BALLET HELP DESK

Summer Intensive Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 255
Total Reviews: 2239

San Francisco Ballet School Program 1 (ages 12-15)

Summer Intensive Reviews

General

Dancer age

6
14
7
7

First time at a summer intensive?

26
8

Year of SI

3
6
6
10
9

Weeks available

1
31
2

Weeks attended

1
31
2

Reviewer

1
13
18
2

Curriculum

Techniques taught

4
17
2
6
29

Partnering (based on age)

23
5
6

Dedicated men's program?

5
29

# of boys in level

14
1
18
1

Other dance genres

2
3
2
34
31
1
7
5
3
1
1
1
1
22
1
1
22
1
1
24
1
2
1
1
1
1

Quality of other classes

Not Helpful
1
6
15
12
Helpful

Injury Prevention

Strength classes?

17
1
1
1
23
1
21
13
1
1
21

PT offered?

12
15
7

Extra fee for PT?

4
26
1

Injury rate

16
16
2

Teaching

Who taught?

5
28
1

Guest teachers

15
8
11

Year-round teachers taught

3
29
2

Attention from teachers

Very Little
2
9
11
12
A Lot

Technique improved?

No
2
4
17
11
Yes - Tremendously

Studios

Dance floors

1
1
32
1

Studio space

Cramped
10
14
10
Lots of Space

Studio cleanliness

Dirty
14
20
Spotless

Schedule

Classes per day

1
3
29
1

Saturday classes

34

Saturday class duration

34

Leveling

Leveling

18
16

Leveling type

21
6
7

Did students move levels?

12
2
20

Leveling fair?

7
27

Students per class

3
23
8

Performance

Performance?

1
33

Rehearsals detracted from class?

Completely
1
24
Not At All

Housing - General

Housing provided

23
11

# of roommates

3
1
19

Bathrooms

2
21

Coed bathrooms

23

Air conditioning

6
17

Housing comment

  • "Some rooms' air conditioning did not work/bathroom locks were broken/doors didn't lock, etc."
  • "Worst mattresses ever. Really unsuitable for dancers. Shared space with SF conservatory summer students. Cafeteria in the same building as housing but food was inedible."
  • "Gorgeous!"
  • "They were very nice. There were two double rooms that shared a common area and bathroom. It was very new and clean and had AC. There is a full size fridge and nice kitchen space with small dining table. One of the suites has a beautiful window, the other interior suite does not. DD was lucky to be assigned to the room with the window. There is a large window in the common room. Food wasn’t great. DD is not a picky eater and really hasn’t ever complained about SI food. But she did not generally like the food at SFB. Some days were better than others, but overall the food was a disappointment. She felt like there was little fresh fruit/veg except salad and she didn’t love the salad dressing avail. They did have a few nights that were good- they had Chinese food one night which was a memorable meal. DD said breakfast was especially disappointing."
  • "Beautiful dorming facility"
  • "Very new dormitory. No desks in the room and closet/drawer space was limited."
  • "Bring your own tp, paper towels, and soaps"
  • "Each night only had one entree option. That might be challenging for a picky eater, but they always had a vegan option, and she enjoyed what they offered."
  • "7 minutes walk to studio"
  • "No"
  • "The rooms have two bedrooms each with two beds. There is a small common sitting area with a full-sized refrigerator, sink & microwave. Shared bathroom with tub/shower in each room. Boys and girls do stay on the same floor. Breakfast & Dinner is provided. Dorms are very close walking distance to studio as well as Trader Joe’s and other restaurants, Starbucks & ice cream shops. Cute, safe neighborhood."
  • "Dorms were nice"
  • "Overall good and very recently built. 5 minute walk to studio."
  • "Each "Dorm" houses 4 people, 1 bathroom, 2 bedrooms (2 people per bedroom) and a common space with a table, couch, 2-3 chairs, sink, cabinet space, microwave, and fridge. We had access to the 1st floor - cafeteria and lobby, 5/7th floors - SFB dorms, and 12th floor - Common space and terrace with a very good view of city hall and the surrounding areas."

Where did they stay?

2
1
8

Housing - Supervision

Curfew

23

Curfew reasonable?

1
22

Room check

1
22

How strict were dorms?

17
2
3
1

Infraction handling

2
12
10
1

Housing - Cleanliness

Laundry available

23

Laundry free

18
1
4

Housing cleanliness

Dirty
4
8
11
Spotless

Cleaning required

1
22

Meal Plan

Meal plan

23

Food quality

Gross
1
5
9
8
Excellent

Enough food

3
20

Dietary needs?

19
4

Specific needs

  • "Gluten"
  • "Gluten Free"
  • "Vegan"
  • "Gluten free"

Dietary options

Limited
1
2
1
Lots

Activities

Weeknight activities

2
21

Weekend outings

34

Attended weekend outings

7
11
16

Favorite

Repeated Responses:
  • "Sausalito" (3 responses)
  • "Santa Cruz Boardwalk" (2 responses)
  • "Sausalito trip" (3 responses)
Unique Responses:
  • "Sausalito and Cal Academy"
  • "Six Flags"
  • "Fisherman’s Wharf"
  • "Fisherman’s Wharf and the Bay Cruise. Perfect tourist activity for San Francisco"
  • "Pier 39 boat trip, beach bonfire"
  • "Bay cruise"
  • "Santa Cruz boardwalk"
  • "Six Flags-Amusement Park"
  • "She only did one. Sausalito"
  • "Six Flags and Sausalito"
  • "Visiting Sausalito"
  • "Tiburon"
  • "None"
  • "6 flags"
  • "Only went on one outing to Six Flags"
  • "Six Flags Amusement Park"
  • "Sausalito day trip"
  • "Sausalito or Cal Academy"

Least favorite

Repeated Responses:
  • "Big Bus Tour" (2 responses)
  • "None" (3 responses)
  • "N/A" (3 responses)
Unique Responses:
  • "Bus Tour"
  • "All great"
  • "Santa Cruz Boardwalk"
  • "She only did one."
  • "NA"
  • "They were all fun."
  • "The cupcake decorating was pretty fun but the cupcakes were inedible"
  • "Six flags day trip, paid full price for day ticket but only stayed 4 hours."
  • "Cal Academy - more for small children than teens, big bus - too long and not very interesting"

Logistics

Quality of handbook

Spotty
2
12
20
Comprehensive

Program communication

Limited
1
4
16
13
Comprehensive

Transportation

1
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
2
21
1
1

Neighborhood safety

Not Safe
1
7
21
4
1
Very Safe

General Comments

Overall recommendation

Definitely Not
3
2
6
23
Absolutely

Best aspect

  • "The variety of classes offered; the opportunity to study with many different technique teachers"
  • "Technique learned for teachers. Dancers are of high level and matched with my dancer"
  • "The teachers, the classes, everything."
  • "The students got to take class and learn from a wide range of teachers/faculty from the year-round program. The school director, Grace Holmes, taught many of the classes at every level and is phenomenal."
  • "the dorms, friendships"
  • "Not sure."
  • "Teachers are outstanding. My daughter was the youngest in the class but never felt out of place."
  • "Dorms, friendships made"
  • "DD liked exploring the city with friends."
  • "The teachers and kids"
  • "Learning from a variety of teachers including SFB faculty"
  • "The classes were really fun."
  • "Learning from different teachers and many helpful classes"
  • "Dorms and new friends"
  • "We felt the main teacher who is on staff was excellent. She provided detailed feedback to every student and moved at a pace where technique was a possible focus."
  • "The training is very solid and pulls from Vaganova, ABT, and French methods."
  • "The best aspect of the course was the professional environment with rigorous classes and dedicated dancers, as you were treated with respect and dignity."
  • "Technical improvement."
  • "Company affiliated. Very focused on artistry and body alignment."
  • "Each level was able to work on partner work"
  • "Great teachers, beautiful city"
  • "The teachers really knew what they were talking about and their teaching methods were mostly consistent."
  • "The training & teachers"
  • "Nice facilities, good amount of freedom, fun places around SFB to go to"
  • "Dancer: How the teachers really pushed me."
  • "4 weeks was a good length for the intensive, groups separated by age was helpful, schedule was well-paced"
  • "Overall atmosphere, friendships made, positive environment, great classes and Instructors"
  • "Communication was professional, clear, excellent. Teachers were fantastic- really cared about my dancer and gave a lot of personal corrections."
  • "Classes were fun and helpful, dorms were nice, freedom to go out in groups of 3. The Sausalito trip was fun, and I went out with friends which was very fun too."
  • "All teachers were very experienced and gave a good amount individual attention."
  • "Teachers, classes"
  • "The teachers were all very supportive and helped each dancer improve their technique. Everybody was able to take a class with the school director Grace Holmes several times, which was very nice. Students were also able to observe and sometimes get signatures from the company when taking class on the 4th floor. The classes (other than pointe/technique) were helpful and other than just different styles also included acting, variations, and pas de deux."

Least liked about program

  • "Nothing!"
  • "NA"
  • "I felt like it could be longer and the food could be subpar."
  • "Lunch break for dancers in my daughter's level was typically at 1:30pm (after 3 of the 4 classes) which is rather late in the day. Would prefer a lunch time midday for dancers to fuel their body / replenish energy after 2 of the 4 classes."
  • "not enough corrections, or pas de deux (only 2x in 4 week session)"
  • "My daughter was constantly ignored by the main teachers. No corrections, no feedback."
  • "Lunch not provided, and was often very late in the day."
  • "Level 1 was extremely basic. It was almost solely made up of SFB Ballet Division students who were technically behind and frequently silly. They were not pre-professional students. The few students who were in level 1 who came from other parts of the country were very disappointed."
  • "DD was disappointed there wasn’t a placement class and was also disappointed to miss out on partnering."
  • "More times to socialize at the dorms."
  • "N/A"
  • "Some teachers had favorites and didn't give others corrections."
  • "The long break in between classes"
  • "Insufficient emphasis on partnering and contemporary dance."
  • "The area isn't great. But the bulding is secure which is good."
  • "Daughter has had a period of adjustment each time she goes because it is obviously fairly competitive"
  • "I liked least about this program was that the dorm did not provide lunch and access to the dorms were banned during the day unless you were sick or injured."
  • "Hip hop"
  • "The city it is in. The schedule. Not enough pas de deux."
  • "The surrounding area"
  • "the neighborhood"
  • "The teaching was very turn focused... We often skipped adagio and grand allegro. We were expected to do more advanced pointe work in variations class than we ever did in the actual pointe class, which just didn't seem right."
  • "Offer other styles of dance more frequently, only had 1 hip hop class over the 4 weeks"
  • "Have to pack your own lunch daily"
  • "Dancer: Inconsistency in scheduling of afternoon non-technique & pointe classes. Some days were all PBT/Yoga/Ballet Acting, then another day would have both variations followed by partnering for a total of 3.5 hours on pointe."
  • "One teacher favored the SFB year round students but the other teachers were more fair."
  • "Nothing"
  • "Nothing- was really pleased with the program. There seemed to be some dorm drama but inevitable with this age group."
  • "No lunch plan"
  • "Dorm was pretty strict. RAs overreacted when an empty beer can was found on a rental bus. They did an hour long room search where nothing was found and yet no apology was given. Dancers had to be back at dorms before 7pm."
  • "It could be longer and more allergen options"
  • "I felt that they didn't offer enough partnering for the girls and too much for the boys, as there were about 5-6 girls for every 1 boy, and the boys ended up having partnering everyday. I also found it odd that most of the year-round students were the most under performing in comparison to most of the dancers from different studios, so I think the SFB students should be held to the same standards as everyone else instead of being able to attend without audition. I also disliked that most of the teachers were unable to get through all of class in an hour and 45 minutes. We often spent a lot of time at the barre and couldn't even make it to petit allegro, or would spend less time at the barre but spend most of center turning. I also know that many out of towners felt uneasy about the area but that is unavoidable when in SF - compared to nearby districts like Tenderloin it is pretty safe to walk to SFB from the dorms."

Suggested changes to program

Repeated Responses:
  • "Nothing!" (2 responses)
Unique Responses:
  • "NA"
  • "Longer and more allergen-friendly meals"
  • "Add a performance at the end of the program instead of just a class observation. It would do a better job of showing the growth and impact of the program."
  • "more conditioning"
  • "The teachers shouldn’t ignore dancers. Especially dancers who are there to learn and improve."
  • "A meal program like the one at Royal Ballet School would be fantastic."
  • "There should be no SFB ballet division students in the program. Or that should be a completely different level."
  • "Have a placement class and offer partnering to more levels. Be honest in the handbook about how safe the surrounding area is. DD felt like there was too much downtime. She had a blast exploring the city with friends, but would have liked a little more dancing. The days with mat and pantomime as the 3rd class felt especially light. Also, there were many days there was a 2hr15min break between technique and the 2nd ballet class which wasn’t ideal for keeping limbs warm and ready to work."
  • "More to socialise at the dorms."
  • "N/A"
  • "Pas de deux for all levels."
  • "Rooming with people in the same level"
  • "Reduce the number of character classes. Certain breaks felt overly extended."
  • "If there could be fewer long breaks, that would be ideal, but I think the scheduling must be very tricky."
  • "If they could have fewer longer breaks, that would be great, but I am not sure it is possible."
  • "If I could change anything about this course, it would be that the pointe classes would be longer, often only being 45 minutes long."
  • "Better weekend outing options and more pas classes."
  • "More fixed schedule, more pas class."
  • "Be able to observe all classes on the last day"
  • "the food"
  • "I wish that our extra classes (different genres of dance) were more in depth. For example, we only had one Graham class in the entire summer intensive. It kind of seemed like they just touched on other genres. Definitely not a deep dive."
  • "Offer other styles of dance & partnering more frequently & make the program 5 weeks"
  • "Allow returning to dorms during lunch break, free laundry"
  • "Dancer: More Pas de Deux and Variations classes (at least once a week each would be amazing)."
  • "Balance out intervals between similar classes"
  • "Make it longer!"
  • "Provide lunch"
  • "Longer, better weekend excursions and"
  • "I do wish that they offered more weeks, with the option to not do the whole time (4 weeks were offered and students were required to take all four if attending) however it would be hard as they also have session 2 for older dancers."

Culture of program

  • "Friendly, warm"
  • "Supportive and Serious...perfect balance"
  • "Friendly"
  • "Positive culture. DD felt the students were friendly and kind. Not competitive. The class created a text group where they would all share information and communicate about the program that helped them all feel connected."
  • "positive, nice, supportive"
  • "Not great. Honestly I think my dancer was too old. She’s short, so for partnering they’d put her with a weak boy so she was constantly getting dropped. She was so excited about SFB but really didn’t enjoy it."
  • "Warm, inviting. Inspiring."
  • "The culture was friendly, but there was no push to improve technically."
  • "A great way to meet a lot of the SFB faculty and explore a beautiful city. Not the most intense intensive, but a fun program."
  • "Good vibes"
  • "Supportive, helpful teachers."
  • "Friendly, positive environment"
  • "Inclusive"
  • "The atmosphere was welcoming, but favoritism was present."
  • "Serious study of ballet"
  • "It has a serious approach to ballet that seems appropriate for the level."
  • "The overall culture of this intensive was mostly positive, although the environment was controlled with many rules."
  • "Some dancers weren’t serious and were talking in class, but everyone was nice. The teachers were very nice and dedicated to the dancers improvement. Ms. Holmes is very kind."
  • "Teachers are very loving. Care about dancers development."
  • "My dancer loved her group. Every dancer was very welcoming and kind. Not many dancers from SF, thus Everyone was new."
  • "very positive, some dancers were very competitive with each other, but they were in the minority, most of the dancers were positive and kind to each other."
  • "Caring teachers and staff. The SI students were generally friendly, but some of the year round students were disruptive and acted entitled."
  • "Warm, friendly, supportive, with high expectations"
  • "Pretty relaxed"
  • "Dancer: My group was super supportive of each other. Teachers were really supportive."
  • "Supportive, cheerful"
  • "Very positive"
  • "Hard-working and focused."
  • "Supportive, positive"
  • "Overall very welcoming and friendly, all of the teachers cared a lot about the improvement of the dancers."
  • "Friendly and focused on learnin"
  • "I was placed in group 2 (there is groups 1-5 for girls, and A/B for boys) and I felt everyone was very hard working but it wasn't overly competitive, I felt that our level got very close and were very friendly. It was a healthy learning environment - none of the teachers made damaging comments about dancers bodies or ever took note of what they ate."

Other comments

Repeated Responses:
  • "No" (2 responses)
Unique Responses:
  • "This program is a great way to get a feeling for what the year-round program is like and to get to know the faculty."
  • "The dorms are freezing."
  • "We love SFB."
  • "Wouldn’t audition again until eligible for session 2."
  • "The program felt very safe and the dorm and dance studios very secure. There are some sketchy areas surrounding the school that can easily be avoided if you know where they are. However I think the school was a bit irresponsible suggesting students could easily get to the local Target which involves a walk through a rather unsafe section of town (the Target was listed in the welcome materials as within walking distance). My husband and I walked with DD to the Target on move-in day to get some supplies and we told her never to go there again without adult chaperones. The Target is right on the border of the Tenderloin District and we saw countless tents/homeless and lots of unsanitary/unsafe conditions. Definitely not a safe section of town for young dancers. Session 1 says it’s for the “intermediate student”, so they do go a bit slower and focus on the basics. Not necessarily bad, just not particularly challenging for my DD who was on the older end of the age range. I think the bigger problem was there wasn’t a placement class. Classes weren’t by age, so I would guess they placed students based on prior SFB attendance (several year round and returning SI students) and audition notes. Problem is different teachers adjudicated different auditions, so there was a wide range of abilities in all the levels. Students could freely observe other classes and DD felt like there were students in lower levels who could have easily been in her level, and students in higher levels who were clearly out of place. One dancer in my DDs level privately told DD that she felt she was placed in too hard a level and didn’t feel like she was able to keep up. Unfortunately DD agreed with her. Feel like a placement class could have eliminated some of this disparity."
  • "Food was good. Portions were good. Starbucks near dorms."
  • "N/A"
  • "The level of dancers was very high. There was a pointe shoe seminar with Josephine Lee from the Pointe Shop and an opportunity to get fitted as well."
  • "There was a noticeable display of favoritism by certain teachers, who seemed to prioritize particular ballet students initially. I was particularly disheartened by an incident during an observation class, where the teacher directed corrections at a specific girl that were not only relevant to her. These corrections could have been applied to approximately 90% of the students in the class. However, it was evident that there was some personal tension between the teacher and this student. I empathized with the girl, as she was undeniably a skilled dancer, and such behavior from the teacher could be quite emotionally impactful for a student. It was surprising to witness this behavior during the observation class, especially considering the presence of parents. Other parents also took note of this occurrence and discussed it after the class."
  • "My daughter loved it."
  • "Daughter received 100% merit scholarship which was a true blessing."
  • "As mom I am so impressed with my daughter’s technical improvements over the summer. This was an extremely impactful intensive for her technique, far more than any other intensive she’s done. I’m really really pleased."
  • "The new AD Grace Holmes is a fantastic teacher."
  • "Carpool lane was very helpful since parking was a little tricky to find for Free."
  • "My daughter had a fabulous experience and hopes to return."
  • "I was impressed with how the school eventually handled a very disruptive and bullying student, though initially this student got away with a lot of bad behavior."
  • "Dancer: Leveling seemed to be a combination of age and ability. Parent: Ran out of female dorm rooms for acceptances near the end of audition season. 2 protests/marches occurred during the session and appreciated how school constantly communicated their plans to keep students safe. (Dorms/school are 1 block from City Hall but I was not concerned except for the traffic due to being a commuter)."
  • "Overall enjoyed it, would recommend for others"
  • "Group(level) placements are based on the placement class on the first day and are off of both age and ability. The first day we had orientation, placement class, and 2 "random classes'' which happened to be jazz and mat. The 2 older placement groups (There were 3 by age) had pointe as one of their "random classes". There were a good amount of people from different countries. All of my roommates were in the same level but most dorms didn't have roommates in all the same level. Students at the dorms were able to sign out before/after class between 6 am and 7 pm, but were expected back at the dorms after class before signing out again. Building curfew was 7 pm, bed checks/room curfew was at 9 pm, and quiet hours were 10pm to 6pm but as long as other people couldn't hear you the RAs didn't worry about when people slept."
Reviews
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Age: 13
Overall Rating

Attended 2026
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 14
Overall Rating

Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 13
Overall Rating

Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing, Special Diet
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 14
Overall Rating

Attended 2026
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 13
Overall Rating

Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing
4 out of 5 rating
Age: 15
Overall Rating

Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing
2 out of 5 rating
Age: 12
Overall Rating

Attended 2026
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 13
Overall Rating

Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing, Special Diet
5 out of 5 rating
Age: 13
Overall Rating

Attended 2026, Stayed In Housing
4 out of 5 rating
Age: 13
Overall Rating

Attended 2025
3 out of 5 rating