BALLET HELP DESK

Summer Intensive Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 255
Total Reviews: 2234

Ballet Magnificat

Summer Intensive Reviews

General

Dancer age

1
1
1
2
3
1
1

Gender

10

First time at a summer intensive?

7
3

Year of SI

1
5
2
2

Weeks available

1
1
8

Weeks attended

1
4
5

Reviewer

5
5

Curriculum

Techniques taught

1
1
1
1
7
3

Partnering (based on age)

4
1
1
4

Dedicated men's program?

4
3
3

# of boys in level

10

Other dance genres

1
10
1
5
4
2
1

Quality of other classes

Not Helpful
2
1
5
2
Helpful

Injury Prevention

Strength classes?

2
7
1
3

PT offered?

5
5

Extra fee for PT?

10

Injury rate

6
4

Teaching

Who taught?

2
8

Guest teachers

1
1
8

Year-round teachers taught

3
7

Attention from teachers

Very Little
2
3
3
2
A Lot

Technique improved?

No
1
1
1
4
3
Yes - Tremendously

Studios

Dance floors

2
1
8
1
1

Studio space

Cramped
4
4
2
Lots of Space

Studio cleanliness

Dirty
3
7
Spotless

Schedule

Classes per day

4
5
1

Saturday classes

1
9

Saturday class duration

9
1

Leveling

Leveling

10

Leveling type

9
1

Did students move levels?

6
1
3

Leveling fair?

1
9

Students per class

1
9

Performance

Performance?

7
1
2

Rehearsals happened

3
6

Casting equitability

Uneven
1
1
3
4
Even

Rehearsals detracted from class?

Completely
1
3
1
5
Not At All

Housing - General

Housing provided

1
9

# of roommates

9

Bathrooms

4
5

Coed bathrooms

9

Air conditioning

9

Housing comment

  • "Our daughter stayed in the college dorm housing for four weeks while attending Ballet Magnificat’s Summer Dance Intensive. The housing was very basic college dorm-style accommodations with shared bathroom facilities. We understood going into this that she was staying in a dorm and certainly were not expecting a hotel or luxury accommodations. Our frustration is more about the overall value of the residential experience when combined with what we paid for the program. Between the dorm housing, cafeteria-style meals, limited activities outside of the program, and our concerns with the amount and intensity of the actual dance training, we simply did not feel the overall four-week experience justified the cost. The counselors were one of the bright spots. Our daughter liked her counselor, felt safe, and we appreciated the faith-filled environment. I want to give Ballet Magnificat credit for those things. If you're considering the residential option, I would recommend asking very specific questions before paying: exactly what the dorm and bathroom arrangements will be, what supervision looks like, what meals are provided, what students do during downtime and weekends, and exactly what is included in any additional activity fees. The housing itself wasn't the primary reason we were disappointed with the intensive. It was one piece of an overall experience that, for our family, did not provide the value or level of dance development we expected for the investment we made."
  • "Female 2 wk students are housed in a different dorm than female 4 wk students, so I can only review from a 4 wk point of view"

Where did they stay?

1

Housing - Supervision

Curfew

9

Curfew reasonable?

9

Room check

9

How strict were dorms?

7
1
1

Infraction handling

1
7
1
1

Housing - Cleanliness

Laundry available

9

Laundry free

8
1

Housing cleanliness

Dirty
2
6
1
Spotless

Cleaning required

3
6

Meal Plan

Meal plan

9

Food quality

Gross
2
1
6
Excellent

Enough food

9

Dietary needs?

6
3

Specific needs

  • "Gluten free"
  • "gluten free"
  • "Gluten-free, dairy free"

Dietary options

Limited
2
1
Lots

Activities

Weeknight activities

4
5

Weekend outings

6
4

Attended weekend outings

1
3

Favorite

  • "The mall"
  • "Only one outing, for 4 wk students, on the changeover day for 2 wk students"

Logistics

Quality of handbook

Spotty
1
1
7
Comprehensive

Program communication

Limited
1
1
3
5
Comprehensive

Transportation

1
8
1

Neighborhood safety

Not Safe
2
4
4
Very Safe

General Comments

Overall recommendation

Definitely Not
1
1
8
Absolutely

Best aspect

  • "Everything truly was Christ focused."
  • "The faith-filled environment was by far the best aspect of the program. The counselors were excellent, and our daughter made meaningful friendships and genuinely enjoyed that part of her experience. Unfortunately, the dance training itself did not live up to the same standar"
  • "This was a Jr intensive. It was perfect for a first timer! They also had a daily worship time."
  • "The time the girls spent in the Word, small groups in the evening & in creative worship♡"
  • "Fantastic training and excellent focus on Christ"
  • "Christ centered atmosphere"
  • "The fact that it is a Christian company"
  • "the community with other dancers in your group"
  • "The Christ-centered culture, the small-group dorming format to ensure an immediate friend-group, leadership and teachers are kind and supportive"

Least liked about program

  • "There were no designated strengthening classes."
  • "The biggest disappointment was the actual dance experience. Our daughter went there specifically to be pushed, challenged, corrected, and grow as a dancer, but she consistently felt she could have been pushed much harder. She reported sitting out variations approximately every other day while another group rehearsed and had enough downtime during the four weeks to read four books. She also felt the pre-professional group received significantly more focused attention than the other groups. For something marketed as an intensive, the amount of downtime and lack of challenge were extremely disappointing."
  • "No guest teachers"
  • "How large it is"
  • "More technique needed"
  • "How little pointe they offered, I only had 6 times I was en pointe during the whole 2 weeks."

Suggested changes to program

  • "Absolutely nothing"
  • "I would reduce the number of dancers accepted and focus on delivering truly intensive training to every dancer, not just the pre-professional group. Every student should be consistently dancing, receiving corrections, being challenged, and getting meaningful faculty attention. If the available space, staffing, or program structure cannot support that, then the program needs to be smaller. I would rather see fewer dancers receive an exceptional experience than more dancers receive a watered-down one."
  • "Na"
  • "More pointe!!"
  • "I would live closer"

Culture of program

  • "Amazing. Everyone is super encouraging and everywhere you go just has such a positive environment."
  • "The overall culture was faith-filled, welcoming, and positive, which was one of the strongest parts of the program. The counselors seemed to genuinely care about the dancers, and our daughter made great friendships. However, from a dance perspective, the culture felt less intense and competitive than we expected from a serious summer intensive. Our daughter wanted to work hard and be pushed, but often felt there was too much downtime and not enough focus on challenging every dancer to improve."
  • "This SI is intended to bring honor & glory to Jesus, since their ballets present the gospel, while main teaching focus is on classical ballet, pointe & partnering. Masterclasses on Sat are taught by different people, if you attend the 4 weeks."
  • "It was fantastic and all of the teachers and company members truly poured into each and every student."
  • "Uplifting"
  • "Very good."
  • "super encouraging and uplifting"
  • "Very kind and supportive"

Other comments

  • "Yes. We chose this intensive very intentionally over several other opportunities because our daughter wanted to be pushed and grow as a dancer. There were things we genuinely appreciated—the faith-filled environment, counselors, and friendships—but dance was the primary reason she was there. Our daughter reported regularly sitting out during variations and consistently told us she wanted more training, corrections, and challenge. She had enough downtime during the four weeks to read four books. She also felt the pre-professional group received a noticeably higher level of attention than the other groups. When we raised these concerns afterward and requested a tuition refund, the program declined, stating that they believed the experience delivered what was advertised. We respectfully but strongly disagree. Our total family investment exceeded $7,000 when travel and related expenses were included. More importantly, our daughter gave four weeks of her summer to an intensive specifically to become a stronger dancer. Knowing what we know now, we would have chosen one of the other programs available to her."
  • "This is my daughters 3rd yr & she LOVES this company! She has made lifetime friends here-Belhaven University where the students stay is great too!"
  • "It was the best summer of my life and I cannot wait to go back next year!"
  • "This company is a Christian ministry,and they are up front and clear about their purpose, so if it's not for you, just don't go there"
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Age: 17, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 16, Female
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Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing
1 out of 5 rating
Age: 15, Female
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Attended 2024, Stayed In Housing, Special Diet
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 16, Female
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Attended 2024, Stayed In Housing, Special Diet
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 10, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2023
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 18, Female
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Attended 2023, Stayed In Housing
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 14, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2023, Stayed In Housing
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 16, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2023, Stayed In Housing
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 13, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2023, Stayed In Housing
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 15, Female
Overall Rating

Attended 2022, Stayed In Housing, Special Diet
2 out of 5 rating