Ballet Talk?

[Anonymous]

What’s going on? Knew Pat Berrend many years ago. Amazing woman.

[Anonymous]

Nothing on the Berrend website indicating it closed. You'd think they'd have given the community a heads up at least that there was a potential disruption due to the lease expiring or whatever it was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nothing on the Berrend website indicating it closed. You'd think they'd have given the community a heads up at least that there was a potential disruption due to the lease expiring or whatever it was.

Where are people transitioning to from here?

[Anonymous]

Berrend updates???

[Anonymous]

+1

[Anonymous]

NP. Glad to see this thread. I agree that there should be a dance forum. How lovely that dance falls under "playgroups," etc here.

I am looking for a new studio in NOVA for DD that doesn't so overtly play favorites and can actually mentor the kids versus pack them in a crowded room for every technique class and expect growth. Sigh.

I am sad to hear about Berrend. I can't imagine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Glad to see this thread. I agree that there should be a dance forum. How lovely that dance falls under "playgroups," etc here.

I am looking for a new studio in NOVA for DD that doesn't so overtly play favorites and can actually mentor the kids versus pack them in a crowded room for every technique class and expect growth. Sigh.

I am sad to hear about Berrend. I can't imagine.

If you are willing to come into DC Seber has been great. Class sizes are fixed, its a wonderful healthy environment full of the joy of ballet. Could try a session of summer intensive to see if your DD likes it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NP. Glad to see this thread. I agree that there should be a dance forum. How lovely that dance falls under "playgroups," etc here.

I am looking for a new studio in NOVA for DD that doesn't so overtly play favorites and can actually mentor the kids versus pack them in a crowded room for every technique class and expect growth. Sigh.

I am sad to hear about Berrend. I can't imagine.

I’ll put in a plug for BalletNova if you’re close to Arlington / Falls Church. The class sizes are reasonable and my dancer’s had a good experience there. They have some summer intensives if your DD wanted to try it out for a week!

[Anonymous]

Anyone with feedback on schools that participate in ballet specific competitions?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone with feedback on schools that participate in ballet specific competitions?

What area is convenient?

I would say, be careful of the ones that say they do more than 1 or 2 different ones per year, because a single competition can actually be 1 semi-final or more plus 1 final, multiplied by the number of competitions they do. At some point it becomes the reason for being and the main focus of the year, as opposed to just something the school does in its free time for a small group of kids in between Nutcracker and the spring show.

Also, with a finite amount of staff but an ever-growing number of competitors, you have to do the math and look at the amount of personal attention each dancer actually gets. If a school has 30+ kids competing in YAGP with each kid doing 3 solos and 5 ensembles, but only a few ever place, it's a money grab.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone with feedback on schools that participate in ballet specific competitions?

What area is convenient?

I would say, be careful of the ones that say they do more than 1 or 2 different ones per year, because a single competition can actually be 1 semi-final or more plus 1 final, multiplied by the number of competitions they do. At some point it becomes the reason for being and the main focus of the year, as opposed to just something the school does in its free time for a small group of kids in between Nutcracker and the spring show.

Also, with a finite amount of staff but an ever-growing number of competitors, you have to do the math and look at the amount of personal attention each dancer actually gets. If a school has 30+ kids competing in YAGP with each kid doing 3 solos and 5 ensembles, but only a few ever place, it's a money grab.

In DC currently, but willing to travel. DD current school does not do comps. Your info is helpful, do you have a specific recommendation?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone with feedback on schools that participate in ballet specific competitions?

What area is convenient?

I would say, be careful of the ones that say they do more than 1 or 2 different ones per year, because a single competition can actually be 1 semi-final or more plus 1 final, multiplied by the number of competitions they do. At some point it becomes the reason for being and the main focus of the year, as opposed to just something the school does in its free time for a small group of kids in between Nutcracker and the spring show.

Also, with a finite amount of staff but an ever-growing number of competitors, you have to do the math and look at the amount of personal attention each dancer actually gets. If a school has 30+ kids competing in YAGP with each kid doing 3 solos and 5 ensembles, but only a few ever place, it's a money grab.

In DC currently, but willing to travel. DD current school does not do comps. Your info is helpful, do you have a specific recommendation?

Not for a competition school, no.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone with feedback on schools that participate in ballet specific competitions?

What area is convenient?

I would say, be careful of the ones that say they do more than 1 or 2 different ones per year, because a single competition can actually be 1 semi-final or more plus 1 final, multiplied by the number of competitions they do. At some point it becomes the reason for being and the main focus of the year, as opposed to just something the school does in its free time for a small group of kids in between Nutcracker and the spring show.

Also, with a finite amount of staff but an ever-growing number of competitors, you have to do the math and look at the amount of personal attention each dancer actually gets. If a school has 30+ kids competing in YAGP with each kid doing 3 solos and 5 ensembles, but only a few ever place, it's a money grab.

In DC currently, but willing to travel. DD current school does not do comps. Your info is helpful, do you have a specific recommendation?

Not for a competition school, no.

Sorry that sounded too abrupt. I unfortunately don’t have any recommendations for a competition school that would be convenient to DC, and the ones I’m familiar with in NOVA that do compete would not be worth that drive (such as to Herndon). I know MYB sends a few kids to YAGP, maybe worth looking into? BalletNova is a good example of a school that focuses on technique and may take 1 or 2 kids to YAGP every so often but it’s not a school-wide endeavor at all.

[Anonymous]

I would be VERY careful about studios that go to multiple competitions a year. We were at one such and the students got very little technique training due to most class time being devoted to rehearsals. In addition, it can set up a culture of competition and back-stabbing between the students, even if they look like "friends". In our experience with a "professional training program" several of the students developed eating disorders. Due to the acceptance of ED as "part of the package", and the intense "training schedule", none of the students were treated for it. After we left such a studio, and my child went through therapy and was not afraid to talk, I learned a lot of disturbing things about their practices. In hindsight, I would be VERY careful about competition focused and professional training studios.

[Anonymous]

Metropolitan Ballet does YAGP but it doesn’t interfere much with the technique classes. The teachers are gone 2x a year for a few days and sometimes the kids like the substitutes anyway. MBT is in Gaithersburg so convenient for Berrend students. I think one adult Berrend teacher is now teaching at MBT on Tuesday and Thursday mornings