High School and Ballet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my child attends TJHSST and is in the conservatory at BalletNova. FCPS allows students to apply for a "waiver from the full day requirement" which she's gotten every year (this paperwork has to be done by August). She leaves school early 2/week to get to ballet class. Serious dance training and serious academics can be done--but at huge sacrifices for the child. My daughter is happy with her choice, but she effectively has no social life or really any life outside of school and ballet.

Wow. My DD attends a very good private and dances 5 days a week. I can’t imagine this combo with TJ.

[Anonymous]

FCPS has supported our off campus waivers. DC took class online to allow for early release. All online classes have been excelllent, even better than in the classroom in a couple of instances.

[Anonymous]

I believe TWSB has two pre-professional levels, one of which begins at 3:30 each day, which allows local kids to make it there by leaving school only a little early (the other level requires on-line schooling because dance classes are held during the day).

[Anonymous]

OP, is your DC doing a summer intensive in the area? That is a good opportunity to try a school (and sometimes the only way to get into a pre-pro program).

[Anonymous]

Maryland Youth Ballet is starting a conservatory program next year. Looks very promising.

[Anonymous]

Skye Ballet, Herndon.

[Anonymous]

OP, I agree with an earlier poster--visiting the area is crucial, as is having your DD take some classes at several studios. It's so difficult to choose based just on what studios tell you. Your DD, as a dancer already, will know whether a class seems advanced enough or whether the teacher seems to have good instructional technique.

Also, find out if studios have sent students to professional company training and/or conservatory training after high school. Did the studio produce dancers who got accepted to companies? How long ago? If it's been years and years since any dancer from the pre-professional program went to a company or went to college to major in dance--then things might have changed and maybe it's less truly pre-professional.

Also, the DC-MD-VA region has notoriously awful traffic. That will affect your choices. If the choice of a studio means a horrendous work commute that affects family life or forces your DD to be doing homework in the car during very long rides to ballet--that's a serious aspect to consider. Visit and drive the route from school to dance to home, at the times of day you'd be doing it for real. You might need to compromise a bit on studio choice in order to get a better school and commute, or compromise on commute to get a preferred studio and school, etc.

To your initial question--as PPs note, school systems here can be good sbout things like "time release" programs for dancers. Schools get those kinds of requests for a few performers or athletes each year so don't let them act like ghruve never dealt with a release request before yours. You'll need to renew that arrangement every year (at least, in most schools) and may need to be assertive with the school about it. But it's doable.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. We will visit studios this summer. Right now I’m thinking Mclean/Langley HS and TWSB or MYB or Madison/Conservatory Ballet (assuming it’s still wonderful- it’s been awhile). And there are some suggestions for schools here that we aren’t familiar with so we need to visit those too. You’ve all been so helpful, I appreciate it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maryland Youth Ballet is starting a conservatory program next year. Looks very promising.

Yes, the plan is to have the kids study in the middle of the day, which imo precludes regular high school attendance. The parents whose children were invited are meeting this Friday I believe - call MYB.

[Anonymous]

Skye Ballet, Herndon.

Um, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. We will visit studios this summer. Right now I’m thinking Mclean/Langley HS and TWSB or MYB or Madison/Conservatory Ballet (assuming it’s still wonderful- it’s been awhile). And there are some suggestions for schools here that we aren’t familiar with so we need to visit those too. You’ve all been so helpful, I appreciate it.

KMAB is in Tysons and many of its students are in the Langley and McLean pyramids. They also have a Summer Intensive. Info may be found here: https://www.kintzmejiaballet.org/

[Anonymous]

KMAB is in Tysons and many of its students are in the Langley and McLean pyramids. They also have a Summer Intensive. Info may be found here: https://www.kintzmejiaballet.org/

This studio is not on par with Washington Ballet, MYB, Ballet Nova, or CBT. Every studio in the area has a summer intensive.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. We will visit studios this summer. Right now I’m thinking Mclean/Langley HS and TWSB or MYB or Madison/Conservatory Ballet (assuming it’s still wonderful- it’s been awhile). And there are some suggestions for schools here that we aren’t familiar with so we need to visit those too. You’ve all been so helpful, I appreciate it.

OP, could you clarify what "Madison/Conservatory Ballet" is? I don't know the name though there are a couple of schools with "conservatory" in the name in this area. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

City Dance's conservatory is also getting some buzz lately, sending two kids to Julliard for dance and having a student place at YAGP. They are in Bethesda at Strathmore I believe, so that would be quite a hike from VA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thank you. We will visit studios this summer. Right now I’m thinking Mclean/Langley HS and TWSB or MYB or Madison/Conservatory Ballet (assuming it’s still wonderful- it’s been awhile). And there are some suggestions for schools here that we aren’t familiar with so we need to visit those too. You’ve all been so helpful, I appreciate it.

OP, could you clarify what "Madison/Conservatory Ballet" is? I don't know the name though there are a couple of schools with "conservatory" in the name in this area. Thanks.

Not OP, but I think that's what the Reston Conservatory is called now.