Sprung floors with marley but with wrinkles and missing tape
Sprung floors with secure marley
Sprung wood floor
St Mary's were not well sprung
Studio space
Cramped
1
2
3
4
5
Lots of Space
Studio cleanliness
Dirty
1
2
3
4
5
Spotless
Schedule
Classes per day
4
5
Saturday classes
Yes
Saturday class duration
Half day or less
Leveling
Leveling
Assigned after placement class
Assigned when accepted
Leveling type
Ability
Age
Did students move levels?
No
Yes
Leveling fair?
Yes
Students per class
10-15
16-24
25-30
31-34
35-40
Performance
Performance?
Full show
Nothing
Rehearsals happened
Both in and out of class
During daily class
Outside of class
Casting equitability
Uneven
1
2
3
4
5
Even
Rehearsals detracted from class?
Completely
1
2
3
4
5
Not At All
Housing - General
Housing provided
Yes and my dancer lived there
Yes but my dancer did not live there
# of roommates
1
2
Bathrooms
One big bathroom on the floor
Private in room
Private in suite
shared bathroom for 2 rooms
Coed bathrooms
No
Air conditioning
Yes
Housing comment
Very safe & welcoming campus at St Mary’s School
The St. Mary's staff was fantastic - from leadership to RAs it was clear they cared about the dancers and the experience they were having.
We weren’t given much info about the dorm until we arrived. My student was housed at a different campus then the one the intensive took place at. Nothing was included for the bathroom that was shared by 3 girls, so we had to go out and grab cleaning supplies, paper towels, and toilet paper. We forgot about broom, and there were no brooms available from the RAs so the bathroom got hairy and gross. Would love communication about what’s needed for bathrooms ahead of time. Another issue was there was only 1 washer and 1 dryer available for use so there was a long wait to use them.
This year, kids 15 and younger were @ St Mary's which is a lovely small campus with solid dorms. Kids 16+ were at a college nearby, but had to be bused to St Mary's for all meals and classes, so they had very long days away from their dorm rooms.
The RAs were not very visible. My daughter didn't know who they were and never saw them. She said "it was hard to find the RAs"
Where did they stay?
Rented an apartment or house
Student lived at home
Housing - Supervision
Curfew
Yes
Curfew reasonable?
Yes
Room check
No
Yes
How strict were dorms?
Just about right
Somewhat strict
Very lax
Very strict
Infraction handling
A little harsh
Fair
N/A
Skewed depending on the RA
Too harsh
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
Yes
Dietary needs?
No
Yes
Specific needs
Nut allergy
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, some of them
Favorite
Shopping
Target
Target
Least favorite
All of the weekend outings were outdoor, and required walking. With 90+ temperatures it was just too hot.
New dancers arrive each week so the activities (museums?) were repeated.
The swimming outing was to a local pool and not very fun. Other outings were in the heat and it was very hot.
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
Bus or walking with chaperone, depending which location classes were held on a given day
Classes were on campus with dorms for younger levels, by bus to Carolin Ballet studio for older dancers
Private bus
Walked without chaperone
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
Learning more about Balanchine and getting really good corrections
You got a lot of attention and there was amazing teachers. We also danced a lot, so I got very strong.
Dancing a good amount of time each day. Food plan was great to limit time spent leaving campus to find food.
Great culture, lots of friendships made. Excellent feedback and coaching on technique that helped my dancer improve. Beautiful St. Mary's Campus
It was a great mid-level intensive, perfect for a 13 year old wanting to stay for 3 weeks. The campus is relatively safe and easy for this age to be alone that long.
Teachers, training, lots of rigor. Got to partner with company men. It was an incredible experience.
Small program with fantastic instructors and content. This program came highly recommended and it did not disappoint. We felt that it was a bit of a hidden gem and it was absolutely a perfect first intensive experience. St. Mary's campus is beautiful and creates a very safe environment for dancers.
Teachers were attentive and gave good feedback
Good solid training. Intense intensive at least at level 4
The dancer culture was very friendly and welcoming, so many nice kids, no drama
Full show at the end
My dancer enjoyed the many teachers - all of which were company soloists and principal dancers. She moved from level 2 to level 3 during the summer and enjoyed classes at the studio that were part of level 3 and found them appropriately challenging (and the studios gorgeous).
There was pointe class every day, plus either pas, variations, or tech class in pointe shoes. My dancer gained strength and skill quickly.
Teachers
Least liked about program
the bagged lunch options
The lunches
N/A
The class size for level 2A was 25 dancers- too large.
I felt like the classes were not structured enough. I also thought they had too much down time in the evenings with not enough activities planned to help them connect with girls outside of class and generally just having something to do besides sitting in their room.
Air conditioning broke on buses, some days they used vans instead
This is pretty picky feedback - the overall experience was great! While St. Mary's is beautiful, the shared/floor bathrooms were to be desired. They could use better lighting and a good cleaning - they had a funky smell (not surprising giving the age of the campus and therefore older plumbing) and my dancer said it seemed like they weren't cleaned for several days on end.
Since my daughter stayed at a dorm on a different campus then the one that hosted the intensive, she had to catch a bus to the other campus at 7:45-8:15 (although classes didn’t start until 10:30) each morning, and wouldn’t be able to catch the bus back to her dorm until 6:30. She had to make sure that she had everything she needed for the entire day before she left.
The performance at the end is unnecessary and feels like a money grab with extremely expensive ticket prices and extra tickets required to observe class and attend a soirée. I would recommend this intensive but avoiding the performance opportunity so attending partial weeks without the performance is the way to go.
Class sizes were too big. Lack of corrections. Favoritism in class and final performance.
Not as much pointe classes as they prepared for the show.
My dancer went weeks 3 and 4 of the 5 week program. During that time the dancers there for all 5 weeks started their rehearsals for the final show. These took away from class time where my dancer was left to watch from the side of class on several occasions - and dance in the back of the room at best. Not ideal. They tried to fix it after a few complaints. But it never really got better. Also, Saturdays were billed as dancing til 3pm, but all classes ended before noon.
For students finishing after two weeks, there is no parent viewing or demonstration available.
Suggested changes to program
Wish they’d be more clear about the dress code for classes
Better lunches
Showcase recording or pictures provided since photography is not allowed for family members unable to travel to the end of intensive showcase.
Class size, no doubt!
Not very organized especially with the campus that they were staying on. Several girls had to move out of their dorm due to a soccer camp coming in. Also, they said in the handbook that their was a process for taking a dancer off campus, no one ever responded to my e-mail request and when the dancer was picked up there was no one in the office to check her out.
Smaller class sizes. Classes were small first couple of weeks but progressively got larger and larger.
There is so much to see and do around Raleigh - spending a little more time planning \ organized Sunday activities/outings would be a nice addition.
The living arrangement
The end performance and excessive charges for tickets --
Smaller class sizes.
More pointe classes
Have more dancing in the afternoons and put conditioning in after dinner. It felt like there was little dancing after lunch. Also, there was less pointe than she wanted, in part due to the lack of pointe/variations in the afternoons.
The first three weeks would be offered as a session vs only the last three.
Culture of program
The teachers were welcoming, but strict, and seemed interested in helping us grow
Super nice but everyone worked extremely hard in class.
Great - low/no drama, lots of encouragement among peers, strong friendships formed
Positive
Lots of jealousy and pettiness all around, that is not a culture we have dealt with at our home studio so it was very hard on my daughter to be the outcast. She got called out to demonstrate the second day and from then on the girls hated her. Her roommates were much older than her, 13 & 15 and that was just doomed from the start because they couldn’t stand having to room with a younger dancer.
Positive with lots of rigor.
Warm and friendly but also hard-working. My daughter made friends she is still in touch with nearly two years later. The teachers really connected with and paid attention to dancers and provided individual feedback for growth. The staff at St. Mary's was also wonderful - they really added to my dancer's experience with the program.
Pretty positive. My daughter didn’t experience in catty, mean girl behavior, and teachers didn’t show favoritism in class. It felt like a safe space to learn.
High energy classes, generally positive vibe
Social: lovely, warm, friendly, fun. Dancing: casual for levels 2-3, not very intense.
Friendly both teachers and students. Good mixture of strictness and fun.
Friendly and supportive
Friendly, professional, well organized.
Welcoming
Other comments
Great program, would love to go back!
This is a small program with great outcomes (meaning dancer growth) and a highly skilled staff of year-round and guest instructors. While Carolina Ballet is a smaller company and the intensive not as well known, do not mistake the lack of a big name with lack of intensity or experience. If you have a desire to grow in Balanchine technique and artistry, this is a perfect place to be and do so with lots of personal attention.
The end of session performance is excessively expensive -- an in class demonstration is much better in my opinion. A shorter session that avoids the performance is my recommendation
For serious dancers, I would only recommend if placed in level 4 at acceptance. Lower levels have a wide range of abilities and new dancers arrive/leave each week, so the combinations stay pretty basic and there are very few corrections for most students. Good intensive if your goals are to just stay shape and have a fun summer.
I wouldn't send my dancer for the last session having seen what happen with rehearsals she wasn't a part of. I also feel, with the absence of variations in the afternoons, it was mainly morning ballet and afternoon 'other' dance. This changed a bit in level 3 which is where my dancer had partnering and more challenging classes.
My dancer loved every minute of it and wished she had attended more weeks. Will definitely consider again for next year.
She was also offered a year-round spot after completion of her summer weeks.
