BALLET HELP DESK

Summer Intensive Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 234
Total Reviews: 1882

Ballet West Choreographic Workshop/ArtEmotion St. George

Summer Intensive Reviews

General

Dancer age

1
3
1
1

First time at a summer intensive?

4
2

Year of SI

1
2
1
2

Weeks available

6

Weeks attended

6

Reviewer

2
4

Curriculum

Techniques taught

1
1
5

Partnering (based on age)

6

Dedicated men's program?

4
2

# of boys in level

6

Other dance genres

2
6
4
6
1

Quality of other classes

Not Helpful
1
1
2
2
Helpful

Injury Prevention

Strength classes?

2
3
1
1
2

PT offered?

1
5

Extra fee for PT?

2
4

Injury rate

2
4

Teaching

Who taught?

2
2
2

Guest teachers

1
1
4

Year-round teachers taught

2
4

Attention from teachers

Very Little
1
1
1
3
A Lot

Technique improved?

No
1
1
4
Yes - Tremendously

Studios

Dance floors

1
5
1

Studio space

Cramped
5
1
Lots of Space

Studio cleanliness

Dirty
3
3
Spotless

Schedule

Classes per day

5
1

Saturday classes

6

Saturday class duration

5
1

Leveling

Leveling

5
1

Leveling type

1
5

Did students move levels?

3
3

Leveling fair?

2
4

Students per class

4
1
1

Performance

Performance?

5
1

Rehearsals happened

1
5

Casting equitability

Uneven
1
2
3
Even

Rehearsals detracted from class?

Completely
1
2
3
Not At All

Housing - General

Housing provided

3
3

# of roommates

1
1
1

Bathrooms

3

Coed bathrooms

2
1

Air conditioning

3

Housing comment

  • "Girls and boys areas were completely separated. If someone of the opposite gender had to go into the area doors were open and an adult was with them."
  • "Food was catered and not by the University. No choices and very repetitive"

Where did they stay?

3

Housing - Supervision

Curfew

3

Curfew reasonable?

1
2

Room check

3

How strict were dorms?

2
1

Infraction handling

1
1
1

Housing - Cleanliness

Laundry available

3

Laundry free

2
1

Housing cleanliness

Dirty
3
Spotless

Cleaning required

1
2

Meal Plan

Meal plan

3

Food quality

Gross
1
1
1
Excellent

Enough food

3

Dietary needs?

1
2

Specific needs

  • "Vegetarian"
  • "Nut allergy"

Dietary options

Limited
1
1
Lots

Activities

Weeknight activities

1
2

Weekend outings

6

Attended weekend outings

2
3
1

Favorite

  • "There was only one outing to the sand dunes. It would be nice if they chose something different for the future, because all of the dancers were tired by the end of the week and some things were ruined by the end for example shoes and water bottles."
  • "Sunday trip to Snow Canyon in St. George"
  • "Hiking in the Gorge"
  • "Just like SLC, commuter students were welcomed to attend the weekend outing in St George, which is a very nice thing about Ballet West SIs"

Least favorite

  • "The hike to the sand dunes."
  • "karaoke nights"
  • "Pool Party - it was boring and everyone was tired."
  • "Not technically a weekend outing, but there was an evening pool party that the kids sounded like they didn't totally love. Most left early, but again it was nice that they included commuter students."

Logistics

Quality of handbook

Spotty
1
5
Comprehensive

Program communication

Limited
4
2
Comprehensive

Transportation

1
5

Neighborhood safety

Not Safe
1
1
4
Very Safe

General Comments

Overall recommendation

Definitely Not
1
1
2
2
Absolutely

Best aspect

  • "The rehearsals for the show."
  • "Instructors were amazing and cared about each student."
  • "I loved that they had a show at the end for everyone."
  • "It ending."
  • "My daughter absolutely loved her technique teacher who was the same throughout the two weeks (a year round BW instructor who she also had some in SLC). Even though the focus of this SI is more on performance and less on technique, she really did like having the same teacher throughout, and they had technique everyday, even in the second week when they focus was very much on preparing for Swan Lake."

Least liked about program

  • "The attitudes of some dancers."
  • "Can't thing of anything."
  • "housing filled up too fast"
  • "The teachers insulted us constantly. The main teacher was so unprofessional. She kept telling us we were awful dancers and had no chance at a dance career. She literally said that my group sucked. The director of the program came in several times to talk to us and one time she asked everyone why they came to this dance program and asked if it was just because we weren't good enough to get into the 5 week at Salt Lake. (SO RUDE, I did get into the 5 week, but went to another intensive and tacked this one on to get a performance opportunity since mine didn't have a ballet production.) The main teacher literally talked to the director, IN FRONT OF US, saying how bad we were, how she couldn't teach us the choreography. She told us that she had to dumb down the dance because we were so bad and that the performance piece looked like crap. WHO SAYS THAT? It just felt bad every day."
  • "Leveling is entirely based on age so far as we can tell, and coming off the much more intense SLC SI, it just wasn't as much of a growth opportunity. That said, my daughter was on the younger end of the age range, and a girl who attends her year-round program (older teen) also attended, had tons of performance time in Swan Lake, and really loved it. So, for us the thing she liked least was likely due to both age/level opportunities and wanting more intense technique focus. We saw the mixed reviews before registering, and it was about as expected."

Suggested changes to program

  • "More activities for while not in class."
  • "NA"
  • "The leveling mainly by age. Most of the girls seemed pretty new to pointe. I hardly ever got any corrections because there was so much to do to help the newer dancers. This is not a program for experienced dancers, which wasn't clear when I signed up."
  • "The two well-regarded Ballet West/artEmotion instructors who run the St George program spend almost no time with the younger students. It would have been nice if the younger levels also had the opportunity to learn from them."

Culture of program

  • "The teachers were really friendly and gave students a lot of feedback. They were supportive and helped the students improve a lot."
  • "Caring, Inclusive, Challenging"
  • "Encouraging and safe"
  • "Toxic"
  • "Casual"

Other comments

  • "They practically put on an entire ballet at the end of two weeks. It was fabulous"
  • "Run, don't walk, away."
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