Sprung floors with marley but with wrinkles and missing tape
Sprung floors with secure marley
Studio space
Cramped
1
2
3
4
5
Lots of Space
Studio cleanliness
Dirty
1
2
3
4
5
Spotless
Schedule
Classes per day
4
5
More than 5
Saturday classes
No
Saturday class duration
N/A
Leveling
Leveling
Assigned after placement class
Assigned when accepted
Leveling type
Ability
Age
Did students move levels?
Yes
Leveling fair?
No
Yes
Students per class
10-15
16-24
25-30
Performance
Performance?
Full show
Small demonstration
Rehearsals happened
Both in and out of class
Outside of class
Casting equitability
Uneven
1
2
3
4
5
Even
Rehearsals detracted from class?
Completely
1
2
3
4
5
Not At All
Housing - General
Housing provided
Yes and my dancer lived there
Yes but my dancer did not live there
# of roommates
1
3
Bathrooms
Private in room
Private in suite
Coed bathrooms
No
Air conditioning
Yes
Housing comment
There was mold in my dorms shower. They moved us to a new room, but then we were forced to move back and the mold was still there. There wasn’t a huge effort to fix it until the last week.
It was in a hotel that had many suspicious characters
There were individual air conditioner units in the living room and kitchen but not in the individual bedrooms.
Where did they stay?
I was already there for the year round program and set up for the whole year. I was also working.
Rented an apartment or house
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
Very lax
Infraction handling
A little harsh
Fair
N/A
Housing - Cleanliness
Laundry available
No
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
No
Yes
Dietary needs?
No
Yes
Specific needs
Gluten free, grain free
Dietary options
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Lots
Activities
Weeknight activities
Yes
Weekend outings
No
Yes
Attended weekend outings
I didn't attend any of them
Yes, all of them
Yes, some of them
Favorite
Downtown exploring of Chicago
Going to visit the "Bean" in Chicago.
All of them we really good. We went to the movies, we went to the zoo, and there was even a farmers market one week. On the Fourth of July they took us to see fireworks.
Trip to Chicago
Getting ice cream and watching the fireworks on the 4th of July.
Least favorite
None- all fantastic
N/A
There weren’t a bad ones.
None! They were all planned according to what the students wanted.
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
Chaperones drove a van and a car.
I drove myself because I lived there
I drove since I lived there
Private bus
She drove herself
Staff transported the students in vans and SUVs
Van ride w/ RAs
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
Learning the rep of Ballet 5:8 and the amount of dancing we got to do!
The teachers are really good at giving corrections to everyone and seeing the whole room.
The care for the students by the faculty and the camaraderie in each level.
They had weekly worship sessions
The teachers were all really attentive to each individual student's needs. No one was ignored or not given corrections.
The variety of the teachers was very helpful, and the rep was really fun to do! I also really enjoyed the creative worship
The friendships my daughter made.
There was some good feedback
The individual attention and the attention the teachers and staff gave to everyone. The staff also went out of their way to make sure the people in the dorms had food and events planned.
Least liked about program
I can’t think of anything. I’ve been to many summer intensives and this one is in my top list. (Comparing to Ellison, Harid, and Kirov)
Sometimes there wasn’t really time to warm up because the devotionals and ice breakers were too close to the technique class.
A few students struggled with being placed in a lower level than they were used to at their home studio. It was handled well, but they made a couple days difficult for the younger students in the level.
The food was really bad 0/10
I wish we had more freedom in the creative worship session, sometimes I wanted to be able to just be with God more, but there were a lot of activities on the agenda.
One of the teachers talked way too much and for no reason and we didn't do a lot of dancing in his class.
The lack of concern for injured students.
Use of Christ and the Bible in a manipulative way, favored dancers who go there year round and ignored others who didn't, not enough food, etc.
Nothing! Our needs were prioritized.
Suggested changes to program
Nothing!
To have a consistent schedule and a consistent lunch time.
They need a better food program
More intentional devotionals and more time after devotionals to warm up for class
To have Ms. Lauren Ader-Cumpston for longer
I would have less Pointe work, it was a bit much.
More food provided, safer spaces for dancers, dealing with injuries better, and not using the Bible in manipulative ways
Nothing! I wouldn't want anything different.
Culture of program
The culture is almost my favorite part. Every teacher truly cares about the student and wants to see them shine!
Very positive and nurturing
Kind, professional, challenging and individual attention.
The staff was very kind and willing to help.
Very supportive and faith based
Very positive and healthy
Toxic
Professional, helpful, kind, and encouraging.
Other comments
You should definitely go to this summer intensive!
The staff will not alienate you if you are injured! They treat everyone the same regardless of their body. They are very aware of not continuing to feed into a toxic ballet culture. They also put God first which is so comforting!
Some dancers were placed based on ability, but if a class had too many students they would move students based on their age, regardless of their ability which caused quite a few injuries.
It was a blast! I definitely recommend it and hope you have a fantastic experience!
