International Ballet School (Colorado)

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General

Who is Reviewing?

Parent

Program:

International Ballet School (Colorado)

Season Attended:

2024-25

# Of Levels In School:

After 6 is pre-professional, ( intermediate, then advanced)

Dancer Age:

Hours of Dance Each Week:

11-15 hours

Was Student Scholarshipped?

Years At School:

6 years

Leveling by Age or Skill?

Skill

Teacher Background:

Former professional ballet dancer

Parents Required to Volunteer?

Parent Volunteer Requirement:

No requirement, but everyone pitches in if they can.

Curriculum

Days Per Week:

Classes Per Day:

Weekend Classes?

Yes

Weekend Schedule:

Half day

Students Per Class:

Less than 10

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

Yes

Pointe Classes Per Week:

Live Music in Technique Class?

Dedicated Men's Program?

Yes

Men Taught by Male Teacher?

Yes

Men Taught Batterie?

Yes

Boys In Level:

Less than 5

Separate Technique Class for Boys:

Yes

Techniques Taught:

General Classical, Vaganova, Balanchine

Technique Teacher Rotation:

Usually the same every day

Did School Director Teach?

Always

Classroom Corrections:

Dancer specific: almost every dancer got specific corrections each day

Attention From Teachers:


Very Little	A Lot

Quality of Instruction:


Poor	Excellent

Did Technique Improve?


Not at all	Tremendously

Curriculum Comments:

Daily Curriculum Overview by Studio & Level Studio A Level 6 Technique: 4x/week Mon, Tues, Thurs (4:15–6:15 or 4:15–5:45) Sat (9:00–10:30) Character: 1x/week (Tues 5:45–6:45) INT/Level 6 Combined Character & Technique: Weds: Character (5:45–6:45), Technique (6:45–8:15) Intermediate Technique: 3x/week (Mon, Wed, Thurs, 6:15–8:15/8:30) Contemporary/Acro: Thurs (5:45–7:15) Level 4 Technique: Sat (10:30–12:00) Studio B Extended (likely academic/dance prep): 4x/week: Mon–Weds, Fri (2:45–4:15) Advanced Technique: 4x/week Mon–Thurs (4:45–6:15 or 5:45–7:15) Pointe/Variations: 2x/week Tues & Thurs (6:15–7:15) Pas de Deux: Mon (4:45–5:45) Contemporary: Thurs (7:15–8:45) Acro (optional): Tues (7:15–8:15) Intermediate Pointe Technique: Fri (4:15–5:45) Level 4 Technique: Tues (4:15–5:45) Saturday (Open Class?) Advanced/Intermediate Technique: Sat (9:00–11:00) Studio C Pre-Ballet: Mon (4:15–5:00), Sat (11:00–11:45) Ballet 1: Thurs (4:15–5:15) Ballet 2/3: Tues & Sat Technique (Tues 4:15–5:30, Sat 9:30–10:45) Thurs Contemporary (5:30–6:30) Level 4: Tues Contemporary (5:45–6:45) Thurs (5:45–7:15) Level 6: Thurs Contemporary (6:30–7:30) Level 4 & 6 Combined Acro: Tues (6:15–7:15) Class Count by Day (Approximate Totals) Monday: ~10 classes across all levels Tuesday: ~13 classes Wednesday: ~8 classes Thursday: ~13 classes Friday: ~6 classes Saturday: ~7 classes Class Types Classical Ballet Technique (all levels) Pointe (Intermediate & Advanced) Variations (Advanced) Character Dance (Level 6, INT/Level 6) Contemporary Dance Acro (Level 4, Level 6, Advanced – optional) Pas de Deux (Advanced only) Extended Program (likely enrichment or early release academic support) Pre-Ballet, Ballet 1, 2/3: foundational classes for younger dancers * My dancer was Level 6, and Pas de Trios was part of her spring classes, as well as extended ay 2x per week during the spring.

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class:

2x per week

Partner Ratio:

Most girls had to share a partner.

Who Taught?

Male teacher

How Much Partnering Improved:


No	Tremendously

Quality of Pas Teaching:


Poor	Excellent

How Were Corrections Given?

Attention and corrections were evenly distributed between the males and females

Description of Partnering Class:

Pax de deux, Pax de trios

Additional Comments:

My dancer is Level 6, 11 years old. Partnering has been part of her learning since level 3.

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles:

Character, Modern, Musical Theater, Jazz, Horton

Other Class Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

Yes

Types of Contemporary Classes Taught:

Improv, Repertoire, Choreography workshops, Technique

Contemporary Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Master Classes?

Yes

Master Classes Description:

Summer classes with Mark Carlson, Sandra Kerr, Olivier Pardina, Victoria Spangler, and Nikoloz Makhateli

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

Yes

Physical Training Types:

Yoga, Pilates (mat or reformer), Body conditioning, Progressing Ballet Technique, Body rolling, Stretch class, Other

Physical Training Schedule:

Several times a week

Were Trainers Certified?

Yes

Physical Training Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Strength & Conditioning Comments:

My dancer looks forward to the strength, conditioning, and stretching classes

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

Unsure

How Parents Notified?

My student did not get injured

PT Available?

Unsure

Was There a Recovery Plan?

My dancer did not get injured

Describe Recovery Plan:

N/A, but the artistic directors of this school work with dancers, physicians, and parents on recovery plans- the majority of injuries occur outside of the studio (Skiing, trampolines, etc)

Mental Health Therapists Available?

Unsure

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

Were Students Weighed?

Was "Coded Language" Used?

Additional Comments:

This is a body-positive studio featured on one of the very first Ballet Help Desk Podcasts

Communication

Formal Orientation?

Yes

Handboook & Paperwork:

No handbook provided

Quality of Communication?


Poor	Excellent

Who Received Communication?

With parents and students

Exams

Formal Exam?

School Culture

How Supported Did Student Feel By Staff?


Not	Completely

How Supportive Were Students of One Another?


Not	Completely

Describe School Culture:

Welcoming, professional, strong, healthy

Placement Notification Timing:

Notifications typically go out in June.

How Dancer Was Notified:

Written communication via email or regular mail

Dancer Had Mentor?

Yes

Mentoring Details:

All of the teachers serve as mentors, but Sandra Kerr Carlson is exceptional in guiding the girls, and Mark Carlson with the boys. It is stunning to watch dancers grow in such a healthy atmosphere.

Overall School Culture:


Lord of the Flies	Warm & Inclusive

Building & Surrounding Area

Security Around Building:

Safety of Area Around School?


Not Safe	Extremely Safe

Studio Space:


Cramped	Lots of space

Studio Cleanliness:


Dirty	Spotless

Performance Opportunities

Company Affiliated?

Programs Performed:

4-5

Shows per Program:

Casting:

Everyone auditions for parts

Peformance Calendar:

There are two "big" productions each year, The Nutcracker and another production like Cinderella, etc. These professional-level productions have drops, huge set pieces, professional costumes, and guest professional dancers. Auditions for Nutcracker are typically late August, and rehearsals begin the following week. Rehearsals and classes are separate. In addition to the 2-3 performances at venues like The Newman Center for the Performing arts, there are at least two community performances of the Nutcracker as well, with a condensed version of the production. There are also smaller performances for families and community members that occurs both inside and outside of the studio (both indoor and outdoor venues).

Competition

Competitions required?

Did Dancer Compete?

Yes

Competition Categories:

Solos, Pas de Deux, Ensembles

Competitions Attended:

UBC – Universal Ballet Competition ADC|IBC – American Dance Competition | International Ballet Competition YAGP – Youth America Grand Prix DBG – Denver Ballet Guild – Young Dancers Competition (There may have been more that the advanced dancers competed in, I just don't know)

Solo Rehearsals:

Take place outside of regular classes

Pas de Deux Rehearsals:

Take place outside of regular classes

Ensemble Rehearsals:

Take place outside of regular classes

Costume Responsibility:

School provides and charges rental fee

Did School Tution Cover Competition Fees?

What Were the Additional Fees?

Private and/ or group lesson fees

Competition Fees Clear?

Yes

Competition Fees Reasonable?

Yes

Why?

If I compare to other sports or fine arts fees/ private/ small group lessons, they are right in line.

Experience Description:

Very positive- She really enjoyed all of the competitions and master classes. She also made new friends from other ballet schools.

Private Lessons

Private Lessons Available?

Yes

Are Private Lessons Encouraged?


Not at all	Strongly recommended

Who Takes Privates?

Anyone who wants them

Private Lessons equally available to all students?


Strongly disagree	Strongly agree

Summer Intensives

School Holds an SI?

Yes

School's SI Required?

Outside SI OK?

Yes, it's strongly encouraged

How Did School Help?

Very encouraging and professional- always being thankful for the opportunity to audition and grace and courtesy for any acceptance (and/ or scholarships) and rejections.

Program Grades

Overall Dance Instruction:

A+

Continuing Ballet Placement:

A+

Emotional Support:

Performance Opportunities:

A+

Program Comments

Program's Best Aspect:

Individualized Training and Growth, Elite Performance Opportunities for all students,Diverse styles of ballet, Role Models and Mentors.

Anything Else We Should Know?

Classes are small, dancers are serious about ballet and nice, very supportive of one another.

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