BALLET HELP DESK

Summer Intensive Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 223
Total Reviews: 1727

Annarella Conservatory - Portugal

Summer Intensive Reviews

General

Dancer age

2
2
1
1

First time at a summer intensive?

5
1

Year of SI

5
1

Weeks available

5
1

Weeks attended

3
3

Reviewer

3
3

Curriculum

Techniques taught

5
2

Partnering (based on age)

1
1
1
2
1

Dedicated men's program?

1
5

# of boys in level

3
3

Other dance genres

2
2
5
5
1
1
1
5

Quality of other classes

Not Helpful
3
1
2
Helpful

Injury Prevention

Strength classes?

4
1
5

PT offered?

1
4
1

Extra fee for PT?

5

Injury rate

5
1

Teaching

Who taught?

3
3

Guest teachers

6

Year-round teachers taught

1
2
3

Attention from teachers

Very Little
3
2
1
A Lot

Technique improved?

No
2
2
2
Yes - Tremendously

Studios

Dance floors

4
1
1

Studio space

Cramped
3
1
1
1
Lots of Space

Studio cleanliness

Dirty
1
2
3
Spotless

Schedule

Classes per day

6

Saturday classes

5
1

Saturday class duration

1
5

Leveling

Leveling

4
2

Leveling type

1
3
2

Did students move levels?

1
5

Leveling fair?

2
4

Students per class

1
4
1

Performance

Performance?

6

Rehearsals happened

1
2
3

Casting equitability

Uneven
1
1
2
2
Even

Rehearsals detracted from class?

Completely
1
1
1
3
Not At All

Housing - General

Housing provided

1
3
2

# of roommates

1
2

Bathrooms

3

Coed bathrooms

2
1

Air conditioning

1
2

Housing comment

  • There were two apartments, my daughter was in one of them, the bigger one.
  • The housing occurs in self-managed apartments for the older students and a hotel room for younger students or whoever else prefers the hotel option. It requires a high degree of responsibility and maturity if students go alone. But many dancers were there with at least one family member.
  • Private apartment through the conservatory, 5 min walk from academy

Where did they stay?

2
1

Housing - Supervision

Curfew

2
1

Curfew reasonable?

1
2

Room check

3

How strict were dorms?

3

Infraction handling

1
2

Housing - Cleanliness

Laundry available

1
2

Laundry free

1
2

Housing cleanliness

Dirty
1
1
1
Spotless

Cleaning required

3

Meal Plan

Meal plan

3

Activities

Weeknight activities

2
1

Weekend outings

2
4

Attended weekend outings

1
4

Favorite

  • Nazaré
  • Building closer relationships with her friends and creating memories :)
  • Beach outings.
  • Leiria Castle

Least favorite

  • Nazaré
  • The beaches, the girls had really bad sunburns.
  • If part of Louise Taitz’s group, she organized various outings before or during the intensive. They were mostly beach outings but not only. All of them were great opportunities to have fun and bond.

Logistics

Quality of handbook

Spotty
2
1
3
Comprehensive

Program communication

Limited
1
2
2
1
Comprehensive

Transportation

1
1
1
1
2

Neighborhood safety

Not Safe
1
5
Very Safe

General Comments

Overall recommendation

Definitely Not
1
3
2
Absolutely

Best aspect

  • Actually intense in the amount of classes and intense teachers.
  • Life skills gained because high level of independence and traveling abroad. Partnering for all levels, including younger dancers. Great and safe country. Exposure to great talent from the dancers in the full time pre-pro program. Being part of Louise’s group of US dancers.
  • Quality of teaching

Least liked about program

  • Language barrier. Most classes were taught in Spanish.
  • The performances were 4.5 hours long and they mostly showcased the full time, year long dancers (they were part of the intensive but were not a majority). There was a performance in the middle of the intensive and another at the end. Different pieces. The performances felt more like a show off - highlighting disproportionately the great dancers they have in the full time program - since they appeared repeatedly during the entire show in various solos or as leads in the other dances. The other SI students were showcased in an average of 4 dances per performance but they were group/corps kind pieces for the great majority - in stark contrast with the full time students. For every dance they participated in, the SI non full time students spent approximately 1 hour per dance per day in rehearsals so a lot of time was allocated for performance rehearsals - in the detriment of technique classes. There were many guest teachers and Ms Sanchez rotated through teaching the classes but seemed to prefer teaching the young dancers.
  • Communication could be better

Suggested changes to program

  • The performance to be much shorter and with a fairer and more balanced casting.
  • Nothing really. Can be difficult if you don’t understand Portuguese.

Culture of program

  • Very safe location, inexpensive grocery, students got lots of support from organizers.
  • Friendly and highly talented.
  • Friendly, students were helpful. Positive environment

Other comments

  • There are ACs in the studio but they are rarely turned on, no fans, just open windows. Was a massive change that effected the learning experience, and made the floors sticky and hard to dance on. So you cuu out you not do you best work in class.
  • Parents can see the Gala concert and spend great time to visit many beautiful sites.
  • Great program to join for a different kind of summer intensive that has a bit of everything.
  • Great experience. Got more out of this intensive than any other ones attended in the USA
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