BALLET HELP DESK

Summer Intensive Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 255
Total Reviews: 2245

Ballet Chicago Advanced Repertory

Summer Intensive Reviews

General

Dancer age

1
1
1
1

Gender

4

First time at a summer intensive?

4

Year of SI

1
1
2

Weeks available

4

Weeks attended

4

Reviewer

1
3

Curriculum

Techniques taught

4

Partnering (based on age)

4

Dedicated men's program?

4

# of boys in level

2
2

Other dance genres

1
1
1
3

Quality of other classes

Not Helpful
1
1
1
Helpful

Injury Prevention

Strength classes?

2
3
4

PT offered?

1
3

Extra fee for PT?

2

Injury rate

1
3

Teaching

Who taught?

4

Guest teachers

4

Year-round teachers taught

2
1
1

Attention from teachers

Very Little
3
1
A Lot

Technique improved?

No
2
2
Yes - Tremendously

Studios

Dance floors

4

Studio space

Cramped
1
2
1
Lots of Space

Studio cleanliness

Dirty
1
2
1
Spotless

Schedule

Classes per day

3
1

Saturday classes

4

Saturday class duration

1
3

Leveling

Leveling

4

Leveling type

4

Did students move levels?

2
1
1

Leveling fair?

4

Students per class

1
2
1

Performance

Performance?

4

Rehearsals happened

2
2

Casting equitability

Uneven
3
1
Even

Rehearsals detracted from class?

Completely
2
2
Not At All

Housing - General

Housing provided

2
2

# of roommates

1
1

Bathrooms

2

Coed bathrooms

2

Air conditioning

2

Housing comment

  • "University Center is a great facility, and my dancer said the food is fairly good for a dorm. She liked the food in 2026 better than last year. Rooms are spacious with huge closets, and the lounge and public areas in the dorm are nice."

Where did they stay?

1
1

Housing - Supervision

Curfew

2

Curfew reasonable?

2

Room check

2

How strict were dorms?

2

Infraction handling

2

Housing - Cleanliness

Laundry available

2

Laundry free

1
1

Housing cleanliness

Dirty
1
1
Spotless

Cleaning required

1

Meal Plan

Meal plan

2

Food quality

Gross
2
Excellent

Enough food

2

Dietary needs?

1
1

Specific needs

  • "Multiple food allergies"

Dietary options

Limited
1
Lots

Activities

Weeknight activities

2

Weekend outings

1
3

Attended weekend outings

1
2

Favorite

  • "Broadway musical"

Logistics

Quality of handbook

Spotty
1
3
Comprehensive

Program communication

Limited
1
3
Comprehensive

Transportation

1
3

Neighborhood safety

Not Safe
1
2
1
Very Safe

General Comments

Overall recommendation

Definitely Not
1
3
Absolutely

Best aspect

  • "Learning and performing excerpts from Balanchine repertoire like Who Cares, Emeralds, Divertimento No. 15, and Serenade as well as partnering classes offered at Levels 2 and 3."
  • "Learning Balanchine repertory was an exciting challenge."
  • "The pace of rehearsals had us learning and doing so much! Loved how active rep was"

Least liked about program

  • "The program nearly tripled in size in 2026 when they changed the name from "Advanced Repertory Workshop" to "Balanchine Repertory Workshop." This is a good thing - it's a great program and should be well-attended, and the updated name does a better job communicating the main idea of the program. That said, I'm not sure they were prepared for the growth. My daughter didn't have as many classes per day as she did in 2025, which I think was because of studio space and number of instructors. Preparing for the repertory showcase seemed more harried than last year, like the instructors didn't really have enough time with each level to fully prepare. I think that she overall made more progress and got more individual attention in 2025. This is still a great program, though, and I believe they can adjust for the demand in future years!"
  • "The in-studio showcase on the last day was very crowded, and it was hard to see."
  • "Wish second week was a full 6 days."

Suggested changes to program

  • "Given the growth and the program's goals (for students to learn and perform excerpts from Balanchine choreography), I wonder if it should be a 3-week program. This would allow for all the classes they'd like to teach plus plenty of time to learn and rehearse the repertoire."
  • "A different location for the showcase, or maybe 2 time slots to allow for better seating arrangements."
  • "Have showing on Saturday instead of Friday to get one more full day of intensive in"

Culture of program

  • "Friendly, encouraging, with a clear focus on exposing students to the Balanchine style"
  • "Challenging, yet supportive"
  • "Incredibly kind folks and absolutely dedicated to the quality of teaching and dancing. No weird politics or drama were apparent."

Other comments

  • "Favorite summer intensive attended so far!"
  • "A fantastic value for the high quality instruction and opportunity to dance Balanchine rep"
Reviews
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Dancer Age
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Age: 13, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 14, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2026
5 out of 5 rating
Age: Older than 21, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2025
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 15, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2023, Stayed In Housing, Special Diet
4 out of 5 rating