Housing is at Georgia Tech in suites with4 individual bedrooms and two bathrooms. A little dark and dingy, but adequate. The kitchens in each suite were nice.
The suites were four bedrooms (each girl had her own private room) with two bathrooms and one shared living space and lichen. Others in her hall were the same age - the setup really helped her bond with her roommates and girls on her floor.
Roomy but toilets overflowed in multiple rooms multiple times over the weeks.
Not the newest, but nice enough. Doors automatically locked, even their bedrooms, and they could easily get locked out.
The plumbing at Georgia Tech is not too tear, this lead to occasional toilet clogs and other plumbing issues.
Dorm style housing at Georgia tech. total roommates 4. ages vary who you are housed with be aware how old other students are that your child will be housed with.
Where did they stay?
Housing is provided if needed at Atlanta Ballet but we live in Atlanta so she stayed at home.
Stayed with local family or friends
Student lived at home
Housing - Supervision
Curfew
Yes
Curfew reasonable?
Yes
Room check
No
Yes
How strict were dorms?
Just about right
Somewhat lax
Very lax
Infraction handling
N/A
Skewed depending on student
Housing - Cleanliness
Laundry available
Yes
Laundry free
No
Yes
Housing cleanliness
Dirty
1
2
3
4
5
Spotless
Cleaning required
No
Yes
Meal Plan
Meal plan
Yes
Food quality
Gross
1
2
3
4
5
Excellent
Enough food
Yes
Dietary needs?
No
Activities
Weeknight activities
No
Yes
Weekend outings
No
Yes
Attended weekend outings
I didn't attend any of them
Yes, all of them
Yes, some of them
Favorite
She didn’t go because at the time (just post Covid) they only allowed people staying in residence to go. But they went to a Brave’s game and walked the campus of Georgia Tech (where they were staying
The pool at Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech Pool
Georgia Aquarium
Only one weekend outing
The Georgia Aquarium
The Aquarium she thought they were going to do the coke factory as well but did not.
Least favorite
Coca Cola Museum
Soccer game
They changed last minute to the zoo, it was small and very very hot.
The Atlanta United soccer game
Soccer game she thought they were going to do a baseball game they did the soccer game. Transportation to soccer game was through uber.
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
Car
Private bus
Public transportation with chaperone
Transportation provided for students that chose the housing option.
Neighborhood safety
Not Safe
1
2
3
4
5
Very Safe
General Comments
Overall recommendation
Definitely Not
1
2
3
4
5
Absolutely
Best aspect
The attention to detail in class. DD needed refining and the teachers didn’t let anything slide. No hands on corrections because it was a Covid year but DD liked how the teachers explained/described corrections/instructions.
The wide range of guest faculty and the level of teaching.
The attention dancers get from faculty.
Intensive was primarily ballet which allowed my daughter to really improve her technique. Good attention from teachers. Students were serious but friendly and kind. The hours were perfect 10a - 4pm
This was our daughters first intensive away from her home studio, and she found the other students, faculty and chaperones very welcoming and helpful. She improved over her 5 weeks and has maintained contacts and friendships.
How much improvement I had in technique and strength.
Variety of classes offered (outside of just ballet and contemporary like some others)
Everyone there is super nice and there are as many people year round as there are dorming so most people can show you the ropes. The chaperones there are second company members so you also get an insight into the world of a professional ballerina. We were able to go to scheduled weekend activities with the whole group along with ones your roommates planed as long as you had your chaperone. It was a wonderful experience.
Technique focused
My daughter did improve all around and her confidence went up as well. She liked all the teachers.
Least liked about program
Covid year meant shorter days, no partnering, and they decided to do away with Saturday class.
Lack of communication from administrator, no evening activities, catered meals sometimes late and unappealing, overall sense of being somewhat disorganized outside the studio in terms of meals, outings, etc.
N/A
General Communication leading up to intensive. Partnering was on the list of classes but it never happened.
The communication from admin is spotty at best. The chaperones, however, were easy to reach via text if needed and responsive to students and parents. Weekend excursions could be better considering Atlanta has so much to offer.
How bad they were at communication.
COMMUNICATION was ABYSMAL. It is so disorganized. I had seen some reviews with this complaint but it was way worse than I could have expected. Even the receptionist was like "she doesn't answer emails." It doesn't leave you with a lot of confidence about who you are leaving your child with. Unlike so many other SI's they really didn't share anything. Not on social media, not in emails. Important questions were just completely ignored. Didn't even get a handbook until a month after we had to pay (unlike others where you got rules and lists of stuff you needed before making the deposit) We didn't get any other information until three days before it started. No roommate information before hand. Little supervision of the students. TEACHING STAFF They didn't keep their own teachers in check to prevent student injuries. The teacher my child had for week one was very strict. Girls were crying. Girls were bleeding on their pointe shoes because if you didn't dance all of rehearsal on pointe (meaning if you took a break at all even once) then you had to perform in flat shoes. My daughter ended up injured because this teacher kept pressuring and forcing extreme turn out in first (she is unable to dance in the intensive at our home studio and having to attend PT because of this). She said there were at least 6-8 girls who were injured or severely hurting in her class. She told me "they know about her and what is happening but they won't do anything because they 'can't afford to lose her'" she is a staff teacher. I don't feel that I got our moneys worth out of her time there. ACTIVITIES They just didn't do anything. They last minute changed their outing from the aquarium to the zoo, which was small and they didn't go until midday it was REALLY hot. They didn't take a bus, opted for like 10 Ubers. They didn't even stay long. They had only one "social" type of event and the location was changed and they didn't tell anyone. Kids were standing around wondering where to go. No getting to know each other or movie night. They were just left to their own devices and kids got left out.
Some of the meals at the dining hall weren’t always the best, although there was a decent selection of food some did not taste good and or looked unappetizing. However trips to target were weekly so one could get food they would want for the week.
No Saturday classes
DISORGANIZED. NOT enough communication. My account was charged for the total amount of the SI after paying a first payment, we had to wait to get refunded by the time we got refunded it was time to make the next payment.
Suggested changes to program
Partnering but perhaps they do have some now.
Much better communication from the program and more activities for kids during the week. There wasn't much socializing in the dorms.
N/A
Better communication upfront and leading into intensive. Add partnering.
Better admin communication / better excursions on the weekends
The amount of communication to be much more comprehensive.
COMMUNICATION and clarity. PLACEMENT CLASS. Fair leveling. They were leveled by age and thrown into a technique class immediately on day 1. There was no warm up or placement or anything to evaluate their actual skill level. Girls were only moved down.
I would change the weekly schedule so that every day was not the same as the last. Although the specials changed daily we had the same technique teacher and studio that only changed each week so a change in scenery would be nice.
More guys so there can be partnering
Communication and being more organized dorming was a mess. Also more outings more planned events for the dancers. They were left alone most of the time to make own plans throughout the week nothing organized for them. They could have done a movie night ice cream social nothing. Daughter was there for 3 weeks they went to the aquarium and a soccer game that's it. For the cost of the SI more planned activities should be provided and dancers should be roomed with peers around their age, daughter was roomed with an 18 year old at first it was a huge mess trying to find my daughter a room it took hours before we even got her moved it and settled.
Culture of program
The students were friendly once you got to know them. Most were from Atlanta Ballet and knew each other. You had to be brave and just go sit with them and they would include you, but you did have to take the initiative.
Nice, supportive atmosphere with really good training in nice studios. Not too big a program.
Welcoming
A healthy and supportive environment.
Welcoming and supportive
Very strict and challenging but a lot of good people there.
CHAOTIC. Messy. Not welcoming.
The girls bonded quickly however the first few days the some teachers seemed to mostly only pay attention to the students they taught before instead of the whole class.
Professional
Fostering relationships with dancers making an effort to have bonding experiences. Atlanta ballet showing more communication on how dorming works and knowing ahead of time what outings dancers will be attending and how they will be transported.
Other comments
She got the same ballet teacher for a whole week at a time and rotated through 4 teachers . The teachers firm but kind, and had high expectations.
Studios are more in a suburban area but Georgia Tech dorms are in midtown Atlanta, and it definitely feels like a program in a big city. Not sure if we would do it again due to lack of activities for kids during week and the food situation (breakfast and lunch were catered and dinner was at the GT dining hall, but weekends were sketchy in terms of meals). My daughter loved the training and the guest faculty though. Maybe when she is older she would return and do her own meals instead of meal plan.
The teachers will push you very hard and some of the girls there are competitive but it is worth the lessons you will learn there.
This program could be so much more if they just worked on clarity and communication and organization. Emails with valid questions were completely ignored. They didn't foster friendships and team work. Little cells of mean girls and little supervision and activities. They turned a blind eye to a teacher being way too hard on students and students getting injured. The showcase was nice, but the room was small, not enough chairs, hot and hard to see.
I would not recommend this program unless changes are made the dance experience is great but the lack of communication and un organization makes it difficult to send your child away.
