I marked yes for air conditioning, but I know there were other rooms where the AC units did not work (or did not work well enough.
Old dorms, food was so-so, but it was fine for dancer
Rooms were small, three girls, two closets
BU dorms close to the train
No
The HoJo dorms at BU are pretty old and with that comes maintenance issues like AC not working well, bathroom drain issues, etc.
other non-dance students present in dorm, laundry facilities were crowded, 30 minute commute to studio combination of public transportation and walking, area felt safe
Dorms are dated but sufficient
Dorms were dated but spacious enough where dancers had there own little cubbie underneath the bunks for some privacy. Plenty of storage space.
Dorm was a little dated. Great location though. Students were not allowed to leave campus without on RC due to new MA camp supervision laws. However, this was handled well and dancer did not feel "trapped".
A lot ofkids
Housing was nice, building had security officer in lobby at all times; keycard was needed to get in building
My dancer was stuffy and her eyes became irritated, seemingly from the ventilation/AC. She does not normally have allergies. It was the same for quite a few dancers in her dorm, and the counselors began to wonder if there was a mold issue in the HVAC system.
Very old
Horrible experience - it was very evident they took students who should not have been there, clearly a racket!!
Room felt crowded with three beds in what felt like a two-person room. Not all rooms were set up this way.
Where did they stay?
Student lived at home
Housing - Supervision
Curfew
Yes
Curfew reasonable?
Yes
Room check
No
Yes
How strict were dorms?
Just about right
Somewhat lax
Somewhat strict
Very lax
Very strict
Infraction handling
A little harsh
Fair
N/A
Skewed depending on student
Skewed depending on the RA
Housing - Cleanliness
Laundry available
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
allergic to food dyes and walnuts
Allergic to Nuts
Nut allergy
peanut allergy
Vegan
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
Saw Wicked
only attended one: the dinner cruise
The baseball game
NYCB, Wicked
Boat cruise
Dinner cruise
NYCB Saratoga trip
Canobie lake park, and the dinner cruse
Boat social
NYCB and Harbor Cruise
dinner cruise
Dinner cruise was favorite, Red Sox game was second favorite
Cruise
Dinner cruise
Dinner Cruise and Saratoga
Boat, Red Sox game
Boat cruise
the dinner cruise
Red Sox game
She loved all of the ones she attended, such as the cruise, Canabie Lake Park (amusement park) , and the bus trip to upstate NY for the NYCB.
Shopping in the Back Bay and seeing NYCB in Saratoga
the cruise
Canobie Lake Park
None
Seeing NYC ballet.
Least favorite
He did not enjoy the cruise (though others did) it was too loud and no way to escape!
Salem
NA
n/a
She only selected three outings because the others did not appeal to her
n/a
Trip to NYBallet in Saratoga
NYCB; was very unorganized and we ended up missing part of the show.
She did not love the Red Sox game, mainly because she is not interested in baseball. She was grateful to be in the shade, though. Not all dancers were as lucky.
They all were fun
All
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
Private bus
Public Transportation with buddy system
Public transportation with chaperone
Public transportation without chaperone
Public with no chaperone
Some public transportation with 20 minute walk.
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
Extremely well run, organized, and communicative. Handbook is clear an accurate. What it says is what it is.
very challenging for the top level students, and teachers were demanding yet friendly
The people I met
High level training, variety of classes
Quality of the instruction
The training is excellent and a good amount of hours.
The teachers!!
Overall great program
Make instruction in all male classes
Quality of instruction and well run program
lot of different styles of dance offered, teachers all uniformly good
The city of Boston
Teachers
Dancer was challenged and really enjoyed the program.
Being in Boston, close to home
High number of male dancers in all male taught classes
The variety, there were lots of different styles of ballet depending on which teacher you had and there were at least 2 non ballet classes a day which was a great way to expand your dance catalog. There were also lectures which were a great way to learn from the staff and professional dancers of the company.
The weekend activities were very fun for everyone, Technique improved a lot and had such a fun time with friends while still learning lots and RA's were awesome.
Certain teachers, guest faculty and year-round
the facilities were super clean and nice, and I liked the outings
Getting to explore the city a lot and having a lot of freedom.
The city of Boston and the BB building itself
Teachers gave really good corrections and taught very interesting classes. The lecture classes were also all on interesting and informative topics. The location was also great.
Least liked about program
Food was fine, but not great. Dorms were spread out around a couple of areas, but all guys were in building with the younger girls
food
How little I felt that I improved
Long commute time
The dorm life was much more strict than in previous years and a disappointment to kids who are used to being out on their own
The food
The restrictions for going out on your free time.
Traffic while commuting
Strictness of dorm rules and lacking laundry facilities
There was very strict supervision and chaperoning which seemed excessive for the 16-18 age group
scheduling had lots of large breaks in the middle of the day, large class sizes and large overall program size
The lack of freedom- students were not allowed to leave and explore the city without an RA
Not enough partnering
She had a great summer at BBS. No complaints. It was a very well managed and fun program. She learned a lot and made great friends.
Way to many kids
Strictness of dorm life for upper teens-not being able to leave campus without an RA
How large the classes were, the class size made it hard for teachers to get to know students, only the "main" teacher for each level would get to know them and be able to give very individualized corrections.
2023 was the year they changed how much dancers were allowed to explore the city when they were not dancing. They are not allowed to do anywhere without a chaperone, other than the times they travel to/from the studio in small groups. My dancer and her friends were not even allowed to stop a grab a quick ice coffee on the way back to the dorms in the afternoon. My understanding is there were a lot of “incidents” in the past, so I do understand why they did this, but there has to be a better balance.
I think I got put in too low of a level so I didn't improve as much and it really took a toll on my confidence and it was a bit difficult socially because low level = lower status.
Big class size so not a lot of people get personal corrections unless you are the favorite.
The complete disregard for talent and the fact that they take ANYONE willing to pay - it is a compete racket, BE careful!!
Since there were many levels, throughout the day we would have long breaks in-between classes.
Suggested changes to program
The middle group of boys went to Newton once a week ago support partnering with the girls there. Would have preferred to stay at Boston studios all days. Would prefer housing based on studio location including for boys. Wasn’t easy to hang out with the girls his age.
Better placement class and less people in each class
Cleaner, more spacious dorms
The chaperones being used too much
Idk
Less expensive
Cost
smaller program
Have parents sign a waiver so students can go out in the city with a fellow dance intensive student
Food
More freedom for students to explore without supervision.
More personalized smaller classes
Buddy system vs RA babysitting
The opportunities for outings and counselors attitudes, there was a very strict policy about leaving without a counselor but the counselors wouldn't be willing to take students anywhere which led to a lot of people being upset.
Have classes less spaced out throughout the day, there was a fair amount of time to hang around the studios in between classes but RA's still made it fun and would walk dancers places.
We were warned about the long gaps between classes… that has not changed. The classes were rigorous and challenging, and she felt she danced plenty, but it was not great having to wait 1.5hrs before the next class a few times a week.
To put the guys in the Boston dorm instead of having random other people from other camps
Smaller class sizes
I would never have sent my daughter
I would make the program more intimate so that there would be less breaks.
Culture of program
Very thoughtful and supportive. This was my dancers second summer with the program and when we arrived at check in several staff greeted him by name, told him who else was returning. Dancers generally all seemed to get along well.
seemed like a really tight-knit group of kids by the end.
Friendly
Work hard play hard
Great supportive atmosphere with a lot of hard work but fun
Really good! Diverse teachers! Good training! Friendly staff and people.
Diverse
Professional, organized, focussed
Structured, high quality, and accepting
friendly and cordial
Positive
Supportive and encouraging teachers, friendly students
Intense but still friendly. Competitive.
Fair
Organized, fast paced, full days
Everyone was great and supported each other! Teachers were very nice and made sure to look out for kids if they came to the teacher with a problem.
Positive
Eclectic makeup. Some dancers are very serious and accomplished and others are there just for fun.
Welcoming environment and lots of fun
A money making machine, complete disregard for talent or the betterment of students
It was a great environment full of welcoming people who loved dance. All the teachers were so kind, supportive, and great people.
Other comments
Depending on the level your child may get to do a small performance in addition to the class observation. Levels 5 and ensemble and men’s levels 3 and up get to perform at the end of the session.
My son grew tremendously due to great instructors
Very big program at about 600 dancers between the two age groups. Also it’s split entirely between two age groups (13-15 and 16-18) so if you have siblings or friends that are a couple years apart they will not have any interaction since it’s run as totally separate programs at different locations.
new this year students not allowed to leave dorms if under age 18 without a chaperone,
No
My dancer really enjoyed this program. She liked the roster of guest teachers and speakers. She found the program challenging enough and that her technique improved. Gorgeous studios. Living at dorms provided opportunity to get to know other dancers better. Dancer and her friends felt a little annoyed they were required to arrange for RA take them out for excursions but for parent, it was reassuring to have the chaperon, as dancer is on the younger side. Food at cafeteria was plentiful in quantity but not to my dancer's taste. Packed lunch was the same every day and not appetizing.
Would highly recommend.
Overall it is a really good program. Each of the teachers enjoyed teaching and made sure to give as much advice as they could to students.
The program is an incredibly run program, very organized and they clearly know what they are doing. The outing options are sent a couple of months in advance and apparently some sell out - its efficient but also hard to know which ones your "future" friends will be signed up for. They give you the roommate assignment (with contact details) a couple of weeks in advance, which is great. They offer airport pick up/drop off if needed. Students from all over the country (and several international) and a fair amount of students seem to go multiple years in a row I think.
This program had the reputation of having inflated class sizes of 40+ dancers pre-covid, but they seemed to have addressed this (at least in Boston) by adding a level, and perhaps they’ve started accepting less dancers since Covid. My dancer had 28 in her class, and the teachers knew their names. My dancer also felt they got a good amount of personal corrections.
Feel free to contact me for more details, jessfaro@gmail.com
