Sprung floors with marley but with wrinkles and missing tape
Sprung floors with secure marley
Sprung wood floor
Wood floors not 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
3
4
5
More than 5
Saturday classes
No
Saturday class duration
N/A
Leveling
Leveling
Assigned after placement class
Assigned when accepted
Leveling type
Ability
Age
Unsure
Did students move levels?
No
Yes
Leveling fair?
No
Yes
Students per class
10-15
16-24
25-30
Performance
Performance?
Nothing
Parents observe a class
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
0
1
2
3
Bathrooms
Private in room
Private in suite
Coed bathrooms
No
Yes
Air conditioning
No
Yes
Housing comment
"Close to subway. Had nice roof deck"
"Housing requires student to have a moderate level of independence"
"They were nice for NYC. More spacious than other NYC dorming situations with only one or two to a suite. DD was in a double. There was a kitchenette with a cooktop, sink, and small fridge, plus all rooms had ensuite bathrooms.
No food provided. Dancers are expected to make or purchase all of their own meals. DD did an amazing job and was way under budget. We stocked up on deli meat, fruit/veg, hummus, pasta, peanut butter, protein bars, etc from the grocery which is a block away. She supplemented with restaurant bagels, pizza, and the occasional “fancy meal” out with friends. Ended up costing way less than a traditional meal plan and I think DD ate simply, but healthy."
"Students are not allowed in any of their friends rooms, even for a minute. They can only meet on the rooftop deck or in the basement lounge. Otherwise lots of freedom to explore the city."
"Students were not allowed in each other's rooms- got in trouble even for crossing the threshold."
"Great location, tight quarters, but that is expected for NYC. Lots of freedom to explore NYC."
"The AC was out more than it worked, and my child’s room was over 100* on move in day. The room never got cooler than 85* and mostly it stayed around 90*. Also, on day 1 the housing person announced they decided to abandon what was in their own handbook - the new policy was that regardless of your age or if your parents signed the waiver allowing you autonomy, they now planned to subject everyone to their highest level of supervision. We would never have sent our child there if we anticipated this sort of gross overreach. Add to that the total absence of a meal plan and classes that got out too late to allow students adequate time to get food before the imposed curfew time. Not everyone can afford to have food delivered constantly! Then after one of my child’s roommates were caught going through other’s belongings and stealing from my child the school did nothing about it. My child decided to leave early ultimately because the living situation was miserable, and while the classes were alright they were certainly not worth suffering through the living conditions. I would not recommend this program to anyone."
"The A/C worked sporadically for the entire 4 weeks. It was sometimes as hot as 86 in the room. When it did work it never got below 74 and was very, very loud. The management company “resolved” the issue in week 4 when my daughter was leaving so I’m not sure it ever was truly sorted. Very tight rooms in a heat wave was very uncomfortable."
"No"
"Would not recommend choosing a quad room- 2 bunk beds in what is normally a double room. Not every quad had the same floor plan either, so some quads had more space than my daughter’s and some had even less, which is unimaginable. I feel Ellison was very misleading in providing a room to house 4 people. There was not adequate space by any means. They only provided a tiny mini fridge (no freezer) so we had to purchase an additional one. Each person had 1.5 drawer space, 1/4 of a closet/wardrobe and 1 shelf for all their items. There was space under the bed for some storage. There were issues off and on with the a/c this summer which made for some miserable nights with the rooms getting close to 90 degrees overnight. Not an ideal situation, but the building manager and Ellison did everything possible to get repairs/problems corrected as soon as possible."
"There were no set weeknight activities but you could leave if you wanted to if you needed to go to target, whole foods,etc. AC did break a few times which wasn’t great but the building fixed it every time."
"The rooms did have an AC unit, but it struggled to work the entire time I lived there and the people in charge of the building (who are not associated with Ellison Ballet) did not help with the problem.
It is also advertised that there are small refrigerators for each room. This is incorrect. They are mini-fridges and I had a few peers whose fridge didn't work correctly. So it is not optimal for storing perishables.
The rooms are very small when sharing with more than one other person.
There were two microwaves in the dorm while I was there. They were both in the basement along with two sets of washers and dryers."
"kitchen is tiny"
"Small rooms. Gave the dancers a true NYC experience!"
"Elevator broke the day of check in and my dancer was one of a few that got stuck in it for 20 minutes until the fire department came. It's very small and slow. They provide bi-weekly cleaning, which is a nice touch"
"They are not allowed in each others rooms, which doesn't lend itself to making friends..."
"Students often snuck into each other’s rooms easily"
"Na"
"Tiny kitchen- Have easy meal ideas planned in advance."
"Great location"
"The company that ran the housing did a good job of keeping the place clean. There were bi-weekly room cleanings. Rooms were not bad, small functional. Mattresses could be updated."
"It has a tiny mini fridge and a mini stove top. No microwave."
"The rooms were very small but to be expected for NY. Tiny fridge with tiny freezer space. No microwave."
Where did they stay?
Host family
Rented an apartment or house
Stayed with local family or friends
Student lived at home
Housing - Supervision
Curfew
No
Yes
Curfew reasonable?
No
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
Too harsh
Housing - Cleanliness
Laundry available
No
Yes
Laundry free
No
Unsure
Yes
Housing cleanliness
Dirty
1
2
3
4
5
Spotless
Cleaning required
No
Yes
Meal Plan
Meal plan
No
Yes
Food quality
Gross
1
2
3
4
5
Excellent
Enough food
Yes
Dietary needs?
No
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
Repeated Responses:
"ABT Sylvia" (2 responses)
Unique Responses:
"ABT performance and Joyce Performance"
"Edge/Highline Tour"
"The cruise and the ballet"
"ABT performances at The MetOp"
"The cruise"
"ABT’s Romeo and Juliet"
"River Cruise"
"Watching ABT's Swan Lake"
"Dinner cruise in the harbor"
"The ballets"
"ABT Ballets"
"All of them!"
"ABT’s performances of Swan Lake and Romeo and Juliet"
"Going to see ABT perform and the dinner boat cruise."
"Metropolitan ballet Romeo and Juliet"
"ABT show"
"I went to see ABT's ticketed performance of Swan Lake."
"ABT Ballets at Met Opera"
"4th of July at Central Park"
"ABT shows"
"Ballets"
"She loved the dinner cruise."
"Seeing Gisselle ballet performed by ABT"
"All the ballets"
"ABT Ballet at the Met"
"Attending the Ballet's at Lincoln Center!"
"All of them! She loved all the ballets she attended!"
"Ballet at the Met"
Least favorite
Repeated Responses:
"N/A" (2 responses)
Unique Responses:
"Enjoyed all."
"None - they were all good"
"All are great"
"None"
"The boat cruise"
"Ballet Performances"
"None of them"
"none"
"I would recommend all,they were all so fun and a great way to meet different people from the intensive."
"they were all good"
"Dinner cruise - very expensive"
"Dinner cruise"
"NA"
"Cruise"
"The dinner cruise"
"Fourth of July wasn't great, and there was nothing to do but walk around central Park"
"The cruise was expensive"
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
I traveled without a chaperone
NA
Parents could pick if they want elf a chaperone with their children or not.
Public transportation with chaperone
Public transportation without chaperone
She took train
subway
Walked with and without parent
Walked with chaperone
Walked without chaperone
You can choose to have your dancer go with a chaperone, with peers or alone
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
Repeated Responses:
"Training" (2 responses)
Unique Responses:
"The quality of the instruction"
"New York City was a fabulous city to spend the summer in and tremendous growth as dancer."
"DD liked the training she received in her technique and pointe classes and the freedom to explore NYC with her new friends, especially after a year and a half of very limited social interaction due to Covid-19."
"Consistent and excellent teaching. Liked that they had one dedicated technique/pointe teacher each week. Really great contemporary and character."
"The level of intensity and the fact that you are surrounded by dancers of a similar goal: to be a professional; dancers are pushed and it’s hard, nothing is allowed to “slide”… the results speak for themselves."
"The teachers"
"The teaching was excellent as well as the level of personal attention"
"Level of instruction and being in NYC"
"Being in Nyc and the training"
"training serious students and teachers but kind overall"
"the technique"
"Some of the teachers were really incredible, and I loved the pianists."
"Very strong training, very intense. The teachers pay attention to every detail."
"It’s in NYC, but luckily there are other places to train there!"
"The training"
"The ballet training"
"The consistency of teaching. Each group had the same ballet technique teacher every other week. They were both Ellison faculty."
"The number of corrections teachers would give and how they broke every step down was very helpful to me."
"Very calm, friendly, but attentive teaches with clear corrections and scrupulous training."
"Very attentive teachers treating students like year around and helping them to achieve their goals."
"I enjoyed the classes and the opportunity to bond with the other dancers in my classes."
"Living in NYC and focused Vagonava technique"
"Teachers, focus on technique, living in NYC, ABT shows, the standard of all the dancers"
"Strong mens program, lots of partnering, good contenporary"
"Training from different teachers and consistency - no extra unnecessary classes"
"Consistent Vaganova technique"
"location in NYC"
"Training was intense"
"Serious dancers together working hard."
"NYC"
"The best aspect I witnessed was the discipline that was instilled in the dancers there. The culture there is so keen to learning and teachers really expect it from you. There is a lot of talent there and it is really inspiring to see all of the amazing dancers around you. Teachers are very invested in you learning and will really push and help you as much as you are willing to invest in yourself. The sky is the limit there."
"The excellent instruction and caliber of the teachers."
"Having year round teachers"
"Teachers are incredible"
"Teachers prioritizing proper technique, the level of attention to detail, the caliber of the students attending. It's a rigorous, serious program and your child will be surrounded by most dancers who wish to pursue a professional career in ballet. All the dancers seemed to be very supportive of each other. Being in NYC and seeing ABT performances at the Met was also very inspiring."
"The training and teachers"
"Strong Ballet Technique"
"My dancer says there was a lot of dancing and she felt she grew a lot"
"The training depending on the teacher was excellent and transformative. To be surrounded by incredibly talented dancers who are serious about ballet was inspiring. My daughter made life long friends."
Least liked about program
Repeated Responses:
"No meal plan" (2 responses)
Unique Responses:
"There could be some more fun organized nyc activities during the week."
"Student needs to prepare or purchase their own meals which was expensive."
"Because it was a covid year, students were leveled by age. DD was put in a lower level because she was 14 (turning 15 during the program). And, her level didn't get partnering. I wish they would have done leveling by ability so she could get to have partnering classes. But, it was a covid year so not sure if it's changed."
"The dorm rules"
"admitted bias body types; That’s ballet though. And that happens a lot of places anyway; but just concentrated here. No real complaints; you know what you are signing up for here and it’s still worth it all to come and train. They care about aesthetics a little too much, however at least they care about it (dancer and parent both agree that aesthetics do ultimately matter, just maybe shouldn’t be the most important); been to places where there is not a care in the world about the look of it all and that’s not good either……"
"Food was on your own (if my child were younger, this is what would have been difficult to manage)."
"Housing"
"N/A"
"Hostile treatment of students by some (not all) of teachers"
"I didn't love my roomates and it was quite clique-y and relatively hard to make friends"
"Lack of meal plan. The dorm had a tiny stovetop for 4 dancers to share, so it was difficult to prepare meals."
"The communication was horrible, the living conditions were abysmal, and the lack of a meal plan made it difficult especially considering the kids were not given time to get food elsewhere. Also, the bait and switch game they played with the older students and their parents regarding supervision was completely unacceptable. I signed the school’s waiver granting my child autonomy because I trust my ADULT child who has lived away from home for four years. For the school to change their policies after we are locked into being there and paid their fees is not okay!"
"The dormitories."
"The large class size"
"One teacher in particular wasn’t always encouraging to the students. Some dancers may not have been able to handle her teaching style. There were many days my daughter’s group was called lazy several times during class and told they acted like they didn’t want to be there. Had to have tough skin on those days. Wasn’t very happy about the quad room living space, but should’ve asked more questions before choosing that plan. Will know better in the future."
"Class sizes were pretty large and I don’t think they placed some kids accurately."
"Driving through traffic to Lincoln center district"
"underlying competitiveness"
"Parking by the studio is very limited and there’s no option to wait for dancer in the building for security reasons. But it’s pretty safe outside with cafe outside sitting area nearby."
"long breaks in between classes (like 2-3 hours)"
"Lack of a meal plan.
Mr Ellison only taught one class in the 4 weeks."
"Character"
"Would love for kids to have walkable distance dorms"
"Toxic culture from teachers- weight comments, rude corrections"
"Subway travel is not safe and multiple instances of being threatened because of my race, lots of aggressive/drugged out homeless, threatened bodily harm several times"
"There was significant favoring and un-even attention paid to dancers. Rumors were also rampant about many full year kids not planning to return and the loss of recent teachers from the full year program. Overall it was a gossipy environment."
"There were favorites established from day one. If you were not a favorite you received no corrections or attention. Favorites were based solely on body type instead of work ethic. There was a lot of body shamming and overly harsh criticism."
"Teacher who was very mean"
"One complaint is that I wish Ellison himself taught us more. I only had the opportunity of taking one of his classes. From what I hear though, he is transitioning out of the school and handing it over in to other leadership."
"The long breaks between classes - would've preferred one more class to minimize downtime."
"The tiny kitchen in the dorm since no meal plan was offered"
"Nothing"
"Some teachers blatantly focused only on a handful of students from the get go. Other students felt ignored and overlooked. As a school that has a reputation as the go-to for improvement and results, this was disappointing. Many of the students were self-motivated though and tried to incorporate the corrections given to those select few so they can learn and improve despite that. Also, I imagine this is due to the studio and teacher's schedules but some of the breaks between classes were close to 3 hours long. With the dorms not being close by, going back to rest was not an option and this felt very long."
"I liked everything"
"No meal plan/Expensive"
"Nothing negative to say! We loved everything from the dancing to down life and city life!"
"There was one new younger teacher who does not teach year round, she seemed green and only focused on her favorites and if you were not one of them, you barely got any attention or got a sense that she cared. This was discouraging."
Suggested changes to program
"Incorporate nutrition and pilates"
"Some type of meal plan would be nice, even if it was just catered lunches."
"Have Mr. Ellison teach a wider variety of levels. Have partnering for the lower levels"
"the ability to hang out in each other's rooms - this would permit more time to bond with other dancers."
"Some type of meal plan"
"N/A"
"Removing leadership and faculty who still have a dated idea of bullying students rather than mentoring in order to get to a goal"
"More of a final showcase"
"Communications, living arrangements, meal plans, and supervision policies"
"Leveling more by ability, less by age."
"Nothing"
"My child thrived in there, in my opinion it’s solid “get result and improve” SI"
"reduce long breaks during 4 wk EBSI"
"It could probably help to break first two levels into more groups, but I don’t think they have enough room for that… so, I want them to change nothing, they were paying lots of attention as it is. Character class was exceptionally good - in 4 weeks Mr.Dvorovenko taught them 6-8 types of character dances (which they demonstrated to parents), and it was priceless. The only disappointing teacher was in contemporary: they were acting detached and cold, more “demonstrating” than teaching, leaving all dancers to carry along if they can - probably more suited to teach professional adults than kids. But otherwise the SI was so great, my kid doesn’t want to audition to anything else next summer. And I know many kids in the program felt the same."
"schedule shorter breaks"
"Add a meal plan"
"Exactly as expected."
"Old school approach to corrections from teachers- rude, body shaming, yelling. Level never had Mr. Ellison, and rotated teachers every week, but had the same 2 teachers, doing the same barre- it was mind numbing."
"No body shaming, at least some positive comments being spoken to the class, a more supportive environment instead of just harsh criticism"
"Smaller groups, better contemporary training, less palace intrigue overall."
"Fire that teacher"
"It was a bit of a drag that kids weren't allowed to hang out in each others' rooms. We understand why this is the case, but my dancer didn't love it. Also, in an ideal world, it'd be nice if there was an opportunity to express some preferences for roommate matching with respect to cleanliness and schedule. My kid is an early bird who roomed with a night owl and this made for some exhausted mornings!"
"Having a meal plan offered"
"I wouldn’t change anything."
"Meal plan/Expensive"
"To have shorter breaks, some were too long"
"All non year round teachers should be vetted for their experience and reputation. Ellison is one the most expensive intensives out there and sending your dancer there is a sacrifice for many families. Emphasis should be made for teachers to more evenly focus on all the attendees, not just a select few.
Also, it would be helpful if a meal plan was provided."
Culture of program
"Rigorous and serious."
"Fun and upbeat while still providing rigorous classes."
"DD thought all of the dancers who attended were very talented, serious/hard-working, and also very kind. The kids in the dorm all got along really well, and the upper-level dancers mixed with the lower level dancers. If your dancer is mature enough to handle the less structured dorm environment, it’s a great SI."
"Very serious and competitive which my daughter loved. Many students are using the summer as an audition for the year-round."
"Extremely selective, old-school training and teachers, insane results; don’t take everything personally and build a thick skin; extremely hard working staff and students"
"The intensive is not warm and fuzzy, which my dancer prefers."
"Very serious students; high expectations of dancers"
"Serious but positive"
"intense, elite but again kind and supportive"
"toxic"
"Professional, intense, precise, yet supportive"
"The dance was fine but not what it was talked up to be, but the living conditions ruined everything."
"Serious."
"Welcoming, but intense"
"I think it was a healthy culture. I do know there were upset dancers/parents over the level placements. It’s important to know going in, that Ellison SI levels by age. The only exception to the rule is for the advanced/favored year round Ellison students, they are placed in the highest level no matter age."
"Friendly but disciplined"
"intense, many are there because they want a year round spot"
"Respectful, honest, caring about individual progress and disciplined. The humor is often used to convey the idea and overall dancers were in full adoration of their teachers. (Except contemporary, but it was tolerable)"
"It seemed to be a competitive environment with highly trained dancers."
"it’s serious training"
"Excellent."
"Very focused, expectations to work hard"
"Supportive yet intense"
"Driven and friendly, teachers genuinely want summer students to improve"
"Toxic- daughter said it made her want to quit ballet"
"Toxic, abusive"
"Serious, dedicated, competitive"
"Bad"
"Rigorous, joyful, and growth-focused. She loved her classmates and found no competition or drama - just kind, supportive kids who love to dance."
"Pretty good"
"Serious training for students who want to go pro."
"Rigorous, serious, focused"
"Hard work, motivating and fun"
"Intense, competitive, professional"
"Very encouraging, positive, motivating"
"Serious and rigorous training. Depending on the teacher, transformative."
Other comments
"My daughter attended from age 13-17. I think they do a great job with technique and artistry."
"Be prepared to work hard! Also this: Training is appropriate for 12+, but dorms seem more suitable for 14+ due to the required independence. Dancers are required to travel from dorms to the studio by subway (DD went with friends and not an adult chaperone) and were responsible for all of their own meals. Most dancers were also allowed to travel the city with only other students (no chaperones). There were only two- maybe three 12/13 year olds in the dorm."
"During parent observation classes, it was clear to onlookers which dancers maybe got in based on the “look” (despite auditions?) and maybe were in over their heads because several of those dancers who take pretty pictures online couldn’t keep up in class. Maybe their leveling was wrong… leveling is hard though and you only can have so many students in each level. Dancer loves the small size and attention everyone fairly gets."
"My dd loved this intensive more than ABT NY, which she loved last year."
"Having a dorm was key but the rooms are quite small. I would be hesitant to send a very young child here to stay in the dorm because it definitely requires a level of independence that is more on par with 14+ yrs. That being said, I was pleasantly surprised with what my 14 yr old daughter accomplished living/shopping/cooking on her own and she absolutely loved the program."
"Such a rewarding 4 weeks of hard work!"
"my dd was young when she went to Ellison and didnt know what to expect but loved every minute of it and would go back when older too"
"The technique taught is excellent, and my dancer improved...but the toxicity is not worth the improvement"
"This is a wonderful program. Your dancer will improve. Some of the teachers are old school Russian, so the dancer needs to be ready to work hard and take corrections. It is worth it."
"If the living conditions were so bad that they completely overshadowed the value and quality of the training."
"The dorm accommodations make it difficult to make any sort of proper meal and since no meal plan is provided, this is 100% on your student. It gets very expensive very quick. I don’t think I would send a child less than 14 there because it’s a lot to manage. Living in NYC and the ballet classes are absolutely the highlights of this summer intensive while the dorms are really rather dreadful."
"Excellent program for improving your technique and pointe work."
"If your dancer wants a challenging vaganova SI, I would consider this one. I feel the students need to be extremely independent and mature in order to navigate on a daily basis if choosing Ellison housing. It is their responsibility for ALL of their everyday needs and getting back and forth from their apartment to the studio. The curfew is quite late- 10 pm during the week and 11 pm on the weekend."
"Having no meal plan can be difficult but there was target,trader joe’s and whole foods that were all walkable. AC broke at least once a week and sometimes took awhile to fix. Rooms are teeny teeny tiny for 4 teenage girls to share."
"Teachers were 💯 invested in each class, in our level 1 each student received attention on a daily basis. It didn’t feel like it’s SI, more like typical ballet year around class where teacher sets some goals and work with students to achieve them. Outstanding teacher ethics. Talent and hardworking recognition."
"overall a really strong summer of training second time my DD has returned. 1st time with CVI and really enjoyed opportunity to learn multiple variations."
"My kid loved every minute and wants to be back this summer. She’s 10, was the youngest in her level and still got attention and grew a lot."
"I was very fond of the lady who is in charge of communication and the dormitories. She was very kind, gracious, and helpful to anyone who needed help. She was firm but she was effective in her communication and it showed that she cared for each of the dancers and their success."
"I really liked it and felt it was great training"
"Emphasis on challenging students and develop.strong foundation"
"Appalling behavior from teachers "Girls, why are your thighs jiggling during jumps? " " Wow, everyone looks bigger after lunch today, what did you eat? " "I"m going to go around and point to those I"m watching today, you are the only ones working hard, I'm not watching the rest of you" "no one will ever pay to watch you dance like that""
"Better programs out there that give more suppport and still give excellent training"
"The culture of the program and full time teachers could improve and be more open/welcoming especially since this summer intensive is such a fundraiser."
"I feel like I wasted much money and my daughter didn’t improved at all."
"I heard a lot of negative things about this intensive that kind of scared me. People said they were going to yell at me and just abuse us to the point we our spirit would break and we would want to quit ballet altogether. That is true to a degree, but it’s nothing I couldn’t handle and is exactly what I needed to hear."
"My daughter absolutely loved her time at EBSI. She loved her classes and instructors, the high expectations, and she loved the independence to explore the city on the weekends. She gained valuable life skills as well as much improved technique."
"Great for an independent and mature student."
"For technique and pointe, there were 2 alternating teachers through the 4 weeks. My dancer's experience varied on the teacher. One of the teachers was exceptional. Her attention to each dancer was motivating and you got a sense she truly wanted each dancer to exceed their potential. Another teacher picked a handful who she wanted to focus on early on. If you were one of the selected few, you probably got a lot out of her class but otherwise, you received very little attention or corrections. Overall, my dancer did enjoy the program and felt she left a stronger dancer. The overall vibe compared to other intensives is that it is serious and rigorous which my dancer appreciated."
"My dancer loved the program. She appreciated the fact that she was in the same environment as others that were just as hard working. My dancer was younger, so she had one of the younger year round teachers, and a guest. Even though she loved both, it would have been nice to have had the other higher level teachers. She was considering the year round program at the junior level, but she didn't get to experience or get familiar with those teachers. I wished there was assistance to make the program more affordable."
"My dancer loved that parents could select level of chaperoning we were comfortable with. For her we selected no chaperone needed and she spent every weekend with her friends going around all over NYC on their own. My dancer often rode the subways solo or with friends and they never experienced anything negative nor heard of any negative experiences. We loved that it was more lax than other programs that require a chaperone just to get coffee. The neighborhood was very safe and lovely! Definitely planing to return."
