Anonymous wrote:I grew up near Washington Ballet in the 80s and 90s. So we would see the girls coming out of the school a lot. I really wanted to take dance lessons when I was five or six, but my mom refused because she said she thought the girls looked like they had just gotten out of a concentration camp. She also thought they were all losing their hair. She just did not think it was healthy. Obviously that’s several decades ago and it’s not like my mom is an expert on ballet but just FYI. I always thought those girls were a little creepy looking. Super skinny with high balding fore heads and they walked weird

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Anonymous wrote:Washington Ballet.

Until recently, Maryland Youth Ballet was also excellent, but ever since their former artistic director retired, they've had some issues at the top, have let their current artistic director go (he was a complete mess), and as a result, their conservatory has shut down. Your daughter is too young to belong to one anyway, but there's enough flux at MYB that you might want to go elsewhere.

Kirov has shut down for financial reasons (plus they always had those murky ties to the Korean Moon cult).

So... there's only Washington Ballet that I can recommend. They're not perfect, they have long been dogged with accusations of nepotism and favoritism in performances, but their classes are objectively of high quality.

The teachers at MYB are almost all the same now as they were five years ago. Maybe one departure. There is no reason to believe that the “issues at the top” have impacted the quality of the dance training. Mr. Muñoz came in at an unfortunate time as all but 14 months of his 44 month tenure were complicated by COVID-19 and this region’s reaction to it. A really bad time to start up a daily conservatory group. On the positive side, the studio Re-opened for in-person classes on July 6, 2020 and has stayed open ever since. Which dance school did better than that?

Personally, I’m not a fan of the conservatory because it essentially wipes out a kid’s entire day and I can’t fathom when they get actual learning done. At night, after dinner, I guess. Sounds exhausting. If the studio doesn’t have the resources to have a tutor/teacher on staff and a dedicated learning area, then it seemed irresponsible to entice kids to short shrift their education to add an extra two or three hours of dance during every school day. At least Kirov seemed to understand that.

Flux, not turnover, PP. And if your child is in the lower levels or has the traditional appearance of the ballerina (desired height, complexion, body type), then she might go through MYB never realizing some students are treated differently.

MYB staff had more cohesion and direction when Michelle Lees was there. Munoz, being artistically gifted but administratively lacking, had the effect of revealing flaws and inequalities in how some teachers taught students, and how MYB as a group responded to complaints of favoritism and bullying, because there was no firm hand on the rudder. Their Covid response was pretty good, I'll grant you that. But a lot of parents of higher-level students are pulling their kids out, since MYB, despite sending out a survey and trying to correct course, did not address the main cause (separating from Munoz) until parents were fed up.

I hope their next artistic director is fair-minded and forces certain other teachers to behave.

What does this mean?

It means that at this school, just like at most high-level ballet schools, there is discrimination regarding:
Height (not too tall, not too short)
Body shape (as slim as possible, elongated limbs)
Skin color (pale so everyone can look the same in line)

Yes, you read that right, and I hope you're not surprised, if you know anything about the ballet world.

What is the ideal height range?

This depends to a certain extent on company.

There has been a recent trend towards petite female soloists. Look at who is rising at the Washington Ballet

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:Washington Ballet.

Until recently, Maryland Youth Ballet was also excellent, but ever since their former artistic director retired, they've had some issues at the top, have let their current artistic director go (he was a complete mess), and as a result, their conservatory has shut down. Your daughter is too young to belong to one anyway, but there's enough flux at MYB that you might want to go elsewhere.

Kirov has shut down for financial reasons (plus they always had those murky ties to the Korean Moon cult).

So... there's only Washington Ballet that I can recommend. They're not perfect, they have long been dogged with accusations of nepotism and favoritism in performances, but their classes are objectively of high quality.

The teachers at MYB are almost all the same now as they were five years ago. Maybe one departure. There is no reason to believe that the “issues at the top” have impacted the quality of the dance training. Mr. Muñoz came in at an unfortunate time as all but 14 months of his 44 month tenure were complicated by COVID-19 and this region’s reaction to it. A really bad time to start up a daily conservatory group. On the positive side, the studio Re-opened for in-person classes on July 6, 2020 and has stayed open ever since. Which dance school did better than that?

Personally, I’m not a fan of the conservatory because it essentially wipes out a kid’s entire day and I can’t fathom when they get actual learning done. At night, after dinner, I guess. Sounds exhausting. If the studio doesn’t have the resources to have a tutor/teacher on staff and a dedicated learning area, then it seemed irresponsible to entice kids to short shrift their education to add an extra two or three hours of dance during every school day. At least Kirov seemed to understand that.

Flux, not turnover, PP. And if your child is in the lower levels or has the traditional appearance of the ballerina (desired height, complexion, body type), then she might go through MYB never realizing some students are treated differently.

MYB staff had more cohesion and direction when Michelle Lees was there. Munoz, being artistically gifted but administratively lacking, had the effect of revealing flaws and inequalities in how some teachers taught students, and how MYB as a group responded to complaints of favoritism and bullying, because there was no firm hand on the rudder. Their Covid response was pretty good, I'll grant you that. But a lot of parents of higher-level students are pulling their kids out, since MYB, despite sending out a survey and trying to correct course, did not address the main cause (separating from Munoz) until parents were fed up.

I hope their next artistic director is fair-minded and forces certain other teachers to behave.

What does this mean?

It means that at this school, just like at most high-level ballet schools, there is discrimination regarding:
Height (not too tall, not too short)
Body shape (as slim as possible, elongated limbs)
Skin color (pale so everyone can look the same in line)

Yes, you read that right, and I hope you're not surprised, if you know anything about the ballet world.

What is the ideal height range?

5'4" to 5'6" is ideal, below or above not so much if looking for a professional job after trainee level

That's surprising, I always thought ballerinas looked really tall!

I danced (ballet) professionally and I’m 5’7”. In my company, sometimes I was even cast in short girl parts. For a while our corps tended really tall. Not all the advice people (person?) are posting on here is accurate. Or, it’s somewhat accurate but way more absolutist than I experienced. They did demand extreme thinness, and from the looks of my former company, still do.

OP, as someone who still feels a bit ruined by a lifetime in dance, I encourage you to look for a healthy environment over the “best” schools. If your daughter truly is on the path to a professional career, this will become obvious at summer programs, and you can decide to move later. Ballet Nova will provide great training for a 9 year old. It’s a solid program, presumably near to your house, with (from what I’ve heard) a good environment. Good luck to you and your daughter! And always always check in and make sure she’s still finding it worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington Ballet.

Until recently, Maryland Youth Ballet was also excellent, but ever since their former artistic director retired, they've had some issues at the top, have let their current artistic director go (he was a complete mess), and as a result, their conservatory has shut down. Your daughter is too young to belong to one anyway, but there's enough flux at MYB that you might want to go elsewhere.

Kirov has shut down for financial reasons (plus they always had those murky ties to the Korean Moon cult).

So... there's only Washington Ballet that I can recommend. They're not perfect, they have long been dogged with accusations of nepotism and favoritism in performances, but their classes are objectively of high quality.

The teachers at MYB are almost all the same now as they were five years ago. Maybe one departure. There is no reason to believe that the “issues at the top” have impacted the quality of the dance training. Mr. Muñoz came in at an unfortunate time as all but 14 months of his 44 month tenure were complicated by COVID-19 and this region’s reaction to it. A really bad time to start up a daily conservatory group. On the positive side, the studio Re-opened for in-person classes on July 6, 2020 and has stayed open ever since. Which dance school did better than that?

Personally, I’m not a fan of the conservatory because it essentially wipes out a kid’s entire day and I can’t fathom when they get actual learning done. At night, after dinner, I guess. Sounds exhausting. If the studio doesn’t have the resources to have a tutor/teacher on staff and a dedicated learning area, then it seemed irresponsible to entice kids to short shrift their education to add an extra two or three hours of dance during every school day. At least Kirov seemed to understand that.

Flux, not turnover, PP. And if your child is in the lower levels or has the traditional appearance of the ballerina (desired height, complexion, body type), then she might go through MYB never realizing some students are treated differently.

MYB staff had more cohesion and direction when Michelle Lees was there. Munoz, being artistically gifted but administratively lacking, had the effect of revealing flaws and inequalities in how some teachers taught students, and how MYB as a group responded to complaints of favoritism and bullying, because there was no firm hand on the rudder. Their Covid response was pretty good, I'll grant you that. But a lot of parents of higher-level students are pulling their kids out, since MYB, despite sending out a survey and trying to correct course, did not address the main cause (separating from Munoz) until parents were fed up.

I hope their next artistic director is fair-minded and forces certain other teachers to behave.

What does this mean?

It means that at this school, just like at most high-level ballet schools, there is discrimination regarding:
Height (not too tall, not too short)
Body shape (as slim as possible, elongated limbs)
Skin color (pale so everyone can look the same in line)

Yes, you read that right, and I hope you're not surprised, if you know anything about the ballet world.

What is the ideal height range?

This depends to a certain extent on company.

Anonymous wrote:Your daughter is young enough that Kirov or WSB could be options...

However, I would encourage you to keep your daughter at a studio in nova. There are many studios where she can get a great education, while enjoying dance and being in a more nurturing environment than "the best schools."

The environment is demanding, damaging, and unless your daughter truly lives to dance I don't think it is worth it.

My daughter "lived" to dance, and we made WSB work for our family and her, but it wasn't glamorous. I asked her often if she was sure she wanted to dance there. I wouldn't have let her unless I saw the passion for dance she had.

At least try a few private lessons before she enrolls.

But, to answer your question, I think WSB is the strongest studio in the area. But there are other great options where she could still be prepared enough to do YAGP, and intensives (ravel, Russel, va dance conservatory)

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington Ballet.

Until recently, Maryland Youth Ballet was also excellent, but ever since their former artistic director retired, they've had some issues at the top, have let their current artistic director go (he was a complete mess), and as a result, their conservatory has shut down. Your daughter is too young to belong to one anyway, but there's enough flux at MYB that you might want to go elsewhere.

Kirov has shut down for financial reasons (plus they always had those murky ties to the Korean Moon cult).

So... there's only Washington Ballet that I can recommend. They're not perfect, they have long been dogged with accusations of nepotism and favoritism in performances, but their classes are objectively of high quality.

The teachers at MYB are almost all the same now as they were five years ago. Maybe one departure. There is no reason to believe that the “issues at the top” have impacted the quality of the dance training. Mr. Muñoz came in at an unfortunate time as all but 14 months of his 44 month tenure were complicated by COVID-19 and this region’s reaction to it. A really bad time to start up a daily conservatory group. On the positive side, the studio Re-opened for in-person classes on July 6, 2020 and has stayed open ever since. Which dance school did better than that?

Personally, I’m not a fan of the conservatory because it essentially wipes out a kid’s entire day and I can’t fathom when they get actual learning done. At night, after dinner, I guess. Sounds exhausting. If the studio doesn’t have the resources to have a tutor/teacher on staff and a dedicated learning area, then it seemed irresponsible to entice kids to short shrift their education to add an extra two or three hours of dance during every school day. At least Kirov seemed to understand that.

Flux, not turnover, PP. And if your child is in the lower levels or has the traditional appearance of the ballerina (desired height, complexion, body type), then she might go through MYB never realizing some students are treated differently.

MYB staff had more cohesion and direction when Michelle Lees was there. Munoz, being artistically gifted but administratively lacking, had the effect of revealing flaws and inequalities in how some teachers taught students, and how MYB as a group responded to complaints of favoritism and bullying, because there was no firm hand on the rudder. Their Covid response was pretty good, I'll grant you that. But a lot of parents of higher-level students are pulling their kids out, since MYB, despite sending out a survey and trying to correct course, did not address the main cause (separating from Munoz) until parents were fed up.

I hope their next artistic director is fair-minded and forces certain other teachers to behave.

What does this mean?

It means that at this school, just like at most high-level ballet schools, there is discrimination regarding:
Height (not too tall, not too short)
Body shape (as slim as possible, elongated limbs)
Skin color (pale so everyone can look the same in line)

Yes, you read that right, and I hope you're not surprised, if you know anything about the ballet world.

What is the ideal height range?

5'4" to 5'6" is ideal, below or above not so much if looking for a professional job after trainee level

That's surprising, I always thought ballerinas looked really tall!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington Ballet.

Until recently, Maryland Youth Ballet was also excellent, but ever since their former artistic director retired, they've had some issues at the top, have let their current artistic director go (he was a complete mess), and as a result, their conservatory has shut down. Your daughter is too young to belong to one anyway, but there's enough flux at MYB that you might want to go elsewhere.

Kirov has shut down for financial reasons (plus they always had those murky ties to the Korean Moon cult).

So... there's only Washington Ballet that I can recommend. They're not perfect, they have long been dogged with accusations of nepotism and favoritism in performances, but their classes are objectively of high quality.

The teachers at MYB are almost all the same now as they were five years ago. Maybe one departure. There is no reason to believe that the “issues at the top” have impacted the quality of the dance training. Mr. Muñoz came in at an unfortunate time as all but 14 months of his 44 month tenure were complicated by COVID-19 and this region’s reaction to it. A really bad time to start up a daily conservatory group. On the positive side, the studio Re-opened for in-person classes on July 6, 2020 and has stayed open ever since. Which dance school did better than that?

Personally, I’m not a fan of the conservatory because it essentially wipes out a kid’s entire day and I can’t fathom when they get actual learning done. At night, after dinner, I guess. Sounds exhausting. If the studio doesn’t have the resources to have a tutor/teacher on staff and a dedicated learning area, then it seemed irresponsible to entice kids to short shrift their education to add an extra two or three hours of dance during every school day. At least Kirov seemed to understand that.

Flux, not turnover, PP. And if your child is in the lower levels or has the traditional appearance of the ballerina (desired height, complexion, body type), then she might go through MYB never realizing some students are treated differently.

MYB staff had more cohesion and direction when Michelle Lees was there. Munoz, being artistically gifted but administratively lacking, had the effect of revealing flaws and inequalities in how some teachers taught students, and how MYB as a group responded to complaints of favoritism and bullying, because there was no firm hand on the rudder. Their Covid response was pretty good, I'll grant you that. But a lot of parents of higher-level students are pulling their kids out, since MYB, despite sending out a survey and trying to correct course, did not address the main cause (separating from Munoz) until parents were fed up.

I hope their next artistic director is fair-minded and forces certain other teachers to behave.

What does this mean?

It means that at this school, just like at most high-level ballet schools, there is discrimination regarding:
Height (not too tall, not too short)
Body shape (as slim as possible, elongated limbs)
Skin color (pale so everyone can look the same in line)

Yes, you read that right, and I hope you're not surprised, if you know anything about the ballet world.

What is the ideal height range?

5'4" to 5'6" is ideal, below or above not so much if looking for a professional job after trainee level

That's surprising, I always thought ballerinas looked really tall!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington Ballet.

Until recently, Maryland Youth Ballet was also excellent, but ever since their former artistic director retired, they've had some issues at the top, have let their current artistic director go (he was a complete mess), and as a result, their conservatory has shut down. Your daughter is too young to belong to one anyway, but there's enough flux at MYB that you might want to go elsewhere.

Kirov has shut down for financial reasons (plus they always had those murky ties to the Korean Moon cult).

So... there's only Washington Ballet that I can recommend. They're not perfect, they have long been dogged with accusations of nepotism and favoritism in performances, but their classes are objectively of high quality.

The teachers at MYB are almost all the same now as they were five years ago. Maybe one departure. There is no reason to believe that the “issues at the top” have impacted the quality of the dance training. Mr. Muñoz came in at an unfortunate time as all but 14 months of his 44 month tenure were complicated by COVID-19 and this region’s reaction to it. A really bad time to start up a daily conservatory group. On the positive side, the studio Re-opened for in-person classes on July 6, 2020 and has stayed open ever since. Which dance school did better than that?

Personally, I’m not a fan of the conservatory because it essentially wipes out a kid’s entire day and I can’t fathom when they get actual learning done. At night, after dinner, I guess. Sounds exhausting. If the studio doesn’t have the resources to have a tutor/teacher on staff and a dedicated learning area, then it seemed irresponsible to entice kids to short shrift their education to add an extra two or three hours of dance during every school day. At least Kirov seemed to understand that.

Flux, not turnover, PP. And if your child is in the lower levels or has the traditional appearance of the ballerina (desired height, complexion, body type), then she might go through MYB never realizing some students are treated differently.

MYB staff had more cohesion and direction when Michelle Lees was there. Munoz, being artistically gifted but administratively lacking, had the effect of revealing flaws and inequalities in how some teachers taught students, and how MYB as a group responded to complaints of favoritism and bullying, because there was no firm hand on the rudder. Their Covid response was pretty good, I'll grant you that. But a lot of parents of higher-level students are pulling their kids out, since MYB, despite sending out a survey and trying to correct course, did not address the main cause (separating from Munoz) until parents were fed up.

I hope their next artistic director is fair-minded and forces certain other teachers to behave.

What does this mean?

It means that at this school, just like at most high-level ballet schools, there is discrimination regarding:
Height (not too tall, not too short)
Body shape (as slim as possible, elongated limbs)
Skin color (pale so everyone can look the same in line)

Yes, you read that right, and I hope you're not surprised, if you know anything about the ballet world.

What is the ideal height range?

5'4" to 5'6" is ideal, below or above not so much if looking for a professional job after trainee level

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Washington Ballet.

Until recently, Maryland Youth Ballet was also excellent, but ever since their former artistic director retired, they've had some issues at the top, have let their current artistic director go (he was a complete mess), and as a result, their conservatory has shut down. Your daughter is too young to belong to one anyway, but there's enough flux at MYB that you might want to go elsewhere.

Kirov has shut down for financial reasons (plus they always had those murky ties to the Korean Moon cult).

So... there's only Washington Ballet that I can recommend. They're not perfect, they have long been dogged with accusations of nepotism and favoritism in performances, but their classes are objectively of high quality.

The teachers at MYB are almost all the same now as they were five years ago. Maybe one departure. There is no reason to believe that the “issues at the top” have impacted the quality of the dance training. Mr. Muñoz came in at an unfortunate time as all but 14 months of his 44 month tenure were complicated by COVID-19 and this region’s reaction to it. A really bad time to start up a daily conservatory group. On the positive side, the studio Re-opened for in-person classes on July 6, 2020 and has stayed open ever since. Which dance school did better than that?

Personally, I’m not a fan of the conservatory because it essentially wipes out a kid’s entire day and I can’t fathom when they get actual learning done. At night, after dinner, I guess. Sounds exhausting. If the studio doesn’t have the resources to have a tutor/teacher on staff and a dedicated learning area, then it seemed irresponsible to entice kids to short shrift their education to add an extra two or three hours of dance during every school day. At least Kirov seemed to understand that.

Flux, not turnover, PP. And if your child is in the lower levels or has the traditional appearance of the ballerina (desired height, complexion, body type), then she might go through MYB never realizing some students are treated differently.

MYB staff had more cohesion and direction when Michelle Lees was there. Munoz, being artistically gifted but administratively lacking, had the effect of revealing flaws and inequalities in how some teachers taught students, and how MYB as a group responded to complaints of favoritism and bullying, because there was no firm hand on the rudder. Their Covid response was pretty good, I'll grant you that. But a lot of parents of higher-level students are pulling their kids out, since MYB, despite sending out a survey and trying to correct course, did not address the main cause (separating from Munoz) until parents were fed up.

I hope their next artistic director is fair-minded and forces certain other teachers to behave.

What does this mean?

It means that at this school, just like at most high-level ballet schools, there is discrimination regarding:
Height (not too tall, not too short)
Body shape (as slim as possible, elongated limbs)
Skin color (pale so everyone can look the same in line)

Yes, you read that right, and I hope you're not surprised, if you know anything about the ballet world.

What is the ideal height range?

Anonymous wrote:Companies and schools are diversifying as much as they can - it is a very big focus - ethnicity wise and skin color wise. However, it's still mainly white students taking classes and training to higher levels. So you will see color/ethnicity differences, but it's not a lot, not necessarily from a lack of trying but because percentage-wise, there's far more white students (females anyway). You definitely have a better chance percentage wise if you show diversity in skin color as long as you have all the other ballet attributes - turnout, banana feet, hyperextension, height etc. Once there's more access/interest in ballet by a wider range of ethnicities etc, there will be more representation in the companies.