the 3 letter programs (and those that are also in that category, like Houston Ballet) can be very good, but they can also be over-crowded (in some cases) and have a super-competitive feeling within the intensive. Some also offer inconsistent training based on whether you are a "favorite" or not.  A 3-letter program can be a great choice, but I do think that there are some smaller less well-known programs that can be a better fit and a solid choice for some people (or even just for some years of the training). I also think that the type of training method doesn't actually matter that much as long as it is quality training.  I can see where you might want to go someplace with the same type of training as your home studio if your child is young or just beginning ballet so they can have a consistent foundation.  But later on, they probably benefit from being exposed to different styles.  I have found that most kids easily adjust from style to style going from home studio to intensive (although adjusting to spotting front can be a bit of a challenge at first!).

Audition season is exciting!!! (And anxiety-provoking and tiring and patience-testing....LOL!) My DD loves auditioning, but I will be glad when it is over and she has made her decision!

What auditions are your children doing this year?

   

 

Thank you for that and all your help this last year.  I am sure you learn more of what to look for and what you want and need after going to so many different ones.   But those are such smart ideas on things to look for and figure out. 

My kids only did their home studio last year and then one taught by a teacher from home studio, but in a different studio.  So they don't know much of what to think about or look for.   Neat, I didn't know that intensives were not common.  

Ha funny that you brought up what we were going to do, as it keeps changing.   A few months ago the kids wanted to go to auditions for SIs.  The older 3 still do.  I am not going to lie.  But then we found out about auditions for 2 shows going on and they were the exact weekend of the SIs auditions that we were going to go to.  We were going to go to ABT, SAB, Miami Ballet, RWB,  Joffery Chicago, The Rock, and Ballet Chicago.   

They got parts in both shows and the rehearsals are every weekend so not any time to go to auditions. I had figured ok, well we should just do some video auditions.  I just got an updated schedule that gives maybe 2 weekends off.  So maybe we should jam in auditions to get some experience.    I do think that is helpful right?   We have been going to a lot of auditions for shows.   Every time we go in thinking we will be in the show.  Sometimes they are or and sometimes not, but the experience for the kids I think is really helpful in so many ways.   If they got into one maybe we would do it, but we are also just thinking of doing the auditions for experience. 

So now back to looking at intensives and times to see what works for some of the kids. 

For what they are actually going to do over summer goodness knows.  I wanted them to do IB Stage in Barcelona so we could fit in some overseas travel too.  But it conflicts with RWB.  I think they might go to that.  DS really wanted to do it last summer, but I honestly didn't know if they would love dancing all day everyday last year.  They do.   We may go our home studio and there are about 3 others in our area that I know are good too.  One that would be so easy because dh could handle it all.  🙂

Or maybe CPYB.   

I think it such a good thing for my oldest to do the shows.  One is giving her a role that she is really excited for.  She hasn't had that yet. Ds always gets better roles.  But right now the last two shows he is just to young and little for the great parts.  So her spirit, and hopefully for dance training this was really important to her.   She went to the first rehearsal last weekend and she was just so excited.  She gets to partner and that was cool since our school doesn't do partnering at her level yet.  

 

[Lady Marmalade]

3 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

 

I got it now.  Yeah this year we were paying more for ds even though dd was higher.   The boy's class was more money, but we couldn't be there another night a week so we were doing private lessons for him.  We haven't started that back up yet.  

Dd is about to go on pointe this weekend so maybe she can take back the lead.   😞  cry 

Wow pre-company.  What a great achievement.  Do you think he will do it next year?   

One dancer to pay for will be so awesome.   

Yes.  He will.  We really wanted him to do it this year, but this level doesn't just practice here at our home studio, they also have regular practices during the week at another studio that is 35 miles away.  When I get up at 2:00 am for work, I can't be driving him home from the other studio at 10:30 at night.  Several people have already offered to help drive him home next year if I can get him there.

It really is best for him and his potential future dance career.  It's not best for me, but... well, I guess that's how it goes, right?  By the following year when he makes Company, he'll be driving himself and then it won't be so bad.  (I keep telling myself that anyway.)

[mommyoffive]

One quick question as I am trying to figure out something for these 2 weekends.  Is there an easier way to look for what intensives are coming to a certain city vs going to each website and looking at their schedule?  

[edelweiss]

5 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

One quick question as I am trying to figure out something for these 2 weekends.  Is there an easier way to look for what intensives are coming to a certain city vs going to each website and looking at their schedule?  

Sadly, no.  There are a couple of places that host a bunch of auditions that post a list of ALL of the auditions that are coming to their site, but most don't.  So, you mostly have to piece it all together by looking at the individual intensive websites.  😞

[mommyoffive]

Another quick question, maybe it is hard to know. 

Do you think that auditioning in video negatively affects your chances of getting in?  Do you have a better chance of getting and getting a scholarship vs video? 

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, edelweiss said:

Sadly, no.  There are a couple of places that host a bunch of auditions that post a list of ALL of the auditions that are coming to their site, but most don't.  So, you mostly have to piece it all together by looking at the individual intensive websites.  😞

 

Boo.  That is what I was doing and figured there had to be an easier way.  

[edelweiss]

1 hour ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Thank you for that and all your help this last year.  I am sure you learn more of what to look for and what you want and need after going to so many different ones.   But those are such smart ideas on things to look for and figure out. 

My kids only did their home studio last year and then one taught by a teacher from home studio, but in a different studio.  So they don't know much of what to think about or look for.   Neat, I didn't know that intensives were not common.  

Ha funny that you brought up what we were going to do, as it keeps changing.   A few months ago the kids wanted to go to auditions for SIs.  The older 3 still do.  I am not going to lie.  But then we found out about auditions for 2 shows going on and they were the exact weekend of the SIs auditions that we were going to go to.  We were going to go to ABT, SAB, Miami Ballet, RWB,  Joffery Chicago, The Rock, and Ballet Chicago.   

They got parts in both shows and the rehearsals are every weekend so not any time to go to auditions. I had figured ok, well we should just do some video auditions.  I just got an updated schedule that gives maybe 2 weekends off.  So maybe we should jam in auditions to get some experience.    I do think that is helpful right?   We have been going to a lot of auditions for shows.   Every time we go in thinking we will be in the show.  Sometimes they are or and sometimes not, but the experience for the kids I think is really helpful in so many ways.   If they got into one maybe we would do it, but we are also just thinking of doing the auditions for experience. 

So now back to looking at intensives and times to see what works for some of the kids. 

For what they are actually going to do over summer goodness knows.  I wanted them to do IB Stage in Barcelona so we could fit in some overseas travel too.  But it conflicts with RWB.  I think they might go to that.  DS really wanted to do it last summer, but I honestly didn't know if they would love dancing all day everyday last year.  They do.   We may go our home studio and there are about 3 others in our area that I know are good too.  One that would be so easy because dh could handle it all.  🙂

Or maybe CPYB.   

I think it such a good thing for my oldest to do the shows.  One is giving her a role that she is really excited for.  She hasn't had that yet. Ds always gets better roles.  But right now the last two shows he is just to young and little for the great parts.  So her spirit, and hopefully for dance training this was really important to her.   She went to the first rehearsal last weekend and she was just so excited.  She gets to partner and that was cool since our school doesn't do partnering at her level yet.  

 

How exciting!  Performance experience is so valuable... and fun! 

Yes, I do think that it is helpful to do some auditions for experience.  The more auditions my daughter does, the more comfortable she is.  She actually loves auditioning! So, if you can fit some in your schedule, I think it could be beneficial.

Let me know if you want me to offer my thoughts on what I know about some of the programs you mentioned.  I don't want to offer it unsolicited, but I am happy to share my thoughts if you think it would be helpful.

 

[edelweiss]

7 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Another quick question, maybe it is hard to know. 

Do you think that auditioning in video negatively affects your chances of getting in?  Do you have a better chance of getting and getting a scholarship vs video? 

I don't think that auditioning via video negatively affects your changes of getting in, in general.  Some intensives strongly prefer in person auditions over video auditions, so for those I would be hesitant, but otherwise it is fine.  I know of at least one intensive (PNB) that won't accept video auditions at all unless you are overseas.

Obviously there are pros and cons with videos vs. live auditions.  With a video audition, you can re-record a section if you mess up.  However, if you are weaker at a certain thing, it might not be noticed at a live audition (where the adjudicator might not be looking at you all of the time), but nothing would be missed on a video where they are only looking at the one dancer!

In general, I think it is best to go to a live audition if it is possible.  However, if it isn't, send the video!

[mommyoffive]

1 minute ago, edelweiss said:

How exciting!  Performance experience is so valuable... and fun! 

Yes, I do think that it is helpful to do some auditions for experience.  The more auditions my daughter does, the more comfortable she is.  She actually loves auditioning! So, if you can fit some in your schedule, I think it could be beneficial.

Let me know if you want me to offer my thoughts on what I know about some of the programs you mentioned.  I don't want to offer it unsolicited, but I am happy to share my thoughts if you think it would be helpful.

 

 

Share share share.  I would love to know what you think.  I would love to know before if we do go.   I would hate to learn that it was a bad place after we went.  Or something like that.  Like I said we don't get a lot of guidance at our school.   Even the parents of older students are not connected very well with the parents of younger kids.  Pretty much each level stays with each.  And the level my kids are in, I don't know of anyone that has gone away.  Lots of the kids don't even do intensives over the summer.  But if they do it is at the home school.  

But yes share about anything.   Classes, shoes, intensives, whatever else.  I am all ears. 

 

I am glad you think it is important to perform.  They don't get a lot of chances currently at the school they are at.  They just do the Nutcracker.  And an end of the year thing that they work on for maybe 2 days. Hopefully they will add in more shoes later.  So I sought out or places for them.  I think more experience is a good thing for them and maybe it will be a place that gives them more.  These places use the kids at the company, so maybe it will offer better roles and more chances for them.   It has yet to be seen.  But for my odd it this was important for her spirit so that is great.  Hopefully the rehearsals keep going well and this is another place that she can learn and grow in. 

 

[mommyoffive]

4 minutes ago, edelweiss said:

I don't think that auditioning via video negatively affects your changes of getting in, in general.  Some intensives strongly prefer in person auditions over video auditions, so for those I would be hesitant, but otherwise it is fine.  I know of at least one intensive (PNB) that won't accept video auditions at all unless you are overseas.

Obviously there are pros and cons with videos vs. live auditions.  With a video audition, you can re-record a section if you mess up.  However, if you are weaker at a certain thing, it might not be noticed at a live audition (where the adjudicator might not be looking at you all of the time), but nothing would be missed on a video where they are only looking at the one dancer!

In general, I think it is best to go to a live audition if it is possible.  However, if it isn't, send the video!

 

Other than PNB, what other ones feel that way that you know of? 

[Farrar]

6 hours ago, Lady Marmalade said:

He takes more specialty classes.  His boys ballet class is extra on top of his regular ballet classes, as is the various classes he's done over the years that help him develop his partnering technique.  A stretching and flexibility class is a must for boys who go through growth spurts and often find themselves suddenly un-flexible in ways that they were just a few weeks prior.  

When DD was en pointe we were about even cost-wise with her extra classes and pointe shoes.  But then she dropped that.

DS also dances at a higher level than DD.  This year he was eligible for pre-company but we decided against it for various reasons.  Had he joined the next level up that would have been an additional increase in tuition for extra classes, guest choreographers and conventions.  That will be next year, but it won't seem so bad because I will only have one dancer to pay for.  Gulp. 

Oh, that's interesting. Everywhere ds has danced, they had the boys class for no extra charge. At his first studio, the boy's class for the younger boys was free to any boy in the age range - so they'd use it to recruit interested kids, especially from poorer families - and as a bonus "be with all boys once a week for an extra class" thing for the other boys. Then they had boys classes worked into the schedule when they got older - same basic fees. That's the same at his studio now - the boys from all the upper levels and the training program have a men's class once a week and the upper level boys just cut a pointe class for it.

I would have paid extra for more stretching or pilates though. He needed it. That would have been great.

[Farrar]

2 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Ha funny that you brought up what we were going to do, as it keeps changing.   A few months ago the kids wanted to go to auditions for SIs.  The older 3 still do.  I am not going to lie.  But then we found out about auditions for 2 shows going on and they were the exact weekend of the SIs auditions that we were going to go to.  We were going to go to ABT, SAB, Miami Ballet, RWB,  Joffery Chicago, The Rock, and Ballet Chicago. 

 

The Rock was seriously the only program my studio would warn me off. They said they have a reputation for being too harsh. After them being seriously cagey and refusing to mention which programs they thought would benefit ds, I was surprised to say the least.

[Farrar]

6 hours ago, edelweiss said:

Thank you! It is a nice feeling, but I don't think she will end up going there.  

Her list this year includes Houston Ballet, ABT, Boston Ballet, Washington Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Austin Ballet, Orlando Ballet, and Miami City Ballet. She has not attended any of these places before.  She decided that she did not want to return to the place that she attended for the past several years.  So, she didn't even audition for it at all.  She still loves it and may audition again in the future, but decided that she really wanted to try someplace new this year.  

I am interested in where she is going to go too! In the past she always knew what her top picks were.  This year it is wide open! I have no idea where she is going to end up. 

 

Ds dances at Washington Ballet. It's not as prestigious as some of those, but I can tell you he loves, loves, loves his teachers. And that - to the point that MommyofFive brought up earlier - they give a lot of feedback/corrections. And that the atmosphere is a lot friendlier among the kids than his last studio.

[mommyoffive]

56 minutes ago, Farrar said:

Oh, that's interesting. Everywhere ds has danced, they had the boys class for no extra charge. At his first studio, the boy's class for the younger boys was free to any boy in the age range - so they'd use it to recruit interested kids, especially from poorer families - and as a bonus "be with all boys once a week for an extra class" thing for the other boys. Then they had boys classes worked into the schedule when they got older - same basic fees. That's the same at his studio now - the boys from all the upper levels and the training program have a men's class once a week and the upper level boys just cut a pointe class for it.

I would have paid extra for more stretching or pilates though. He needed it. That would have been great.

 

We have only danced at one school, but ours the boys or mens class is extra.  The one we were going to switch to it is a lot cheaper, but still extra.  Maybe it is because your school is so big?  That is really nice though and I feel like it should be like that more.  I think you end up getting more boys to come to the classes.  There are 5 boys over the age of 7 at our school and one is only doing the jazz class not ballet.   

[mommyoffive]

56 minutes ago, Farrar said:

The Rock was seriously the only program my studio would warn me off. They said they have a reputation for being too harsh. After them being seriously cagey and refusing to mention which programs they thought would benefit ds, I was surprised to say the least.

 

Ugh.  Thank you for putting that out there.  I was really wanting to do their audition because it was one that my oldest 3 could all do.  

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, Farrar said:

Ds dances at Washington Ballet. It's not as prestigious as some of those, but I can tell you he loves, loves, loves his teachers. And that - to the point that MommyofFive brought up earlier - they give a lot of feedback/corrections. And that the atmosphere is a lot friendlier among the kids than his last studio.

 

Great to hear a personal story about about a place. I was just looking at WB and wow, I would love my kids to go there for the summer.  It looks like they have stuff for all ages of my kiddos and they overlap.  There are not a lot of places that do that.  So neat.  There must be a lot of studio space.  Has your ds gone to any of the summer programs there yet?  I thought you guys just switched over at the start of the year. 

[Farrar]

34 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

Great to hear a personal story about about a place. I was just looking at WB and wow, I would love my kids to go there for the summer.  It looks like they have stuff for all ages of my kiddos and they overlap.  There are not a lot of places that do that.  So neat.  There must be a lot of studio space.  Has your ds gone to any of the summer programs there yet?  I thought you guys just switched over at the start of the year. 

He's never done the SI there. He had only ever done the one at his other studio - which was comparable training, but a lot smaller. But this is how I know that they give a good amount of corrections - because ds had a long experience where the teachers didn't give a lot. They do have a good bit of studio space. They have a large, very old, very meandering building with lots of studios and offices that I still can't quite figure out and about a block away, they have three more studios over a block of restaurants, etc. I've heard the SI has a good vibe and is fun. I'm guessing that more midsize places like TWSB are more likely to have SI's that would fit your kids' range of ages - because they're catering to their local kids who don't usually go away, but they're big enough to have a training program that feeds into their company so they also have students coming from away to get seen for that opportunity. 

I don't know about the boy's class being extra... Some of this may be down to the difference between nonprofit studios and for profit? I know some of the outreach stuff our old studio did was rooted in grant money at some point, though I don't know that the boy's outreach was or not. In any case, it was only for the little boys. I think ages 7-9.

 

 

 

[mommyoffive]

13 hours ago, Farrar said:

He's never done the SI there. He had only ever done the one at his other studio - which was comparable training, but a lot smaller. But this is how I know that they give a good amount of corrections - because ds had a long experience where the teachers didn't give a lot. They do have a good bit of studio space. They have a large, very old, very meandering building with lots of studios and offices that I still can't quite figure out and about a block away, they have three more studios over a block of restaurants, etc. I've heard the SI has a good vibe and is fun. I'm guessing that more midsize places like TWSB are more likely to have SI's that would fit your kids' range of ages - because they're catering to their local kids who don't usually go away, but they're big enough to have a training program that feeds into their company so they also have students coming from away to get seen for that opportunity. 

I don't know about the boy's class being extra... Some of this may be down to the difference between nonprofit studios and for profit? I know some of the outreach stuff our old studio did was rooted in grant money at some point, though I don't know that the boy's outreach was or not. In any case, it was only for the little boys. I think ages 7-9.

 

 

 

 

What is TWSB?

You might be on to something with the for profit or non-profit.  I think ours is non-profit.  But maybe the boy's class would be free if they got grant money for it.   

[Farrar]

Just now, mommyoffive said:

 

What is TWSB?

You might be on to something with the for profit or non-profit.  I think ours is non-profit.  But maybe the boy's class would be free if they got grant money for it.   

The Washington School of Ballet. Yeah, our ballet has  weird acronym.

[mommyoffive]

Just now, Farrar said:

The Washington School of Ballet. Yeah, our ballet has  weird acronym.

 

Oh duh.  I got it now. 

[Lady Marmalade]

16 hours ago, Farrar said:

Oh, that's interesting. Everywhere ds has danced, they had the boys class for no extra charge. At his first studio, the boy's class for the younger boys was free to any boy in the age range - so they'd use it to recruit interested kids, especially from poorer families - and as a bonus "be with all boys once a week for an extra class" thing for the other boys. Then they had boys classes worked into the schedule when they got older - same basic fees. That's the same at his studio now - the boys from all the upper levels and the training program have a men's class once a week and the upper level boys just cut a pointe class for it.

I would have paid extra for more stretching or pilates though. He needed it. That would have been great.

In our case, this boys class was an experiment this year with our new ballet director to see how it went.  It was only offered to our advanced boys in level 3 ballet or higher.  Every boy who took it LOVES it.  And, every single teacher this year has pulled us or DS aside and mentioned how he's really grown as a dancer this year and DS immediately says it's the boys ballet class making all the difference.  

I will be shocked if they don't add more boys only ballet classes this next year.  One for lower level boys, and she's mentioned wanting to add a specific partnering class for the advanced boys to work with pointe dancers.  DS got really excited about that one, but all I heard was more money coming out of my bank account. 😢

We're currently for-profit, but there was talk several years ago from the owners about the possibility of becoming non-profit for multiple reasons.  I think our new ballet director was part of that plan.