Dorms were shared with students from the summer arts program at the college.(KC Ballet was all on one floor and part of another. Suites, shared bathrooms. DD raved about the food
There was a new dorm being built that is used now.
Dorms were good sized, new building. Very clean, convenient location.
Newer building. Very modern.
Newer dorm, a/c but windows do not open, lots of different styles of gathering spaces throughout the dorm
Dorm is beautiful, but no refrigerator or microwave access was provided or allowed.
The rooms were very spacious but a bit dark. Definitely needed a light or two.
Good overall
Nice, new space but a bit industrial in feel. Adding decorations made it feel more homey.
The floors are open and easy access for other programs using the dorms to roam around.
Nice facility.
The dorms are beautiful. Comfortable with large rooms.
The dorms were fairly new and nice. Appear to be recently renovated.
Students are bused form housing to studio. The housing was shared with other summer programs that are not dance related (ex: science camp).
9pm curfew for all, even the 18+, floors were mixed ages and gender, suites had two bedrooms with 4 students total sharing one bathroom so very comfortable, all outings and evening movie nights were mostly boring and mandatory.
Housed in dorm along with another summer camp (on separate floors). Girls were not allowed in rooms other than their own.
Housing was the nicest of any SI we’ve been to! Housed at KCAI
Beautiful, modern suite-style housing, safe campus and surrounding area. 4 dancers per suite with 2 in each room w/ a shared bathroom. Curfew is on the early side for 16+. Food options were not the best and Door Dash became a necessity for dinners when the dining hall options were not healthy or well suited to dietary needs of dancers.
Very spacious but there was no fridge
Very modern & very nice
Rooms were spacious, and common areas were nice for hanging out. RA's were amazing. Dorms were shared with art students for the last 3 weeks.
1 roomate, connected to a bathroom shared with two suitemates.
2 kids per room connected by a bathroom to 2 other kids. The KCB kids took up a floor and a half in the dorm. Move-in and out days were very well organized and they had large laundry carts to haul everything to/from the rooms. 18-22yo were in an extended stay hotel, not the dorm. Kids were allowed in other kids rooms with the door propped open. Bed check was 9pm during the week and 10pm Fri/Sat for the dorm kids. Buses left for the studio at 8am. Dancers pack their lunch at breakfast in a provided container and they are refrigerated at the studio until lunch time.
Very clean and spacious. Two to a room, four total in the suite with a shared bathroom. Toilet and shower were separate spaces and each room had a sink- made mornings a lot easier!
Beautiful dorms!
Dancers 18+ live in a hotel and walk to meals and buses at the Kansas City Art Institute.
There were roaches in our rooms and found in our beds and throughout the facility. The activities provided only happened over the weekend so we wouldn’t have much to do during the weeks
KBC housed dancers in the Art Institute dorms which were accessible only by key cards and fully staffed security at the front desk. The dorm is located on a beautiful campus with green spaces and access to the Nelson-Atkins art museum sculpture garden and walking safe sidewalk walkways to the country club plaza shopping district. The suites are large and have spacious storage inside the room and the en suite bathroom. There are many common lounges and spaces on each floor and lower level. The housing was cheerful and comfortable. Laundry and dining are connected to the dorm which was extremely convenient.
Very nice dorms! Art students did move in during the fourth week, but our mealtimes were separate from theirs, and because of our classes, we were away from the dorms all day, so I didn’t interact with them much.
Beautiful dorm built in 2020 and attached to the dining hall. On the campus of KCAI, which was very nice.
Very nice, safe, clean.
Very new and overall really nice
It was beautiful and clean. RA’s were great
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?
No
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
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
No
Yes
Dietary needs?
No
Yes
Specific needs
Gluten.
Lactose intolerant
Nut allergies
Nut allergy
Severe food allergies - several
Tree nut allergy.
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
The Zoo
the zoo, specifically the African Sky Safari
Legally Blonde the Musical
Museum
Legally Blonde at Starlight outdoor theater
Legally Blonde the Musical
The trip to the Eleve store and seeing Legally Blonde the Musical
Legally Blond the musical
Legally Blonde the Musical at the Starlight Theater
None. They were lame.
Watched an open dress rehearsal for moving arts- a summer contemporary ballet company.
She loved all of them!
new moves
None
Eleve warehouse.
Visit to the Eleve store
professional woman's soccer game
Kc Current Women’s Soccer Game
The Little Mermaid musical
Photo shoot at the museum
KC Current soccer game, target trips, eleve shopping
Shakespeare in the Park
KC Current game and Nelson Atkins Museum
Eleve Factory
Soccer game
The trip to the Eleve factory and flagship store
Eleve store/soccer game
They had private Eleve store tour and shopping.
Eleve factory and store
Pool, Eleve factory
Elevè store
the pool
Elevé Dancewear or Moving Arts
Elevé store and the Kansas city sporting game
Soccer Game & The Wiz
Swimming pool with diving board!
Folly Theater - to see a professional company rehearsal
Tour of the Kauffman Center
I really enjoyed the Wiz, and the Fourth of July fireworks were amazing!
Tour and shopping at the eleve dancewear store
Trip to Eleve Dancewear to see how their leotards are made and to shop.
she liked all of them
Pool trip
Tour of the Kaufman center
Eleve Warehouse. It was required to attend all outings.
Least favorite
She enjoyed all of them
the baseball game was too hot and sunny and she was not into baseball
Required to attend all
She wasn’t too fond of Union Station/Spider-Man exhibit
I feel like a trip to Target isn’t an outing, more of a necessity. The Musical and Union Station were good though.
None
None (all were required)
Musical theater show with questionable sexual content.
All were required
All were great!
Outings are weak at most
Nons
na
All were required
My dancer did not like that the outings were mandatory
Liked all the outings!
NA
The Starlight is such a great venue however the Disney themed show was however my dancer's least favorite activity.
They were all required
They were all pretty good. I didn't expect the soccer game to be fun, but it was.
All are required
They are all required at KCB, but it is nice that everyone goes as it eliminates some of the peer pressure about who is going or not.
Soccer game
the wiz
Tour of the Kauffman Center
NA
Fireworks at the WWII memorial; The Wiz; Soccer game; Target; Eleve dance wear; Tour of Kauffman center
n/a
I enjoyed all of the outings! If you’re not a people person, though, the soccer game or pool could be a little overwhelming. We were required to travel in groups, though, so the crowds weren’t a problem.
NA
n/a
All of them are included in the price and good choices.
All were required
She liked them all
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
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
The training received, the teachers, and the food
Everything. One thing that stood out was the shopping/eating/arts district within walking distance of dorm
Full schedule, incredible staff, smaller class sizes
Small program that really focuses on growing each individual dancer
Growth in technique, strong faculty
Everyone got correction
The training and facilities
It was extremely organized and the environment was very positive and healthy but also very challenging and intense. The teachers were all amazing and gave so much individual corrections and attention.
The other students
The dedication from teachers and faculty was amazing. They put everything into the classes that they taught, which really showed in the improvement of the students.
Great instructors. Constructive feedback.
The instructors really care about the improvement of the students!
The teachers and faculty!
the teachers and the environment
Dorms are nice
The facilities and training are incredible
I love how controlled it was. They had boundaries of where they could go and when they could go there. I didn’t worry about her at all. In comparison she went to Philly the year before and the students had way more liberties to explore the city. She loved it … I as a parent did not love that aspect.
variety of instructors
Really good classes, I learned so much.
Great teachers, studios and dorms. Well organized.
Studios and teachers
Safe, variety of techniques and classes, amazing facilities
Great organization and communication, Nice variety of guest teachers as well as KCB staff
The faculty and the quality of instruction, personal attention given to dancers - everyone from guest faculty to year-round teachers cared about the growth of dancers and created a warm yet hard-working environment. My dancer loved the personal attention and feedback from the teachers - she felt like they were really invested in her growth - perhaps even more than at her home studio. Also the KCB facilities are absolutely gorgeous - who wouldn't want to spend time dancing there?!
The guest teachers
Everyone is so nice, i especially loved all of the ra's. I also improved tremendously from the classes. Also the cookies were amazing!!
Experiencing all of the guest teachers and different ways of teaching. The studios were very large and nice, with new floors. Everyone received a lot of corrections. The contemporary program was strong, and everyone had technique for two hours per day, as well as pointe every day (for females), plus three additional classes.
There was a good mix of teachers every day and partnering for all levels (frequency varied by level). There was a good balance of studio and dorm life.
There was a broad range of "extra" classes and it was nice all levels had some partnering. All the levels had a variety of teachers each day.
KCBSI truly cared about the whole dancer- nutrition, injury awareness, recovery, career planning, technique, etc. My daughter felt at home from the very first day.
There were so many phenomenal teachers and guest teachers.
Guest teachers, especially: Kyra Nichols, Sarah Lamb, and Paulo Arrais.
the teachers and studios
There were so many levels that everyone was put where they needed to be and could improve the most in. The teachers also created a great atmosphere that was encouraging and led to lots of growth.
The time spent dancing each day was large and very beneficial and the guest teacher line up was very impressive.
Training + housing + great students
Confidence building and healthy approach to ballet for dancer and excellent communication to parents
There are a variety of classes, long hours, and experienced teachers at this intensive.
Guest faculty; communication from SI Director; smaller sizes allowing for corrections in each class.
Got to learn from lots of different teachers throughout the program.
All the different teachers! They each have their own teaching style, and it’s amazing to get to learn from each of them.
I loved the community and environment but also the great training provided
Teachers, class size, amount of attention, full days of classes, high level of skill both from the other dancers and the teachers.
Very supportive and positive environment
KCBS offers a very strong program--excellent training in a positive and supportive environment. We are from the Northeast and had not heard much about it, but would recommend it wholeheartedly to dancers at all levels. It's exceptional.
The people
Everything. My daughter loved everything about it. Communication was perfect and well organized. Planned trips were great. RA’s were great and return every Summer. Dorms were beautiful. Studio was beautiful. Amazing guest teachers from all over. Amazing regular teachers. She was happy with her placement and felt like it was fair. Classes were 9-5 every day. No Saturday classes.
Least liked about program
Hip hop,
the lunch was not the best
Requirement for all to attend every activity; rates G movie nights
Some of the outings, variety of lunch choices/options
Nothing
They did not provide very much protein in the cafeteria. We (more than one parent) reached out and nothing changed. These kids were burning a tremendous amount of calories and their bodies NEEDED protein! I spent a small fortune on protein bars and door dash for my dancer in addition to buying the meal plan. It was unacceptable.
Nothing!! Loved every second of it.
Administration
Leaving the dorm policy was too strict
The outings were lacking. But Kansas City isn’t that interesting.
One of the studios is quite small with very slippery floors and we would have pointe class in there skmetimes which was quite stressful.
The food.
nothing
Admin
The food
food- typical dorm food, very little variety
The food was not very good. Also my level and the level below me didn’t get partnering (but i’m told the year before me everyone had partnering however only the upper levels had it while i was there)
Food could have been better.
Housing curfew was too strict and food was not healthy, lots of beige fried food with pizza and chicken nuggets served too often.
Not assigned roommate until move in, hard to access physical therapist (long waitlist), some evenings were boring without enough activities and girls not allowed to be in other rooms, felt like there wasn’t as much bonding between dancers as we have experienced at previous SIs
Not as many week-end activities as other programs
My dancer loved it all! There were two things she mentioned but are unrelated to the content of the program: the dorm food was not all that good or healthy and some of the studios were really cold from air conditioning in the mornings. She was grateful when teachers would turn it off so their bodies could warm up properly and safely perform during challenging technique classes.
The leveling and that the teachers weren’t structured enough
Some of food at the dorms wasn't very good. Also the leveling was off.
Lowest levels did not receive a lot of partnering. Leveling didn't seem entirely fair but was mostly based on age. The females were not allowed use of the gym at the dorms.
The healthy food wasn't great. The leveling seemed more based on age than ability (despite saying ability). There were more modern classes than other styles.
The food seemed only ok
Placements after acceptance.
The food was often a problem. Very little variety and not enough protein options.
Teachers comments on food.
45 minute lunch💔
We didn’t have yoga every week.
The dorm/activities. It felt very restricted as we could only sign out on the weekends and there weren’t many activities during the week
Length…my daughter would have stayed longer than 5 weeks! She loved the program!
Logistics to get to KC, MO
N/A
My dancer's level had 2 teachers no show. The SI director did a fantastic job pivoting, but still that was disappointing. Additionally, there really was not as much variety of dance for my dancer's leveling that she would have liked. One day (or maybe 2) of Jazz, contemporary, and character. It would have been nice to shift away from modern for some of their extra classes to expose the dancers to some of the other forms.
I loved everything!
Loved everything about it.
n/a
There wasn't anything to complain about.
Nothing
Food wasn’t the best, but she was able to get what she needed. She never door dashed food, so she managed to find something at every meal time.
Suggested changes to program
Nothing
nothing
Requirement to attend all social events
Nothing
Not much at all
They need to either provide or allow refrigerators and microwaves. They also need to provide adequate nutrition (Protein is necessary).
Make it longer so I could have spent my entire summer there!!!
Move students after first two days
Add more outings on the weekends, allow dorm students to leave campus on weekends
The food. Too much spaghetti, pizza, garbage offered. Not enough clean eating - protein and veggies, and fruit.
More partnering! Each level had only two partnering classes over the five weeks.
The food.
nothing
Admin has an extreme lack of reasoning when dealing with any issue, including students getting caught actively having sex in the dorms by RA, dealing with injuries and recovery, etc
The food
Better food and partnering for all.
Leveling was inconsistent.
Allow the older participants more freedom to get to know the area in order to determine if they’d like to train/live there full time.
Assign roommates early so they can get to know each other in advance, allow more social interaction in dorms
I’d move it closer to where we live! It would be a great place for my dancer to train year round!
Perhaps re-visit placements after the first week of classes. My dancer observed that there was a wide range of ability and maturity of dancers in a few of the levels. This did not impact her experience, however.
For the teachers to push the dancers more
More partnering at lower levels
Better food options in the dorm. If they allowed mini-fridges in the dorm rooms that would help a lot. More planned activities would be good, too.
Better and healthier food options. Allowing fridges in the dorms. Even more partnering classes. More activities during the week would be good.
i wish lunch was an hour and cool down was more of a stretch
I wish we had more yoga. I think weighted workouts could also be beneficial.
NA
Assessment on dancer’s performance and improvement at end
N/A
Less modern, more other character/contemporary/jazz.
I don’t think any changes are necessary.
NA
n/a
Add at least a technique class or something on saturday
She wanted Saturday classes, but at the last minute they didn’t offer Saturday classes. So 4th of July week was tough with having 3 days off in a row. Part of the reason she chose this SI was because they had Saturday classes, so that was disappointing. On the other hand, having Saturday classes might have been too much.
Culture of program
Welcoming and inclusive
supportive
Superb
Very inclusive and supportive
Focused on everyone reaching their potential with a kind, fun atmosphere
Family like
Safe, positive, professional
Very positive and nurturing but also very intense and challenging.
Positive
Very supportive. Kansas City Ballet fostered a positive atmosphere, and the girls in my class felt like a real community.
Very positive and constructive
Supportive and growth oriented.
Great!
very fun and informational
Amazing
It felt very warm and welcome. The teachers all seemed like they genuinely cared about the kids. It did not seem to be a place where they played a lot of favorites.
Very positive
Friendly and fair
Fun, intense days, unstructured evenings
Supportive, hardworking and happy
Warm and inclusive, serious yet fun. For the most part, dancers were serious about learning and growing and teachers were committed to delivering a challenging experience for dancers in a supportive manner.
Good
SO SWEET AND SUPPORTIVE
friendly, supportive, encouraging, intense
The teaching staff were supportive and the dorms were fun.
It seemed like a very well run and organized SI. Parents were kept well-informed. It seemed like a good group of kids--but certainly was heavier on older kids (only a handful of 12-13yo) as this SI goes to age 22.
Friendly, caring, supportive
Fabulous and supportive.
Very, very positive.
amazing and encouraging
The culture was incredible. Every teacher was encouraging and gave time to every student. Everyone was very friendly, and it made each day feel great. I could feel myself improving and getting stronger. By the end their was visible improvement in everyone.
welcoming and loving
Loving and supportive environment from students and instructors!
KCB was a positive, happy experience for our daughter as it balanced fun, discipline, and strength building in ballet and encouraged achievable goal setting. The dorm RA dancers were incredibly kind and supportive. Our daughter wants to go back! As parents, we were most impressed with the communication and organization from Rachel Dugan.
Positive environment
Very positive.
very supportive and friendly environment
I was one of the few minority students at the intensive, but I felt comfortable in and out of the studio, and I was nurtured by every teacher.
I felt everyone was so welcoming, supportive, and kind, and I did not feel afraid to push myself out of my comfort zone
Supportive yet disciplined. Positive energy from both teachers and students.
very positive
Positive culture with a wide range of dancer abilities and ages. Well-known guest teachers bring an inspirational aspect. The core faculty of KCBS are exceptional.
Very supportive and fun
Positive and uplifting
Other comments
no
I would definitely send my daughter back. She had an incredible experience, in and out of the studio. I saw a ton of progress and a positive experience.
They invite to preprofessional and trainee from SI
No
This was definitely my favorite SI I have ever done. We got to dance so much and got such great instruction. I did not feel like I was just a number—I felt like the teachers got to know the dancers and really helped each of us. It was a very intense 5 weeks but I loved every second and left a better dancer for sure.
I loved this program and would be happy to return again
no.
Would not accept an offer from the company based on new admin
This was an incredible experience that in my opinion would be hard to beat!
They prefer 19+ year old dancers for trainee positions so recent high school grads are much less likely to get invited as Trainee regardless of skill level (although they can attend the daytime program).
There were a lot of rules but a lot of grace
This is definitely somewhere my dancer would like to return!
If you are looking for an intensive that is smaller in size but big with learning and personal attention, this is a phenomenal option.
Also, I want to give kudos to the RAs and Admin staff - RAs really got to know and create community with the dancers. To me this a direct reflection of the Administrative and Leadership team setting a tone for what it means to be part of Kansas City Ballet. Everyone was so welcoming from the first moments of the intensive experience (dorm check-in, studio tour, orientation) that it set the stage for what was to come. My dancer's experience showed that it just got stronger as the program progressed. She came home a stronger dancer with more life perspective and maturity. She'd love to go back to KCB in the future.
I loved this program. It was very safe around the dorms. The teachers were nice and helpful, and the RA's were well-trained and excellent.
Partnering for the lowest two levels was twice over five weeks, the other four levels had it once a week. The final demo had 2 pieces per level with rehearsals twice a week.
I would highly recommend this program--it was well run and my dancer had a great time. The kids had freedom to walk to a nearby shopping area (in groups of 3) and it was a very safe area. Partnering at all levels was appreciated. There is a fun art museum next to the dorm where kids took great dance photos. Activities were decent and it was nice they were required so everyone just went. The two trips to Target were helpful, too (1st and 3rd Wednesday).
This is not a Balanchine based program even though they're Balanchine/ SAB trained guest teachers.
Some of the second company and trainees would come a take class with our level. It made the classes feel like I was taking an actual company class. The live music was also great. Every pianist was unique and played awesome music.
Would definitely attend again!
There was little cost outside of the actual SI tuition and disclosed costs for leotards and shirts. We feel that KCB exceeded our expectations.
This is a wonderful program, definitely worth the tuition! All of the girls harem happy at the end of the five weeks.
Overall, it was great. The communication was wonderful. It's obvious that Miss Rachel cares a great deal about the dancers and takes their time and dedication to dance seriously. I hope that she continues in this role, as she was a highlight of this summer intensive from a parent perspective.
Super fun!
food was better than we had heard
It is an amazing program. So well organized and facilities were amazing. It was the perfect choice for my dancer. Made lots of great friends and lasting memories. And improved technique!
