BALLET HELP DESK

Competition Reviews

Competitions Reviewed: 13
Total Reviews: 83

California Dance Classics

All Regionals

General

Reviewer

2
1

Dancer Age

1
1

Competition experience

2
1

Event Details

Round

Regional

Season

1
2

Location

1
1
1

Traveled to compete

2
1

Entry affiliation

2
1

Did Dancer Miss School?

2
1

Master Classes

Master class teachers

  • "Erica Cornejo"
  • "This past season it was Ms. Busch from Houston."

Received corrections

2
1

How corrections were given

  • "I can only speak to the 13 year old group, but Erica walked up and down each row of barre correcting dancers as well as encouragement. She had crazy energy because I think every child was given a little feedback if not several. You can tell she was intentionally making a point for each dancer to feel seen."
  • "Group mostly"

What corrections were about

  • "Only about dancing."
  • "Technical and artistic corrections, no coded language used."

Correction tone

2
2

Teacher engagement

  • "Very engaged, walking around the room."
  • "She walked around the whole time with high energy. Literally exhausted watching her. My daughter came off stage enchanted with her."
  • "Very engaged. Great class."

Crowding

Really Crowded
2
1
Plenty of Room to Move

Master Class Feedback

Additional master class comments

  • "The technique classes are scored and part overall competition placement. Students wear numbers and it is a mandatory portion of the competition."
  • "Technique class was detailed, high energy and appropriate for her age group."
  • "The classes are on stage which is a good opportunity. They are observed by the judges for an opportunity to qualify for scholarship finals."

Performance Details

Venue name

  • "Joan Kroc Theatre"
  • "Mountain View Performing Arts Center"
  • "Joan B Kroc"

Venue description

  • "On the smaller side but clean, comfortable, plenty of seating."
  • "Lobby was welcoming, they had attendants reinforcing no photos inside the theatre. A small cafe with a coffee shop was attached as well. Very clean, bright, outside seating was plentiful for parents and parking was easy. The theatre was beautiful, plenty of seating, well kept and easy to see your dancer."
  • "Very nice venue."

Stage description

  • "There is Marley, it is not raked, no modified choreography"
  • "Marley floor, not raked and plenty of room for all her choreography."
  • "Marley. Good stage."

Off-stage warm-up space

  • "Only hallways to warm up in. It can be a little crowded but no issues when needing to pass by."
  • "This was crowded and it being her first time, she didn’t know what to expect."
  • "There is a large backstage space."

Dressing rooms

  • "2 large rooms for the ladies. Separate male room."
  • "The dressings room had lights, there were several rooms, but they were crowded and if you weren’t in the first group like we were I am uncertain if you could find space."
  • "I don’t know if there was a dressing room for males."

Parents backstage

2
1

Onstage warm-up

  • "Open stage can be very crowded. It is a big group and a smaller stage."
  • "The ladies working backstage were incredible kind and helped my daughter navigate her first dance competition experience. Although the warm up was crowded, that didn’t dampen her excitement or experience."
  • "It is a little bit less crowded than the other competition open stages are."

Other schedule comments

  • "I was surprised how accurate their timing was."

Staff communication

  • "Excellent"
  • "Very clear communication. We were brand new and there were support staff checking in and the front and backstage - we had a lot of questions and they were all answered and easy to find help."
  • "Great! They are kind, communicative, and accommodating to change."

Judging

Judging rubric clarity

2
1

Feedback turnaround

1
1
1

Type of Feedback

3
1

Feedback helpfulness

Not Helpful At All
1
1
1
Extremely Helpful

Main takeaway

  • "There are some interesting opinions that can vary greatly between the 3 judges. For example one judge said he loved the prop and it was unique and an excellent use of prop. The 3rd judge said she didn’t like it and thought it distracted from the over all dance. There have been many comments on getting stronger, many comments on “beautiful long lines”, comments on feet. Any comments dancer has received on body have been what would be considered praise, however body comments are common."
  • "She got both grows and glows and they were consistent from the three judges which was interesting to take in. Clearly it was a good check in for her to continue working on her arm strength and she got glows on her foot placement. I think it was great to hear three different judges who didn’t corroborate just speak to her technique."
  • "There was excellent judges feedback. Many of the judges give commentary throughout the entire variation. This is such a valuable benefit of this competition. No coded language was used."

Awards & Scholarships

Awards ceremony

  • "Awards ceremony is very long. The lady who runs CDC seems to be very sweet and kind however, she takes a very long time to get through everything. She give all students in the top 3 a chance to speak. It can take hours at the end of your very long weekend into the night. This competition has 2 award ceremonies. One is for your child’s category and one is overall at the end."
  • "Everyone on stage. Top five given a certificate and top three given medals. Then some specialty awards were given."
  • "I like that they have the award ceremony broken up into different age categories on different days. The ceremony is respectful and mature."

Won an award or training offer

2
1

Award or Training Offer Description

  • "A short stay and placed 2nd place."
  • "1st place neoclassical Classical honorable mention. Milwaukee Ballet SI admission Ellison Ballet SI partial scholarship"

Final Comments

Best aspect

  • "Class is taken into count, not just stage performance."
  • "My daughter loved the master class teacher and getting to perform on stage."
  • "The staff that is working in the wings are incredibly kind and encouraging."

Worst aspect

  • "Very long awards ceremonies."
  • "Being new, we just didn’t understand the timing from Master class to competition. There were definitely a lot of girls from large Bay Area dance schools, so being an independent could feel overwhelming if your dancer is easily overwhelmed by being by themselves."
  • "Nothing. This is a great competition."

Competition culture

  • "Friendly, fun, relaxed."
  • "It was very dancer forward. All her feedback was geared towards her technique and she walked away feeling inspired and proud of herself"
  • "Kind, relaxed, and supportive. The staff keeps the dancers backstage informed of what number they are on which reduces stress for the dancers. They allow parents backstage, which helps some dancers."

Attendee culture

  • "The kids really love CDC. It’s a favorite among the locals."
  • "The other dancers kept to themselves and/or their classmates. No different than sports competitions, athletes getting into their mindset. It didn’t feel unwelcoming."
  • "Everyone is happy and supportive of each other because the competition fosters kindness."

Suggested changes

  • "Having a stage manager for the award ceremonies. Maybe a time limit for the overall awards at the end."
  • "None that I can think of."
  • "I wish they didn’t allow teachers and directors to submit a request for the judges to keep a look out for a strong dancer. We never took advantage of that because it never felt ethical. I don’t know what sort of advantage it gave, but it didn’t feel right. This is literally my only complaint. Otherwise, great competition."

Cost vs. expectation

Significantly More
2
1
Significantly Less

Anything else?

  • "This is an enjoyable comp with a friendly vibe."
  • "My dancers goal was to get feedback and experience growing her stage presence- this was the perfect competition for her. We had no expectations of winning and so for a space to learn, I do recommend this dance competition."
  • "This is both my favorite and my dancer’s favorite competition, regardless of placement and outcome. It just feels better."

California Dance Classics

All Regionals

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