BALLET HELP DESK

After-School Training Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 83
Total Reviews: 138

San Francisco Ballet School

After-School Reviews

General

Who is Reviewing?

1
5
1

Program

7

Season Attended

1
1
1
1
1
2

# Of Levels In School

  • 8
  • 8 plus trainee
  • 8
  • 8
  • Beginner levels were 1-3. Intermediate levels were levels 4, 5 & 6. Upper levels were levels 7, 8 and trainee.
  • Pre ballet, 1-8, and then trainee
  • Levels 1-3 are children's division, 4-6 intermediate, 7-8 advanced

Dancer Age

2
4
1

Hours of Dance Each Week

1
2

Gender

6
1

Company Affliated?

4

Was Student Scholarshipped?

4
3

Please Describe Scholarship

1
1
1

Years At School

1
1
1
2

Leveling by Age or Skill?

3

Teacher Background

3

Parents Required to Volunteer?

3

Curriculum

Days Per Week

1
1
4
1

Classes Per Day

1
5
1

Weekend Classes?

5
2

Weekend Schedule

2
5

Students Per Class

3
1
3

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

6
1

Pointe Classes Per Week

2
4
1

Live Music in Technique Class?

1
6

Dedicated Men's Program?

1
6

Men Taught by Male Teacher?

3

Men Taught Batterie?

2
1

Boys In Level

1
1
3
1

Separate Technique Class for Boys

6

Techniques Taught

7

Technique Teacher Rotation

3
4

Did School Director Teach?

3
1
3

Classroom Corrections

2
2
3

Attention From Teachers

Very Little
1
2
2
2
A Lot

Quality of Instruction

Poor
1
2
1
3
Excellent

Did Technique Improve?

Not at all
1
1
3
2
Tremendously

Curriculum Comments

  • One technique class per day, occasional pointe, music (1x), floor barre (1x)
  • Although there were only two designated "pointe" classes per week for Level 6 girls, repertoire class was also on pointe and the girls were asked to put on pointe shoes partway through technique class most days. They also had weekly pas de deux classes which were again on pointe, so the total amount of pointe work is significantly more than what it looks like on their schedule. My dancer also enjoyed the contemporary classes with a teacher who is on faculty at both SFB and Lines.
  • 3 technique classes, 2 pointe classes, and 1 character class per week
  • There was a technique class each day. Other classes rotated -- there was always a strength, a music and a contemporary/modern class each week.
  • Technique every day and then either pointe, music class, or mat class.
  • 4 technique classes, 2 pointe classes, 1 technique/pointe combo class, 1 mat class, 1 music class per week.

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class

1
6

Partner Ratio

1

Who Taught?

1

How Much Partnering Improved

No
1
Tremendously

Quality of Pas Teaching

Poor
1
Excellent

How Were Corrections Given?

1

Description of Partnering Class

  • Partnering class was most often taught by a teacher who teaches boys technique, so it was not my daughter's usual technique instructor. They focused on basic partnering skills and generally kept the same partners throughout the year.

Additional Comments

  • DD felt that the instructor was harsher on the boys but suspects this was in part because he also taught their technique classes.

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles

2
1
2
2

Other Class Quality

Poor
1
2
1
1
Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

5
2

Types of Contemporary Classes Taught

2
1
2

Contemporary Quality

Poor
1
1
Excellent

Master Classes?

7

Master Classes Description

1

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

1
6

Physical Training Types

4
2
1
1
1

Physical Training Schedule

6

Were Trainers Certified?

1
1
4

Physical Training Quality

Poor
1
1
3
1
Excellent

Strength & Conditioning Comments

  • It was a pointless waste of time
  • Additional plates and PT support were offered based on teacher recommendations to fill specific needs or to aid in recovery from injury.
  • My dancer's teacher also was certified as a personal trainer so most instruction was pretty safe and considered the needs of growing bodies
  • Extremely un structured.

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

3
2
1
1

How Parents Notified?

6
1

How Treatment Obtained?

1
1

PT Available?

3
1
2
1

Was There a Recovery Plan?

6
1

Describe Recovery Plan

1
1

Mental Health Therapists Available?

3
2
1
1

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

7

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

3
2
2

Were Students Weighed?

5
2

Was "Coded Language" Used?

2
3
2

Additional Comments

  • Compared with other environments my dancer has experienced, the faculty and administration here rank very low on the scale of body toxicity. It is still an issue among the dancers themselves, though. My dancer feels that there are some students who are living with severe body dysmorphia, but we do not know to what extent the school is aware of this or what they do to help students with this issue.
  • My dancer did not experience the "fat talk" but other students in other levels did. The school used to weigh students but I believe they have, thankfully, done away with that practice
  • We are required to pay a PT fee but the services aren't actually available to kids in this level. The only thing done was an evaluation at the start of the year and none of the results were provided to parents, though they said they would be.

Communication

Formal Orientation?

7

Handboook & Paperwork

2
2
3

Quality of Communication?

Poor
2
1
3
1
Excellent

Who Received Communication?

4
3

Exams

Formal Exam?

2
5

Written Feedback?

5

Exam Adjudicator

4
1

Exam Rubrics Clear?

2
1
2

Who Attends Exam Meeting?

1
1
1
2

Well Prepared For Exam?

Not at all
1
3
1
Completely

How Heavily Did Exams Weigh in Promotions

Not at all
1
4
Heavily

School Culture

How Supported Did Student Feel By Staff?

Not
1
1
2
1
2
Completely

How Supportive Were Students of One Another?

Not
1
6
Completely

Describe School Culture

  • Waste Of Time
  • Competitive but mostly friendly
  • Likes students, dislikes parents
  • not a real pre-pro school
  • Competitive, opaque, unresponsive, traditional, disorganized
  • Easygoing.
  • Teachers good, administration disorganized

Placement Notification Timing

  • After the school year ended
  • After Spring exams
  • May
  • May
  • Upon receipt of evaluation. It was quite late into May before anything showed up.
  • The day school finished.
  • Last day of classes (May)

How Dancer Was Notified

3

Dancer Had Mentor?

2
1

Mentoring Details

  • That year my dancer was mentored by their teacher. The teacher was extremely supportive of their development. That can cut both ways, though. Other students were often ignored in class. There was clear favoritism and my dancer was one of the favorites that year.
  • N/A although some classmates had informal friendships with older students.
  • There is no mentoring from teachers or older students. It would be a nice way to build connection and feel supported.

Overall School Culture

Lord of the Flies
1
3
3
Warm & Inclusive

Building & Surrounding Area

Security Around Building

3
4

Safety of Area Around School?

Not Safe
1
4
2
Extremely Safe

Studio Space

Cramped
1
3
3
Lots of space

Studio Cleanliness

Dirty
1
4
2
Spotless

Performance Opportunities

Company Affiliated?

3

Programs Performed

3

Shows per Program

3

Casting

2
1

Peformance Calendar

  • The company did 32 Nutcrackers and my dancer performed in 1/3 of them. They were also chosen for children's parts for the company's production of Don Quixote. There was also a spring show that my dancer was part of. The amount of dancing that the intermediate levels need was EXTREMELY limited, especially for the number of rehearsal hours required.
  • Nutcracker, and then selected with no audition for some company shows, and then spring festival
  • This year, Nutcracker was the main opportunity and a few kids were cast in Frankenstein and Raymonda. There are auditions for NC and everyone in level 3+ got a part. The artistic department picked the kids in the other shows without auditions. They tend to pick the same kids over and over and many of them have some connection to the school and/or some sort of social status. So for most kids, NC is it. The spring festival was moved to the Opera House this year, which was great, even though they only got to perform in two shows. If you have a dancer in anything under level 6, though, they only got 2 minutes on stage. It would be nice if it was better balanced in the future...6-8 had long pieces in the first act and made up the entire second act. Being able to perform in the Opera House is a definite perk of the school and why a lot of the kids stay.

Private Lessons

Private Lessons Available?

3

Summer Intensives

School Holds an SI?

3

School's SI Required?

3

Outside SI OK?

3

How Did School Help?

  • I and my dancer met with my dancer's teacher to discuss which programs they should consider attending. The teacher and artistic director helped guide dancer through decision process. This was unusual and I learned that it was uncommon to get this level of guidance. We were new to the school and I asked for a meeting to discuss. Had I not asked for a meeting, I doubt much support would have been provided.
  • I believe meetings and phone calls were held for rejections.
  • SFBS provides no assistance and will not even provide studio space for headshots or audition photos/videos. They will also not recommend programs to your student (aside from their own), so you're on your own in this regard.

Program Grades

Overall Dance Instruction

2
1

Continuing Ballet Placement

2
1

Emotional Support

1
1
1

Performance Opportunities

3

Program Comments

Program's Best Aspect

  • The technique instruction that year was excellent as were the opportunities to perform with the company.
  • Probably the teachers.
  • Being able to perform with the company and in the Opera House. Good teachers and supportive students.

Program's Worst Aspect

  • The administrative staff was incredibly disorganized and unresponsive. Emails and phone calls would go unreturned for days. There was one person in particular who was not competent and set the tone for the rest of the staff. Fortunately, that employee is no longer with the school.
  • There were too many kids of many different skill levels in one class.
  • Lack of communication, too few performance opportunities, class sizes are too big, becoming more of a recreational program so reputation is declining. They bring in new students starting in level 6 who have competition and performance experience, which isn't really fair to the students who have been there all along...why not offer them more performance/choreographic experience so that they are not behind everyone else and cast aside once the comp kids come in?

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

  • Fix the spring festival. It's a terrible show unless your student is in level 8 or is a trainee. Perhaps even consider having a separate show for the beginners and the intermediate levels. Stop canceling classes to rehearse for the spring show when the kids barely do any dancing for it. Also, add partnering for level 5.
  • Smaller class sizes, more prescise picking of classes
  • Smaller class sizes. There used to be a lot more cuts so that kids in the program were at the same level and had the potential/desire to dance professionally. This year, there were no cuts and the class had a range of skill levels and included dancers who would not have been asked to continue in the past for various reasons. It's not an ideal experience for the kids or the teachers. Communication is also terrible. One example: were told about the class exam/evaluation date two weeks before they were going to take place and the date conflicted with some students' spring breaks. Parent feedback is not encouraged at all, to their detriment: A new evening level 6 program was announced and not a single parent (inc those who'd prefer their student be able to go to school during the day) thought it was a good idea because classes run so late and would not leave any time for homework. Classes for level 4 and 5 are also going until 8:45 next year to make room for the other classes, which parents also aren't happy about. It would be smart to run changes like this by even a small set of parents when they're in the planning stages but they don't do this.

Anything Else We Should Know?

  • The instruction at SFBS is good, but there is a wide range of skills in the intermediate levels so be prepared for that.
  • It really only becomes prestigious from Level 6 and up.
  • It appears the new director is trying to cater the school to both recreational dancers and those who want a true pre-pro experience but there is not the studio space or teaching staff to do so. Classes are too big and are now going to be running too late. Sometimes you can't be everything to everyone and it's causing some currently families to consider other options. Being able to perform at the Opera House is a definite perk and a special experience for the students, but that can only keep them for so long so hopefully some of the issues will be sorted out next year. It is also true that many of the local kids start to get pushed aside once they reach level 6 because that is when housing is available to non-local students. And they bring in a lot of new kids at 7 and 8 too. So just be aware that that's what you're getting into. It would be great if they brought in someone to handle communication and administration because that's lacking. It's common to send an email to the director and not get a response back. They need someone who can handle that part of the job as well as foster a more supportive environment where we all feel like we're working together to get the best out of our dancers. We currently have no interaction with our kids' teachers or the school director and nobody dares complain or raise any concerns they have about SFBS because they don't want to risk their kids' future there. The culture does not have to be that way.
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