Ballet summer intensive recs

[Anonymous]

My daughter who will be 13 is ready to audition for a ballet summer intensive next year. She'd love to do ABT but there's no housing and we aren't sure how that would make that work without a grandparent moving to NYC for five weeks. Can anyone suggest a good program for this age group (supervised, group trips on weekends, excellent training)? East coast preferred. She is currently dancing in a pre pro program during the year.

[Anonymous]

The teachers and other dancers and parents in her ballet school would be best source of info. Especially now as everyone is back in town and the data is still fresh.

The Ballet Talk for Dancers website would be another source. They’re pretty strict with their rules to join and post but they have a forum devoted to Summer Intensives.

Off the top of my head, I immediately thought of a place like Walnut Hill but I’m not an expert. My daughter is 11 so not ready to go away anywhere yet.

[Anonymous]

What about SAB or the Boston Ballet? They both provide housing. FWIW, ABT has programs outside of NYC that offer housing, but most consider that to be a revenue stream for the touring productions (aka a money grab).

Also focus on the following: Where do the other dancers in her program attend? Is there something specific she would like to work on? Lots of the intensives have something they are “known” for that is a focus. Does she want to train in a different style of ballet than her home studio?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The teachers and other dancers and parents in her ballet school would be best source of info. Especially now as everyone is back in town and the data is still fresh.

The Ballet Talk for Dancers website would be another source. They’re pretty strict with their rules to join and post but they have a forum devoted to Summer Intensives.

Off the top of my head, I immediately thought of a place like Walnut Hill but I’m not an expert. My daughter is 11 so not ready to go away anywhere yet.

Thanks - I've tried BT4D but don't have an Internet address they will accept to even get me on their summer intensive board. Their rules are...strict.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers and other dancers and parents in her ballet school would be best source of info. Especially now as everyone is back in town and the data is still fresh.

The Ballet Talk for Dancers website would be another source. They’re pretty strict with their rules to join and post but they have a forum devoted to Summer Intensives.

Off the top of my head, I immediately thought of a place like Walnut Hill but I’m not an expert. My daughter is 11 so not ready to go away anywhere yet.

Thanks - I've tried BT4D but don't have an Internet address they will accept to even get me on their summer intensive board. Their rules are...strict.

I know, it’s ridiculous. If you have an iPhone, you can use your iCloud email. That’s what worked for me.

[Anonymous]

My kids did a non-ballet summer program at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, and at the same time they were there was a separate ballet program. Room and board, east coast. Maybe you could look into that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
My kids did a non-ballet summer program at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, and at the same time they were there was a separate ballet program. Room and board, east coast. Maybe you could look into that?

This is CPYB, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, being referred to here. Excellent program where kids can really learn a lot of good technique in a relatively short time. Well worth looking into.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The teachers and other dancers and parents in her ballet school would be best source of info. Especially now as everyone is back in town and the data is still fresh.

The Ballet Talk for Dancers website would be another source. They’re pretty strict with their rules to join and post but they have a forum devoted to Summer Intensives.

Off the top of my head, I immediately thought of a place like Walnut Hill but I’m not an expert. My daughter is 11 so not ready to go away anywhere yet.

Thanks - I've tried BT4D but don't have an Internet address they will accept to even get me on their summer intensive board. Their rules are...strict.

I know, it’s ridiculous. If you have an iPhone, you can use your iCloud email. That’s what worked for me.

Thank you! This board seems like a great resource for me. Boston is now top of our list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My kids did a non-ballet summer program at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA, and at the same time they were there was a separate ballet program. Room and board, east coast. Maybe you could look into that?

This is CPYB, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, being referred to here. Excellent program where kids can really learn a lot of good technique in a relatively short time. Well worth looking into.

Will look into this as well, thanks.

[Anonymous]

Much further away...but Houston Ballet is an excellent option.

[Anonymous]

Pardon my ignorance, but how do these compare to the Washington Ballet and Maryland Youth Ballet summer intensives?

[Anonymous]

Houston Ballet is VERY good but very competitive. Same for San Francisco Ballet. Pennsylvania Ballet Theater, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet West, Joffrey are all good. Your dancer’s studio should be able to steer her to auditions for places where she could get in.

[Anonymous]

Definitely ask her teachers what they would recommend for your daughter based on her level, learning style, goals, etc.... Some of the other ABT locations have solid programs with housing so I wouldn't rule out ABT if she is interested. There is also Nutmeg, Walnut Hill, Joffrey (the contemporary program is also excellent), North Carolina School for the Arts, Boston Ballet, CPYB, Ellison Ballet, Miami City Ballet.

And then not East Coast, but excellent- San Francisco Ballet School, Houston Ballet, Master Ballet Academy, Pacific Northwest.

There are also many smaller programs out there that provide solid summer training. One of my best experiences as a high school pre-pro dancer was a tiny program in Saratoga Springs, NY that very few people had heard of. You should also ask your daughter about companies she admires and look for programs affiliated with or with faculty from those companies.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely ask her teachers what they would recommend for your daughter based on her level, learning style, goals, etc.... Some of the other ABT locations have solid programs with housing so I wouldn't rule out ABT if she is interested. There is also Nutmeg, Walnut Hill, Joffrey (the contemporary program is also excellent), North Carolina School for the Arts, Boston Ballet, CPYB, Ellison Ballet, Miami City Ballet.

And then not East Coast, but excellent- San Francisco Ballet School, Houston Ballet, Master Ballet Academy, Pacific Northwest.

There are also many smaller programs out there that provide solid summer training. One of my best experiences as a high school pre-pro dancer was a tiny program in Saratoga Springs, NY that very few people had heard of. You should also ask your daughter about companies she admires and look for programs affiliated with or with faculty from those companies.

Solid advice here.
One more program is at Sarasota Ballet.
Also, depending on where she is dancing now (and what her teachers think), you could look into Washington Ballet and Maryland Youth Ballet. Of course, this option also assumes that the commute to one of these places would work for you.
Fortunately, many SI programs have Washington-area auditions. You don't want to overdo the auditioning, but audition classes can be a nice way to get the vibe of a program. Time permitting, she might consider attending the audition of a program that's not in the cards for the coming year but might be in the future. Good luck and good for you for thinking ahead!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Definitely ask her teachers what they would recommend for your daughter based on her level, learning style, goals, etc.... Some of the other ABT locations have solid programs with housing so I wouldn't rule out ABT if she is interested. There is also Nutmeg, Walnut Hill, Joffrey (the contemporary program is also excellent), North Carolina School for the Arts, Boston Ballet, CPYB, Ellison Ballet, Miami City Ballet.

And then not East Coast, but excellent- San Francisco Ballet School, Houston Ballet, Master Ballet Academy, Pacific Northwest.

There are also many smaller programs out there that provide solid summer training. One of my best experiences as a high school pre-pro dancer was a tiny program in Saratoga Springs, NY that very few people had heard of. You should also ask your daughter about companies she admires and look for programs affiliated with or with faculty from those companies.

Briansky?