BALLET HELP DESK

Summer Intensive Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 223
Total Reviews: 1727

Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory

Summer Intensive Reviews

General

Dancer age

4
6
8
10
4
3

Gender

30
5

First time at a summer intensive?

22
13

Year of SI

1
18
12
4

Weeks available

5
11
2
5
12

Weeks attended

19
16

Reviewer

10
23
1
1

Curriculum

Techniques taught

1
1
10
27

Partnering (based on age)

10
13
11
1

Dedicated men's program?

2
4
29

# of boys in level

5
11
19

Other dance genres

1
1
18
13
3
5
2
2
8
33
1
2
1
1
1

Quality of other classes

Not Helpful
1
4
11
19
Helpful

Injury Prevention

Strength classes?

1
1
19
1
1
33
2
3
2
16
1
6
14

PT offered?

3
15
17

Extra fee for PT?

26
8

Injury rate

23
11
1

Teaching

Who taught?

6
25
4

Guest teachers

5
3
27

Year-round teachers taught

1
26
8

Attention from teachers

Very Little
1
5
11
18
A Lot

Technique improved?

No
1
2
15
17
Yes - Tremendously

Studios

Dance floors

1
1
1
31
2

Studio space

Cramped
1
1
7
26
Lots of Space

Studio cleanliness

Dirty
1
6
28
Spotless

Schedule

Classes per day

25
10

Saturday classes

35

Saturday class duration

8
27

Leveling

Leveling

7
28

Leveling type

1
34

Did students move levels?

27
8

Leveling fair?

8
27

Students per class

10
20
2
1
1
1

Performance

Performance?

15
13
7

Rehearsals happened

8
13
1

Casting equitability

Uneven
1
4
17
Even

Rehearsals detracted from class?

Completely
3
5
27
Not At All

Housing - General

Housing provided

33
2

# of roommates

1
5
2
2
23

Bathrooms

1
1
30
1

Coed bathrooms

32
1

Air conditioning

3
30

Housing comment

  • it is on site housing so no need for dancers to travel to classes. My daughter was actually in a room with 10 dancers (not available as an option). She never once mentioned this being a problem though. All meals were taken in a hall across the road and at all times dancers were walked to and from the building by their RA's. Never left alone. There was a small amount of free time in the evenings but classes ended at 8pm during the week.
  • Each dancer gets a bunk and a set of 3 drawers
  • In same building as studios, really liked that set up.
  • Boys were together in one room, but it was fun
  • There were not enough planned activities for the evening and weekend “down” times
  • Dorms were in same building as studios. Some were larger dorms with more children, my daughter had a corner room with 2 roommates. Boys were in another house. Dorms were spotless, bathrooms and studios updated
  • Some of the rooms were small, and there is not a ton of storage or drawer space. But dancers spend so little time in their rooms that it didn't really matter. The dorms (for girls) were in the same building as the studios so it was nice to be able to pop in and out of a room for a snack, change of shoes, cover ups, etc.
  • Housing is in the same building as the studios if you are a female student.
  • 6 girls were packed into a tiny room, with a window view of a brick wall. 3 bunk beds and shared dressers. Way too small for 6 teenage girls and all of their belongings.
  • I was in a room of 10 dancers but most rooms only had 4-6. I would not recommend the room with 10 and if possible call and see if arrangements can be made for a smaller room. Especially if your dancer has trouble falling asleep.
  • The dorms are in the same building as the studio. There were multiple bathrooms on a floor. The storage space (drawers, armoires) was plentiful)
  • The number of roommates varies according to how many kids are of each gender and in each age group, so my son only had 1 roommate as there were only 2 boys in this session, Session 1, which was mostly younger (10-14 year-old) kids who had never been to an SI before.
  • Safe community with a resident director and RAs living on site. Everyone is very approachable and helpful. It was very convenient to live in the same building as the studio. Most dancers share the space with 4 or more attendees which means that storage space is a bit tight. Keep this in mind when packing.
  • Some rooms are bigger with more roommates & some are smaller with fewer roommates. It is assigned ahead of arrival.
  • In the same building as the studios so my dancer was able to practice or just have fun with friends in the studios in the evenings & on weekends!
  • Housing in the same building as the studios.
  • I originally had 7 other roomates but ended with 5 due to covid. our room was a studio in 3rd floor that they put bunk beds and dressers in. 3rd floor had the nice bathroom and when i went to the 2nd they weren’t bad just not as nice as ours. the RAs were great.
  • Housing was fine, in the same building as the classes. Older kids could go out with a buddy and adhering to curfew.
  • Dorms are in the same building as studios
  • Some rooms are 6 to the room and large rooms. Two rooms are only 4 to a room and are small.
  • For some reason they didn’t clean our room. Also, better food as it was edible but not very good.

Where did they stay?

1
2

Housing - Supervision

Curfew

33

Curfew reasonable?

33

Room check

5
28

How strict were dorms?

22
5
6

Infraction handling

13
19
2

Housing - Cleanliness

Laundry available

33

Laundry free

29
4

Housing cleanliness

Dirty
2
3
15
13
Spotless

Cleaning required

22
11

Meal Plan

Meal plan

1
32

Food quality

Gross
6
10
9
7
Excellent

Enough food

4
28

Dietary needs?

26
6

Specific needs

1
1
4

Dietary options

Limited
1
1
2
2
Lots

Activities

Weeknight activities

11
22

Weekend outings

9
26

Attended weekend outings

4
19
3

Favorite

  • Only one offered, theater trip
  • Trips to target
  • She only did one which was a movie and trip to the performance theatre next door. She also had time for shopping with friends on her free days.
  • They mostly went to get ice cream or shopping
  • Only 1-to Warner Theatre
  • They attended some shows at the theatre, she enjoyed the magic show
  • Movie
  • Icecream
  • Walk to get ice cream; shopping at TJ Maxx & Target
  • Target, TJ Max
  • Taffy pulling at Nutmeg Fudge Company, ice cream shops, & Target & TJ Maxx shopping
  • Target runs, ice cream shop, local movie theatre
  • Going out to ice cream
  • Nature center and trails
  • Target
  • Movie
  • Only one done Jacob’s Pillow
  • N/A
  • Target and Jacob’s Pillow
  • Going to a nearby park to take pictures

Least favorite

  • NA
  • N/a
  • n?A
  • Recommend all!
  • N/A
  • N/A
  • Na

Logistics

Quality of handbook

Spotty
2
8
25
Comprehensive

Program communication

Limited
4
2
2
12
15
Comprehensive

Transportation

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
11
1

Neighborhood safety

Not Safe
1
5
7
22
Very Safe

General Comments

Overall recommendation

Definitely Not
1
6
28
Absolutely

Best aspect

  • Teachers were awesome
  • The family like feel
  • It was a full comprehensive intensive in small enough classes for dancers to be seen and offered corrections. The facilities are wonderful and the staff very kind, caring and compassionate as well as being at the top of their game. It felt like a homely yet productive environment.
  • The faculty are amazing.
  • Amazing for a first time SI.
  • Great teachers, fun atmosphere.
  • The family feel and encouraging atmosphere
  • Very friendly and caring atmosphere, lots of individual attention and men’s work
  • strong teachers, year round preprof program
  • The faculty and staff clearly care about each other and the dancers, both as dancers but also as total human beings with all the emotions and everything else that comes along.
  • Very individualized and caring atmosphere. Consistent teachers and small groups allowed my daughter to grow as a dancer and as a person. The show at the end was incredible. I loved how the days were packed with ballet training, technique, pointe, rep and partnering. There were no fluff classes or long breaks, they danced all day.
  • This intensive is indeed intensive with a full schedule of classes. My dancer was really tired by the end of it! The quality of instruction was excellent and the environment was really positive.
  • The environment. IT;s very nurturing and feels like home.
  • The quality of the instruction.
  • I loved how much dancing I got to do especially the pointe. All the teachers were very dedicated and I felt I greatly improved. I also loved how safe the whole thing was- definitely recommend.
  • I liked having the studio in the dorms. The teachers were good.
  • We could not recommend this program more! Personal attention with outstanding, experienced teachers. Terrific boys program! The housing is really second to none. Our son thrived having the dorms in the same building as the studios. They walked outside as a group with RAs once a day for lunch in a nearby building as well as in the evenings on the weekends for outings nearby.
  • The teachers had high expectations and demanding excellence from their students. This directly correlated to a boost in confidence in the dancers. You could see how proud they were! The teachers seemed to get to know them very well in such a short period of time, and really poured into each student. It was evident that there is a lot of love and professionalism in place at The Nutmeg. There seemed to be a lot of camaraderie amongst the attendees, and it was beautiful to witness.
  • Strong teaching staff, small classes, long dance days, no time spent traveling to/from studios.
  • The training is phenomenal. My dancer grew a tremendous amount being taught by the lead staff at the year-round school. The days are long but my dancer did not feel they were overwhelming. She wanted to work hard & she had the opportunity to do so as well as practice in the studios after classes & on the weekends.
  • The teachers were so joyous and uplifting, and that permeates into all the dancers at the intensive. They were supportive, and it was a great environment for my daughter. She was able to focus on improving technique and truly enjoying the art of ballet. I was impressed with the final performance!
  • the quality of teaching
  • Teachers are attentive and supportive. Other students are friendly and supportive.
  • The training was very detailed, the environment was very positive, it was very safe, and I made a lot of new friends!
  • Faculty genuinely care for students and provide excellent instruction
  • They clearly care for the dancers in every aspect; teaching them to be well-rounded dancers and kind people
  • This was an excellent 1st SI, The location and size was perfect for a young dancer.
  • The social experiences and instruction
  • The amount of hours that we danced and the freedom to be in the studios anytime we weren’t in class. Also amazing teachers.
  • The teachers were super attentive and corrected each and every one of the students. I felt very noticed throughout the program even with different teachers most classes. I loved how they offered a very ballet focused program with a sprinkling of other genres at the end of the day. All of the kids became fast and close friends and a super welcoming and inclusive environment. Lastly, I believe that I improved tremendously over the course of the intensive. More so than any other intensive that I've attended. I highly recommend to try at least once.
  • Like the studios being onsite so I was able to make good connections with other dancers. I felt like I grew a lot in technique and strength I enjoyed the partnering classes.

Least liked about program

  • Food was horrible
  • The food
  • That there is no placement class and that age is the only determinant for level placement
  • The food options for vegetarians could be improved.
  • The food
  • Food
  • The food
  • Lack of organized activities during evening and weekend down time. There were some but needed much more.
  • would like more selective admissions - 80% of dancers were strong, 20% should not have been admitted IMO
  • The food was not nutritious enough for the extensive amounts of dancing that the kids are doing.
  • The only downfall was levels were based on age and not a placement class. I do believe my daughter was challenged and had great quality training though
  • The food. This is something that should really be worked on. Great nutrition should be modeled for dancers/athletes. The food choices were at times odd for young people.
  • Food. Though they seemed to respond to emails of concerns- the food is not great. NEed healthier options for sure.
  • Placement by age
  • n/a
  • Some teachers didn’t give a lot of corrections. I wish teachers gave more.
  • Not enough boys in Session 1, but our son was invited to continue onto Session 2, which he is currently doing, and there are 14 boys in that. The terrific part about only having 2 boys in Session 1 is that our son received basically private men's classes for several hours each day for 2 weeks which was amazing!
  • The food quality was a minor issue... which is common at most SDIs.
  • The food was pretty basic so snacks are necessary but this seems consistent with other SIs. Also, not much to do in Torrington so outings are limited.
  • The food leaves much to be desired! Make sure your dancer has snacks on hand in their room. Target runs help with that.
  • Nothing
  • food
  • There was only one option at each meal.
  • I would not change anything!
  • the food was not good.
  • A bit of favoritism
  • The food was subpar. The RA’s early planned activities for us. I wish that pointe had been more intense. Even a class with the highest level wasn’t as hard as at home.
  • The program was absolutely fantastic. Only concern is that there were quite a few more injuries compared to other intensives I've been to, hence the name. I myself got injured but good news is that the staff are phenomenal in helping you heal and get better. They are so caring and have no problem with you sitting out/icing and taking notes. Credit to the teachers for that.
  • The food and no desserts. Would have liked to have pointe everyday.

Suggested changes to program

  • Better food and always have enough of it
  • Better food
  • Start with a placement class
  • Nothing
  • Offer higher quality, healthier, and better tasting menu options
  • Food
  • The food,
  • Have more activities offered
  • smaller group, more selective admissions
  • The food
  • The food. And the outings. I think one big outing would have been great. And knowing the options ahead of time would be nice.
  • Place students by ability, smaller class sizes.
  • Less roommates
  • I wish there were more corrections and I slightly smaller class size.
  • The food
  • The location could get old for the year-round program if a dancer wants a more metropolitan experience, or even for the SI. But if they want to dance & improve a ton, Nutmeg is an amazing place to grow & improve technique.
  • The food is often a source of complaint, but my daughter says it wasn't bad.
  • More than one food choice at meals which were mostly carbohydrates.
  • I would not change anything!
  • Wished they had a little more options for vegetarians.
  • The food
  • Better food
  • More advanced partnering
  • I would recommend the ability to move up. Challenging pointe work for all ages. Security isn’t as strong as it seems. I would make pointe more challenging if a class or add on an extra pointe class for those who want more.
  • I would probably add a conditioning class in to help relax muscles which may prevent a large outburst of injuries. That's my only critique.
  • Better food.

Culture of program

  • Friendly and encouraging
  • Wonderful
  • Homely, Supportive, friendly, inclusive and professional.
  • Caring
  • Intense and empowering
  • Positive and loving
  • Very supportive and like a family
  • Warm and friendly
  • warm, welcoming
  • Inclusive, warm, meeting each dancer where they are at.
  • Incredible culture. Positive, supportive, confidence building
  • Warm & positive environment. Teachers are encouraging and it's obvious the investment they have in helping students improve. There was a varied group of dancers and no focus on the "ideal" dancer.
  • Amazing. We got to watch a class. Seeing the interaction with the students and teacher literally made me cry. Not like that at our home studio.
  • Everyone was very welcoming. My daughter had a great experience and also made some new friends.
  • Kind
  • Amazing
  • Supportive and friendly.
  • Strong, experienced teaching staff in a calm, nurturing environment.
  • Family, friendly, positive, confidence boosting
  • Like a family! Very supportive. Good for all ages.
  • Like a family: supportive & just strict enough.
  • Healthy and joyous.
  • Great teaching in a supportive environment.
  • Very positive, nurturing, and supportive
  • Very supportive
  • Supportive
  • Very inclusive, warm and welcoming.
  • Good!
  • It is very much a family environment. She truly did make friends that I believe will be in her life forever. The positivity partners was such a lovely program to have in an environment that could be considered competitive.
  • I cannot praise the staff enough. They were so kind and my fellow classmates were so nice and warm. The environment here is so family friendly and super easy to make friends, even if you're shy. Absolutely love the culture. Couldn't be better.
  • Encouraging and growth oriented.

Other comments

  • Even with the bad food I enjoyed it and would go back
  • I couldn't think of a better first SI experience for our daughter.
  • It is a wonderful place for a first SI
  • My daughter would love to attend their year round program after doing summer intensive. She left for intensive on the brink of quitting ballet out of frustration with our home studio so for her to find her passion again and want to go back and train full time was the most rewarding experience.
  • Great program
  • This is a great first intensive away from home. Its also great that they offer 3 different intensive times - my dancer did her home 4 week intensive and then went to the 2 week August intensive. This was a perfect fit for a dancer that wanted a full summer of dance!
  • It was our daughters first time away from home. She absolutely loved it.
  • The staff was very attentive to the dancer's needs and special accommodations. The were also many food options. I appreciated the salad bar and all the options at lunch and dinner.
  • Amazing program
  • The Nutmeg Conservatory offers a wonderful intensive experience for pre-pro dancers. I can't recommend the school enough!
  • The studios are beautiful, and the local community is small and safe. My daughter had 5 roommates but she really didn't mind. She made some great friends, and was sad to leave at the end of the four weeks. I enjoyed being able to watch the classes and see the last performance.
  • Great summer intensive
  • It is a lovely first intensive. My daughter truly had an amazing time and her growth was amazing. The food needs a bit of a look over. There were lots of questionable choices and a little too much soy and meal lacking in protein.
  • I highly recommend this program for serious ballet dancers. You will love it so please try it at least once. Such a unique program with world class teachers with an air of wisdom. Super inspiring so please attend!
  • To have more outside time. Would love to even have a place or the ability to sit outside somewhere during downtime. Not sure there is a place for that but it would be nice.
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