The first part of this week’s installment of our Summer Intensive Boot Camp is all about the boys! Let’s talk about ballet summer intensives – what to look for, how scholarships work and how to avoid going insane in the process! Much of what we’ve written as part of our boot camp series applies to boys as well as girls, so I’m not going to repeat that stuff. Instead, I’m going to cover a few areas that are specific to boys.
The most important thing for boys to look for in a summer program is other boys.
When boys are younger, these are their people and it’s the foundation of what will ultimately become their professional network. And, for many younger ballet boys, this may be the only time during the year that they are not the only boy in the studio. This can be a transformative experience for a kid who spends nine months out of the year surrounded by tutus.
For the older ballet boys out there, they need to figure out what their career path might look like. If they’re consistently getting into the top summer programs with large scholarships attached to their admission, this gives them a good sense on where they fit. And, the best boys tend to congregate in a small number of programs. Knowing that your dancer can hang with them helps him figure out he fits in the ballet ecosystem.
The Pool Of Programs Is Limited
There are simply not as many ballet summer intensives that are a good fit for boys as there are for girls because there are fewer boys dancing. And, until society is willing to accept and welcome boys who dance, this will remain unchanged. Parents of girls, if you want to understand why fewer boys dance, read this.
As a result the number of summer intensives that attract not only the right numbers but also a critical mass of talent, is small. For every 20 programs out there that might be a good fit for girls, there may be five or six that are a good fit for boys. And, as your boy gets older, it will become clear which programs consistently attract the male talent.
This is another reason your dancer should begin building their network of other dancers as early as they can. The more dancers your student knows, the more readily information can be passed along. And, learning how many boys attended a program your dancer might be interested in is a lot easier if they know someone who went the prior year.
What To Look For
So you’re probably wondering, “What should I think about?” The first thing, as I mentioned above, is to find the programs that have loads of boys, and specifically, boys the same age as your dancer. Our reviews from past summers will give you a sense as to which programs have a lot. You can be fairly confident that the big summer intensives – San Francisco, Houston, SAB, Pacific Northwest, etc. will be full of, not only boys, but extremely talented boys. There are other slightly smaller programs that are also known for having boys – Ballet West is the one that immediately comes to mind. And, of course there is the Boys Ballet Summer Intensive, which was founded to ensure that younger boys would have a place to train where they would be surrounded by other male dancers.
Another important factor to consider is whether or not your ballet boy will have male teachers. Most of the company affiliated programs will likely have male teachers, so it shouldn’t be an issue. However, if your dancer is looking at smaller programs, look into how many male teachers will be on staff.
In a few days we’ll be launching our podcast episode where we talk with some parents of boys to hear how they guided their sons through the summer intensive process. One thing that came up a lot in our conversation was the notion of mentors. Mentors play a huge role in helping to steer boys down the ballet training path and if there are no male teachers, the likelihood of finding a mentor at that program becomes limited.
At a certain age, usually around 14, but ideally, earlier, the boys should have their own technique classes at a summer program. Although there are some things taught that are not gender specific e.g. barre work, the boys need to be separated to work on male specific jumps and turns, as well as the broader male repertoire.
Partnering classes are also a key element to consider when researching ballet summer intensives. We were surprised, when we read the summer reviews that were submitted to us, to see that there were loads of programs that had little to no partnering. Obviously, if a review was being submitted on behalf of a 12 year-old, that would be understandable. But, we got many, many reviews where no partnering was offered to older students. This is invariably because there simply were not enough boys at that program.
Also, parents of girls, this should matter to you as well. If part of the reason for attending a summer ballet intensive is to get full-day training for several weeks, if partnering is not available, that can put your dancer at a disadvantage compared to dancers who are getting partnering over the summer.
Where To Audition?
While we are not in the business of telling anyone where they should audition and how many auditions they should do, I have a pretty strong opinion on a few things. First, when boys are younger, the “status” of a program doesn’t matter as much. The main factor is if there are lots of boys (do I sound like a broken record?) and that your dancer has an excellent experience. Often, summers can help determine whether a male dancer stays in ballet, so it’s important they go somewhere that they feel valued and respected.
Once your ballet boy is older I strongly recommend that he audition for the most selective programs he can. I have heard over and over about the “hidden gems’ and those less well-known programs that really provide great training. Yes, those absolutely exist. But, because of the dearth of boys. Your dancer needs to see if they can hang with the top talent. And, the top talent goes to the big, highly selective programs.
No one says your dancer needs to go to one of those programs if they get in, although I would encourage it. But, if your dancer is consistently getting into the top programs, that is a good indicator or where they fit.
At the very least, your dancer should attend the auditions.
Does this mean that if your dancer is not getting into the top programs that all is lost? Absolutely not. And, things change with age. But, there are some markers that help gauge potential for a career and admission to the top programs is one, although not the only, way to help determine this.
“I’ve Heard That Program Is Cutthroat”
How many times have you heard that a top program is cutthroat? In some cases, that reputation may be deserved.
But, that doesn’t mean that the dancers aren’t supportive of one another. In fact, once boys are older and are attending summer intensives, they’re all good. Like, really good. As an aside, so are the female dancers, so this is not to take away anything from the women.
No male dancer is doing this “for fun” (although summer programs are really fun!). Because it is considered socially acceptable for girls to do ballet at a more recreational level, it is not uncommon to meet female dancers at summer programs, especially at the younger ages, who have little interest in pursuing a career. At almost every program my son attended before age 15, there were girls there who loved ballet but they were clear that ballet ended when they graduated from high school.
With boys, by a certain age, the only ones going to summer intensives are those who are dedicated to having a career as a professional ballet dancer. They are not at summer intensive XYZ because that’s where all their friends are going. They aren’t attending because it will look good on college applications. They are there because they see it as the next step toward having a career. As a result, there is a healthy respect amongst the boys which seems to lead to a level of camaraderie that we didn’t expect when Sam started attending some of these intensives. I can tell you from personal experience that every one of the highly selective programs he attended, he found that the boys were supportive and collegial.
My son also pointed out that “a program can be cutthroat” and “dancers there can be supportive of one another” are two statements that can coexist. By the time the boys are at this age, it’s pretty likely they’re going to find paying jobs in ballet. So, they may be extremely competitive with one another, but they know most will end up as a working dancer. Again, it’s a numbers game.
Some people tend to avoid auditioning for these intensives because of the “cutthroat” reputation it has. Don’t write them off because of this.
Scholarships
Oh boy, this is always a hot potato. Let’s just be clear – there are more scholarship dollars handed out for boys for summer programs than there are for girls. Although it’s not a guarantee, there is a strong likelihood that your male dancer will be offered money. It may not be a full-tuition scholarship or those coveted tuition plus housing offers you hear about (those are in shorter supply). But, your dancer will probably get some money, especially from those programs trying to attract more boys. This does not mean that girls don’t get scholarships. They do, just not with the frequency that boys get them.
There are typically three types of scholarships that schools may offer. The first is tuition. This may cover all or some portion of training costs. The second is what some refer to as a full-ride. This includes 100% tuition plus 100% housing. And, for a select few schools, tuition and housing are covered as are travel costs. We’ve talked with a number of administrators and teachers at well-regarded ballet schools and they all agreed that scholarships for summer are used to attract talent. And, they usually skew more toward the boys.
The question we get asked a lot is whether you should follow the money or go to the best program you get into regardless of any scholarship attached to admission. This is a tough one.
We know parents who always went with the scholarship because it was the only way their dancer could afford to go away. We know other dancers who picked the best program they got into, regardless of whether or not they got a scholarship. It’s really an individual choice that each dancer needs to make. It also depends on a number of factors: is the dancer trying to get admitted to the year-round program, does the dancer want to see if they’re strong enough to ultimately dance for the company one day, etc.? These are but a few considerations and each dancer will make the decision that works best for him.
And, one last thought on scholarships. We are all so proud of our kids. They’ve worked incredibly hard to get where they are and we know that it’s not an easy path for anyone. But, when those inevitable scholarships come in, it’s just not a good idea to let everyone know about them. Sure, tell the grandparents- -they’ll think it’s awesome! But, otherwise, keep it quiet — this path is challenging enough and every kid already compares themselves to every other dancer in the room. Let’s not add to huge amount of stress they’re all under.
Ballet Boy Parents
There is something special about the ballet boy parent network. Some of us have been pulled up by those that came before us and some of us are far enough along in this to have turned around to pull others up behind us.
We’ve all been there. We’ve traded tips on how to deal with the bullying, as well as the more mudane things that only parents of boys would understand. Dance belts anyone?
In fact, Sam would not be where he is had it not been for the parents I’ve had the privilege of meeting who all, at one point or another, had kids at Houston Ballet Academy. When Sam got the opportunity to join HBII, they spent hours with me answering every single question I had. And, there were a lot of questions! For that, I will always be grateful.
Although you will likely have deep relationships with parents of female dancers, there is a special bond that parents of ballet boys establish with each other. Cherish them.
Coming November 15th
In our upcoming podcast, we chat with a few parents of male ballet dancers to get their take on how their kids navigate this world and specifically how they each approached auditioning for summer intensives. It should be a great listen!
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