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
3
4
5
Saturday classes
Yes
Saturday class duration
Full day
Half day or less
Leveling
Leveling
Assigned after placement class
Leveling type
Ability
Did students move levels?
No
Yes
Leveling fair?
Yes
Students per class
10-15
16-24
25-30
Less than 10
Performance
Performance?
Full show
Small demonstration
Rehearsals happened
Both in and out of class
During daily 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 suite
shared across 2 rooms (4 girls to a shared bathroom)
Coed bathrooms
No
Yes
Air conditioning
Yes
Housing comment
Housing was at UC Chicago. Very very clean, linens were provided however I would recommend bringing your own as they arent the most comfortable. I shared a suite with 3 other roommates and did not feel crowded
There is a mini Starbucks next to the cafeteria. You’re also sharing the dorms with joffery and Hubbard st kids
Housing was a short 10 min walk from the studio - and the facility included music practice rooms (piano, etc)
Where did they stay?
Rented an apartment or house
Student lived at home
Housing - Supervision
Curfew
No
Yes
Curfew reasonable?
No
Yes
Room check
No
Yes
How strict were dorms?
Just about right
Somewhat strict
Very lax
Infraction handling
Fair
N/A
Skewed depending on the RA
Housing - Cleanliness
Laundry available
Yes
Laundry free
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
Yes
Specific needs
Vegetarian
Dietary options
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Lots
Activities
Weeknight activities
No
Yes
Weekend outings
Yes
Attended weekend outings
I didn't attend any of them
Yes, all of them
Yes, some of them
Favorite
Boat tour on chicago river or movie day.
Six the Musical
Six Musical
a touring Broadway show
Least favorite
Boat Tours
Loved all of them
my dancer appreciated all of the activities, but found the walk to some of them longer than she wantede on her day off
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
commuted with a parent
commuted with parent
Walked with chaperone
Walked without chaperone
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 from teachers.
Great community and amazing teachers.
Enthusiastic teachers who want you to improve and grow as a dancer. The workload was just right that everyone was pushed as dancers but not to the point of injury. I got a lot of very meaningful corrections and made a lot of improvement and progress during my time at BC.
Level of instruction was top notch, studios were clean, able to watch if you wanted, outtings were fun but geared towards those who stayed on campus, observation class and full show at a theater was great
As a student in the youngest/lowest level, the class size and level of attention was great. I saw so much improvement over the course of the summer.
Technique classes
My dancer was happy with her placement (felt it was appropriate) and the attention/instructions she received. She felt she grew as a dancer and improved technique. There was a small level of drama around casting (from girls that weren't highlighted in a piece), but it was minimal and what I think one would expect from kids of that age just being bummed and expressing themselves. That said, everyone was beautiful in the final show and all dancers danced in 3 dances. Also, parents also observed a class on the last day, so there was plenty of opportunity to see you dancer. This was nice. Students also had the opportunity to explore the city in the evenings and got out to dinner etc. for a treat.
Least liked about program
So much sitting around/waiting between classes. 3 hours per days twice a week, 1.5-2 hours on other days…so the day was unnecessarily long.
Walk to and from studios and dorm.
There was a decent amount of favoritism towards their year round students in regards to everyone else, but not to the point that I felt as if I wasn't being paid attention to
Parking is hard for pick up bc state street is a no parking zone.
The lunch break is very long. I would prefer a shorter day or workshops scheduled during lunch.
Lunch wasn't provided, which wasn't a huge issue. But Saturday brunch was provided, yet the girls were in classes, so it was a weekly meal we paid for and they never ate. It would have been nice to have a trip to the local ballet stores a couple of evenings (they were not walking distance).
Suggested changes to program
Nothing.
More levels, while I was in a higher level with a class of around 16 people with similar skill sets, the lower levels had very drastically different abilities throughout the classes as they would be much larger
Nothing
Chances for the older dancers to mentor the younger ones, such as helping them learn to do their own hair or make-up for performances.
Long lunch break for my level
meal plan re: Saturday meal issue described above; buses to some outings vs walking
Culture of program
Positive
Supportive.
Really positive, everyone who is there, wants to be. There is a bit of a "clique" culture with the year round students but it's easy to ignore
Very nurturing but stern instructions
Positive, yet focused.
Friendly, Focused
supportive and designed to help dancers improve technique and learn; as always I wish there was more men for partnering (there were 5 in total). My daughter had partnering 2x week based on her level
Other comments
Not as demanding on technique as I would have preferred, in terms of slowing down with younger dancers to demand straighter legs, etc.
I couldn't recommend this intensive enough. Even if you dont like Balanchine technique, I think every dancer could get something out of it. Teachers here are incredibly passionate and due to the program's small size, you WILL be payed attention to.
On a different note, the RAs are quite relaxed which makes staying at the dorms and going out to explore a more enjoyable experience.
Also, if you have the ability or option to, I wouldn't pay the $300 activities fee and instead spend that money on your own activities. Most of the places we went were free and it felt pointless to have payed $300 and at the end, they didnt even add up to that much.
My dancer had to reported an SA issue but it was handled very well
