There were two bathrooms on each floor of my daughter’s dorm.
Coed bathrooms
No
Yes
Air conditioning
No
Yes
Housing comment
There was a microwave and small refrigerator in the room.
Right in Fenway. Lots to do in area of dorm.
Stayed at Lasell University, which is not the dorm Boston Ballet uses anymore
Bathrooms were cleaned by Bu
There was air conditioning but it was broken much of the time.
My daughter’s dorm was older than some other dorm buildings. She still had AC, a fridge and a microwave. Her room was very large for just her and her roommate.
While a typical dorm, it was certainly in need of a renovation. The air did not work all five weeks and the room reached 100 degrees a day or two at the end. Very close quarters and the bathrooms were cleaned but still held a layer of questionable grime.
Very nice
The dorms were a little small for three people. We also had Charlie cards (train) meaning we could travel around Boston often. The dorms were in Boston, but we had a long bus ride to Newton. There was a really good student to RC ratio. The dining hall was a short walk from the dorms and was pretty much always open. There was no set dinner or breakfast times, so we could always chose what time we went depending on our class schedule (or not go at all). There was another (not dance) program staying at the top floor of the dorms for a few weeks and we often saw them.
The air conditioning was fully not working in the room, was never remedied and it was very hot so it was hard to sleep. The bathrooms are per floor with 3 showers, no privacy.
The AC broke in rooms a lot and the laundry room machines often broke, but most mess was due to students being irresponsible, there was less staff due to it being summer, so maintenance and clean up was slower
Fenway Riverway Dorms were newly renovated, spacious and bright
Maintenance was dismal- her fridge did not work and was never fixed (she was providing her own lunches each day so this was a bit of a concern and even when I reached out to the school it was never taken care of) and the laundry machines were broken which led to her handwashing most things
We could only go out if an RA went with us, they would usually say no if you asked.
Where did they stay?
Rented an apartment or house
Stayed with local family or friends
Student lived at home
Housing - Supervision
Curfew
Yes
Curfew reasonable?
Yes
Room check
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
Unsure
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
Gluten and fructose intolerant
Gluten Fee
Plant based
Vegan
Vegetarian
Dietary options
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Lots
Activities
Weeknight activities
No
Yes
Weekend outings
No
Yes
Attended weekend outings
I didn't attend any of them
Yes, all of them
Yes, some of them
Favorite
NYCB performance
Beach and Wicked Musical
The boat trip
Canobie Lake Park
The performance in Saratoga & dinner cruise
Dinner Cruise
My dancer loved seeing the NYCB in Saratoga & also the Boston Harbor dinner cruise
Boston Harbor Dinner Cruise
Dinner cruise
Amusement Park
New York City Ballet at spac
Baseball game at fenway
Baseball game & shopping
Dinner Cruise
n/a
Dinner Cruise / Saratoga NYCB performance
Going to a ballet in Saratoga Springs
They had a dance on a large boat one night. They had to cancel going to spac to see NYCB because of the heat but that likely would have been her favorite.
Dinner Boat Cruise
Dinner Boat Cruise, Canoby Lake, NYC Ballet at SPAC
Dinner cruise
Dinner Cruise
All of them- they were great.
Saratoga, Jacob's Pillow, Salem
Cruise around Boston Harbor
They had two outings every weekend, and the last of these outings was a dinner cruise in the Boston harbor. I also attended an outing to see nyc ballet company perform in Sarasota ny
Canobie Lake Park
Least favorite
I would recommend all. They were all really fun.
Going to a local park
Duck tour
N/A
The drive to NYCB performance was long, but the performance was great.
Ball Game.
The zoo
NYC ballet in Saratoga. Too far
N/A
n/a
They all seemed fine, just sign up very early. The Salem trip filled up very quickly.
Maybe the science museum?
Salem
I only went to two (both of which I enjoyed) so I do not know. There was one outing to Jacob’s pillow to see a ballet that I wanted to go to but was not able to. Almost everyone who went to that got a sunburn
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
Friend host family drove our dancer to/from studio
Parent drove student (lived at home)
Private bus
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
Ballet classes were slow and basic. My dancer didn’t love that, however she came back technically stronger because of the focus on the basics.
The program was organized and well run. All of the extra activities were very fun and Boston is a very safe city for groups of 12 year olds to go out on their own. Newton was also very safe and there were places for the students to get food and drinks right next to the studios. I thought it was great that the dormitories were in Boston at Boston University even though their classes were in Newton.
My dancer loved the Chinese class. It exposed her to a different style, encouraged them to explore movement in a new way, and the teacher was wonderful.
Fun first time away from home experience. Large program so made many great friends.
The classes
Weekend Activities
It was an opportunity to attend a larger ballet school's SI program with many different faculty members. Live accompanist for technique & pointe was a plus! My dancers enjoyed meeting new friends.
Being in Boston
This program was the first SI that she did away from home and it was a great first experience. Boston was an excellent, fun city that provided a lot of extracurricular activities! She enjoyed meeting new friends and really enjoyed the dance classes. She loved the faculty as well. I felt comfortable with her being there and felt like the communication was good.
Allowed for students to gain supervised independence and grow as a person, not just a dancer.
Sense of comraderie and community,
Boston is a great city to live in and lots of friends to meet. Some teachers were better than others.
Efficient and age appropriate training yielded very noticeable results without overworking young bodies. Very fun activities and good quality of life. Positive vibes!
A very well run program and opportunity to go to a large program with a lot of classes and faculty
Dorm life, friendships made, some teachers were really good
Relaxed environment, room for socializing
Very organized, studios in Newton are absolutely beautiful
Good exposure to Boston, good classes
It was a great first time away. Very safe and allowed them some freedom and fun activities.
Variety of teaching styles and dance types taught
It was a great blend between consistent training and fun for the dancers. She loved Boston, loved the friends she made and the classes.
The teachers
City exposure, quality teachers, class offerings
The ballet classes. They also had some great weekend activities and Boston is a fun city.
Lots of boys
Really fun days filled with lots of different classes. I did not live in the dorms but it seemed like all of the girls who did built really strong friendships. The weekend outings were super fun. This was my first summer intensive and it definitely set the bar high, overall I absolutely loved the program.
Living in Boston
Least liked about program
There are so many students that it’s hard to be seen other than your teacher. It’s easy to get lost in the crowd with such a big program.
The program was huge and I do not feel like my daughter improved much. There was a lot of down time between classes each day.
It felt like a money-making machine with SO many dancers. They also had a lot of down time during the day and would get cold. Lastly, for residential students they had free reign of the city on the weekends and with a transit pass, could go pretty much anywhere. For young kids, this is too much freedom and led to behavioral issues for pretty young kids (13 year olds stealing and drinking).
Big classes. Little attention. Long time between classes.
Communication
Schedule was not intense at all and lots of downtime. Classes were very simple and not challenging.
Larger class size of dancers & within each level, a varying degree of technical ability-my daughter improved, but didn't feel overly challenged.
Too many classes, gaps between classes with lots of time spent waiting, buses were often late and caused my dancer to miss dinner.
My dancer did not like the food and specifically the lunches. She didn’t like the selection of lunches and when she did like the selections there wasn’t enough food.
The dorms for Newton students was downtown and the busses were unreliable, did not go on schedule and students were made to pack in and sit on the ground to and from the studios.
occasional 2 hour break between classes was too long
The classes were big and leveling was spotty
Would have likes a little more individual attention. Would have liked partnering at lower level
If your dancer is looking for very small classes and a small program that is quiet and very low-key this would not be a good choice. My dancer was looking for a big program since she has a small year-round studio so this was a great choice!
Class sizes were huge and not much attention was given to each dancer. We would often have to wait over an hour for the bus after class. The levels were treated unfairly and sometimes my level (second lowest) had only 2 or 3 classes a day, while the higher levels had over 5.
A lot of lag time between classes for the lower levels, not necessary when the program itself is not intense at Newton levels 1-3.
The commute from the dorms was long and by bus to Newton, too many kids in the program, the teachers didn't get to know the kids well enough, placement was hard to parse, food for vegetarians was limited, lunch was really not great, kids were stuck in the dorms a lot because an RA was mandatory for any outings
Injuries, very social
I don’t recall any communication with me besides my daughter contacting me on her cell.
Extra classes could’ve been more dance focused, less sit down classes and acting, more stretching and conditioning
Bus ride to the Newton studio from Boston dorms
The food
Placement was not good and classes were too large
The shared bathrooms in the dorms. Laundry facilities were often not working.
Communication was either last minute or lacking
Even the older kids could not leave the school during breaks throughout the day without a chaperone and having gathered 3-10 other kids to go to one specific place at a scheduled time. It would have been nice if they gave us a little more freedom
The strict
Suggested changes to program
It would be a smaller program where you felt more seen by more than only the teachers who work with your level.
Smaller class size and more classes each day
Better supervision of the younger kids and more PT slots (they filled up right away and none were available the rest of the time).
Smaller classes.
The food and bus timing situation
Add partnering and make classes more challenging
Classical partnering for L2, not just ballroom. Also an end of program show would have been preferred vs observation classes for parents. A formal evaluation of individual students would have been appreciated.
Reduce the number of non-ballet classes. Improve schedules so there are fewer gaps between classes. Make sure buses are on time and dancers do not miss dinner.
Food!
House the students closer to the Newton studio for the younger students and have the older ones who are more capable commute in daily on the train/public transportation. Stricter supervision in the dorms.
no
Two days of placement evaluation and class size of 20.
More individual attention. Also would have loved to see more pix of what they were doing (bc my dancer isnt one to post or send)
My daughter loved it
If some of the faculty that taught entirely at the Boston location taught at the Newton location sometimes, that would be really beneficial for the students. The teachers pretty much stuck to one location.
Saturday class offerings would have been nice, and smaller classes.
less strict dorm policies and enforcement, less down time more technique, better cross training classes
Less free time/ more time dancing might make the social aspects less heavy
The communication
Make sure more students get to have different teachers, some teachers mainly taught specific levels
Probably wait until she would be in the Boston studios
Shorter breaks
Placement
Better food options with healthier choices.
Better communication especially around weekend activities and class schedules
More partnering
Be able to go out in groups.
Culture of program
Positive. It was a wonderful experience for a young dancer.
The girls my daughter met both in the dorms and the studios were very kind and friendly. One of the teachers, although knowledgable, was not kind to the students and often put them down in class. The other teachers were all professional and knowledgable.
Relaxed
Camp in the city with ballet training. Not intensive.
Very supportive and positive to all dancers
easy and nice teachers
Welcoming & inclusive. Once the dancers warmed up to each other, they bonded well.
For the Newton program, not that serious, more focused on the fun and experience than dance.
Friendly and supportive.
While the dance part was great, the student peer-to-peer culture observed by my student was eye opening. Students were sent home for behavioral issues and theft.
Daughter's class was friendly and supportive
Big but fun
Positive, supportive among the dancers and teachers, perfect mix of serious and fun.
It seemed very nice and fun and well run
Crowded, supportive
Relaxed.
very social and fun but kids weren't kept very busy and early classes
Click-y
It felt very nurturing. Not overly competitive.
Positive
Supportive
Supportive
Positive, encouraging,
It was a solid SI with a great culture.
It was a wonderful and inclusive program. The children made connections and the instructors were caring
Very nice caring teachers. No private coaching offered and not SUCH close attention to each student because there were so many
Strict
Other comments
Good program for getting back to basics, but not if you’re looking for challenging combinations.
This was a great program if your want a safe, fun experience for your child. I would not recommend this program if your child is very serious about making big improvements over the summer. I would not call it an intensive at least for the younger students.
My daughter hopes to audition again for the Boston experience. Not Newton again. I would not recommend Boston for younger dancers, unless they want to be close to home and just want an” intensive” experience. But don’t expect a lot of improvement. My daughter made some of her best friends from different parts of the country. She had a blast living in the city.
The guest teachers and faculty are highly skilled, experienced and exceptional.
You get a lot of freedom
Boston Ballet SDP really was a great experience for my daughter's very 1st intensive experience. It was insightful to see how other peers from other states & countries were in comparison to my daughter so we could understand where her strengths & weaknesses in technique were for the future.
I would send my student again but as an older student. I would recommend this program for the 16+ crowd (male or female student, same recommendation). I would plan on spending extra money on food. Do not do all the activities, just pick a few - there is plenty to do on the weekend within the city limits that allow for your student to have greater down time and spend less time on the bus.
Partnering answer was age/level dependent - there was no partnering for the 12 year olds. Also - Tamara King, the principal of BBS, seemed to teach at least one class at every level, my daughter loved her class
Perfect first intensive away for a 13 year old!
Boston is a great city and she had a lot of fun surrounded by ballet dancers!
Dancer had fun, but decided
to only try for Boston again for 16+ in Boston.
She felt she got good corrections and quality teachers but technique among her group was not that great so she did not feel particularly challenged. She was in the highest level at Newton so no room to adjust. This is unfortunate- I wish we would have waited until she was 16 so she could have been in correct level that was more challenging. Classes were large, too.
Great fit for younger students and had an impressive boys program
