Tag: ballet training
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Choosing A Residential Ballet Program: Part 1
A while back, we talked about how to evaluate a local ballet program. Now that we’ve looked at local programs, let’s turn our attention to residential ballet programs. By the time your dancer is ready to head to a residential program, they’ve likely decided they want to pursue a professional career. Before your family takes…
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Moving From Traditional School To Non-Traditional Academic Programs
When students enter full-time ballet training, the notion of “regular” school goes out the window. Often, ballet classes start as early as 8 a.m. and run through most of the day, making it impossible for students to attend what most of us consider normal middle school or high school. Because most serious ballet students move…
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Cross-Training: Why It Matters And When To Start
Dancers are athletes. How many times have you heard that? Despite the traditional reputation of ballet as an “art,” professional dancers are commonly regarded as athletes based on the physical demands they sustain through long hours of technical training, rehearsals, and performances. Dancers must possess a high level of fitness, strength, coordination, agility, speed, and…
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When Dancers Want To Stay For Year-Round After Attending The Intensive
Welcome to the Summer Intensive season. Your kids have been in their program for a few weeks, and they are no longer outliers in their social worlds. They are surrounded by like-minded dancers who are driven and love ballet. Maybe they have connected with a teacher at their SI program and your dancer is growing…
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What We Wish We Knew When Our Kids Were Younger
We got a question a while back that really intrigued us. We were asked this: As experienced dance parents looking back, what things would you have done differently? We’re going to answer this question together. What Would Jenny Have Done Differently? If I knew then what I know now, I would have spent more time…
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Using Summer As Audition Prep
This is a guest post from Elizabeth Sullivan. Elizabeth is a former professional ballet dancer turned performance coach with a mission to bring holistic wellness tools and information to young dancers to enhance their training and prepare them for success, fulfillment, and happiness. Ballet Help Desk has no financial arrangement with Elizabeth — we just…
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Different Levels At Residential Ballet Schools And What They All Mean
We get asked all the time about when dancers should leave home for residential ballet programs and we always hesitate to give people advice on this. It’s not really our call. We don’t know each individual dancer’s situation and we’d be remiss to assume we know best on this. In a future series, we’ll be…
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Your Dancer’s Reputation, Networking And Why They Both Matter
When my son was ten, he got the best advice about his potential dance career that he’s ever gotten. He was doing a short summer program with the Broadway Dance Center in New York, and they brought in someone from a talent agency. I don’t remember the agency nor do I remember much about the…
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Our Summer Intensive Reviews Are Live!
Ever wish there was there was a place online that offered something like Yelp, but for ballet summer intensive reviews? Well, we’ve got you covered! Our Summer Intensive Reviews are now live! We remember when our kids had just turned 12 and they were finally eligible for the “real” summer intensives, not the one and…
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Finishing The Ballet Year Strong
The end of the ballet year is looming and we know your dancer has all the feels right now. And, clearly you’re seeing it as well because we recently got several questions about how to support your dancers through the home stretch. Are you noticing that your dancer is seeming a bit unmotivated to go…