BALLET HELP DESK

Summer Intensive Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 223
Total Reviews: 1727

Pittsburgh Ballet "Company Experience"

Summer Intensive Reviews

General

Dancer age

1
4
2

First time at a summer intensive?

7

Year of SI

1
5
1

Weeks available

7

Weeks attended

7

Reviewer

3
3
1

Curriculum

Techniques taught

1
2
2
4
3

Partnering (based on age)

1
4
2

Dedicated men's program?

5
1
1

# of boys in level

3
4

Other dance genres

1
5
1
2
1
1
2

Quality of other classes

Not Helpful
1
3
3
Helpful

Injury Prevention

Strength classes?

1
5
2
2

PT offered?

2
2
3

Extra fee for PT?

2
5

Injury rate

5
2

Teaching

Who taught?

7

Guest teachers

1
3
3

Year-round teachers taught

1
4
2

Attention from teachers

Very Little
1
1
1
3
1
A Lot

Technique improved?

No
2
2
3
Yes - Tremendously

Studios

Dance floors

7

Studio space

Cramped
1
6
Lots of Space

Studio cleanliness

Dirty
2
5
Spotless

Schedule

Classes per day

1
1
2
2
1

Saturday classes

1
6

Saturday class duration

6
1

Leveling

Leveling

6
1

Leveling type

3
4

Did students move levels?

7

Leveling fair?

1
6

Students per class

6
1

Performance

Performance?

7

Rehearsals happened

3
4

Casting equitability

Uneven
1
2
2
2
Even

Rehearsals detracted from class?

Completely
7
Not At All

Housing - General

Housing provided

6
1

# of roommates

5
1

Bathrooms

  • One big bathroom on the floor
  • Two communal bathrooms on the floor; quads had a private bathroom but could also use the communal.
  • One big bathroom on the floor
  • Shared with adjoining dorm
  • One big bathroom on the floor
  • One big bathroom on the floor

Coed bathrooms

5
1

Air conditioning

6

Housing comment

  • Wasn't my favorite housing experience! If you're over 17 and able, I would recommend getting your own housing.
  • Gender by floor, all minor girls in one dorm, all boys and 18+ girls in another. Each room was different and spacious. Fans were provided by request. A/C unit with doctor note and additional fee. Air conditioned common spaces including a game room, study room, living room with tv.
  • consistent rule application, very hot, pool not available due to poor water quality, too few RA, Unreasonable rules and restrictions for those under 18 students
  • There is a big (like in a way we have never encountered) emphasis on keeping minors and 18+ dancers separated. Feels unreasonably burdensome in a program that skews older. Parents of 17 year olds have to submit a form to allow minors permission to check out or even walk across campus with specific 18+ friends.
  • It's a beautiful campus, but the dorm is extremely old and run down, and while there were lots of food options, the food was terrible.

Where did they stay?

1

Housing - Supervision

Curfew

6

Curfew reasonable?

3
3

Room check

2
4

How strict were dorms?

2
4

Infraction handling

2
1
3
1
1
2

Housing - Cleanliness

Laundry available

6

Laundry free

6

Housing cleanliness

Dirty
2
4
Spotless

Cleaning required

6

Meal Plan

Meal plan

6

Food quality

Gross
2
2
1
1
Excellent

Enough food

6

Dietary needs?

4
2

Specific needs

1
1

Dietary options

Limited
1
1
Lots

Activities

Weeknight activities

2
4

Weekend outings

7

Logistics

Quality of handbook

Spotty
3
4
Comprehensive

Program communication

Limited
1
3
3
Comprehensive

Transportation

6
1

Neighborhood safety

Not Safe
1
2
4
Very Safe

General Comments

Overall recommendation

Definitely Not
1
6
Absolutely

Best aspect

  • I loved getting to work on both classical and contemporary works in a company-styled schedule each day. It really did feel like getting a peek into the life of a company dancer. The year I attended, I got to work with a company dancer in a piece she had recently created called "For Raymond", and I had never experienced a choreographic process like that one. I loved getting to perform it in the end. I also danced in Raymonda, and the entire rehearsal process was such a joy. Shoutout to Christine Schwaner! She's amazing.
  • Learning choreography in a company setting.
  • great teaching staff, wide variety of rep
  • Supportive environment, Amazing end of program show
  • The variety of repertoire was good.

Least liked about program

  • I didn't have a great dorming experience. The facilities aren't the newest, cleanest, or most inviting, the food wasn't excellent, and the dorm policies felt very strict to me, especially considering they didn't change for students over 18. However, the program itself was a great experience.
  • Technique class felt short (although it was 1.5 hours).
  • unfair treatment between RS's. blurry rules in dorms
  • Same dancers with the lead in multiple dances
  • Dorm rules really restricted how dancers could socialize
  • She was invited
  • Casting was HEAVILY skewed, only current PBT grad students got featured roles/partnering with maybe two exceptions. Clearly not based on ability. This was noticed by many students and parents.

Suggested changes to program

  • The floor in one of the studios was very slippery, but I think they might have resolved this issue since I attended, because it had been caused by a recent fluke. Other than that, the program was lovely.
  • RA's
  • Less restrictive dorms & check in & check out since these are older dancers
  • Make casting more fair, and pick better dorms/food in a nicer part of the city. Pittsburgh has a ton to offer and the route from the dorm to the studio took them through some of the worst parts of town--did not highlight what Pittsburgh has to offer.

Culture of program

  • I really enjoyed the culture at this intensive! I got very close to the people I was cast with, as the classical rep was split into fairly small groups. This intensive didn't feel very competitive, and I felt a great camaraderie with my peers.
  • Very positive.
  • the year-round students were cliquey but everyone else was nice.
  • Pittsburgh is making a difference in ballet. I found them to be very diverse in body type. Very supportive culture.
  • Really warm. After just two weeks my dancer felt so bonded to his friends that he cried in the car pulling away from the dorm.
  • Inclusive
  • Aside from the favoritism, the dancers seemed very nice. Everyone in the Company that my dancer interacted with was a positive interaction, but found the Academy staff/faculty really inattentive to anyone aside from their own current students.

Other comments

  • Teachers were amazing. Faculty was encouraging and supportive in every situation.
  • super fun. 100% recommend it. very intense
  • I answered some questions as best I could as of obt know how many boys per level and they didn’t have a lot of classes more rehearsals.
  • There are not really classes other than the daily technique class. Everything else is rehearsals. I answered questions about class and placement in reference to rehearsals and casting
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