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
4
5
More than 5
Saturday classes
No
Yes
Saturday class duration
Half day or less
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?
Full show
Small demonstration
Rehearsals happened
Both in and out of class
During daily class
Outside of class
Casting equitability
Uneven
1
2
3
4
5
Even
Rehearsals detracted from class?
Completely
1
2
3
4
5
Not At All
Housing - General
Housing provided
No
Yes and my dancer lived there
Yes but my dancer did not live there
# of roommates
1
Bathrooms
Private in room
Coed bathrooms
No
Yes
Air conditioning
Yes
Housing comment
We shared hotel rooms with 2 double beds. The food started pretty rough with not enough given to us but after reporting this they got better. We had hotel chicken every single night. The breakfast was good with a wide assortment available to us. Housing seemed to be a newer thing so it might be different next year.
hotel
The housing is a hotel so there wasn't a common space to hang out in.
In a hotel, very nice
Activities like board game night sometimes required seemingly unnecessary fees to participate, which discouraged participation a bit
Stayed at the Hyatt Hotel. Bi-weekly house keeping. Pool and gym accessible to students.
No
They stayed in a hotel so the rooms were cleaned for them twice a week. It was convenient because we did not have to provide bedding and they had their own tv and small refrigerator in the room.
It was a really wonderful experience!
It’s in a hotel so dancers are sharing some spaces with the general public. At bed check, chaperones ensured that door was double locked. Hotel wifi was a little weak and spotty.
loved the hotel
Really nice hotel/housing overall
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?
Yes
Room check
No
Yes
How strict were dorms?
Just about right
Somewhat lax
Somewhat strict
Very lax
Infraction handling
A little harsh
Fair
N/A
Skewed depending on student
Housing - Cleanliness
Laundry available
No
Yes
Laundry free
No
Yes
Housing cleanliness
Dirty
1
2
3
4
5
Spotless
Cleaning required
No
Yes
Meal Plan
Meal plan
Yes
Food quality
Gross
1
2
3
4
5
Excellent
Enough food
Yes
Dietary needs?
No
Yes
Specific needs
MSG free
Pescatarian
Dietary options
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Lots
Activities
Weeknight activities
Yes
Weekend outings
Yes
Attended weekend outings
I didn't attend any of them
Yes, all of them
Yes, some of them
Favorite
Botanical gardens
I can't recall
Miniature Golfing
Mini Golf
Museums and the art classes
Arcade and Laser Tag
the farewell dinner
Local restaurants
Ceramics
I loved the welcoming dinner, it was an amazing way to get to know the other dancers and create lasting friendships.
Philbrook Museum
I really enjoyed going to an art museam where I was able to take lots of pictures.
4th of July picnic and fireworks; woody Guthrie also lots of fun
The Philbrook art museum
The Gathering Place and snow cones
Main Event
Fourth of July Event
Least favorite
none
N/A
N/A
None, I think the dancer should try to attend all of them.
Mini golf
Probably the mini golf outing.
Na
All of them were so fun, but busy Sundays were definitely a lot sometimes.
Game board night, mini golf
Logistics
Quality of handbook
Spotty
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Program communication
Limited
1
2
3
4
5
Comprehensive
Transportation
DNA
Mother
Personal vehicle
Private 15 passenger van's
Private bus
Private transportation with parent
Private vans
Public transportation with chaperone
Van with chaperone
Vans driven by the chaperones
we drove from house
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
Small class size
Great classes
Very good teachers with pure vaganova classes taught. It gave me a very good sense of what their year round programs are like as it follows a typical year round schedule and uses the same teachers as year round. We also got to take classes with the second company director and one of the Company Rehearsal Directors. The company artistic director watched us some along with the school director. We got to learn some company repertoire which was very fun.
technique classes
How helpful the staff were and they gave personalized corrections to everyone.
Guest, alternative dance forms, opportunity to advance
All the different classs I got to take.
The variety of classes and teachers, also getting to view company members rehearsing alongside advanced level students. Food was good and everyone was really helpful and friendly!
The improvement to technique in Vaganova was tremendous. It was a new style for me and I advanced quickly.
The instructors cared not just about our dancing, but about our bodies and preventing injuries. All the instructors were fantastic! The school director (Lauren) taught regularly. She and Bea (former Tulsa soloist) gave lots of individual attention.
Focus on Placement and a lot of helpful conditioning classes
Everyone was very inviting and kind
Emphasis on balance and not pushing through injuries.
The emphasis on quality of technique and placement in classes.
The teachers were very involved, you could tell they wanted each dancer to improve.
Instructors were great about seeing how much challenge a student was ready to partake in; they do not move students forward if skills show they're not ready, but do continuously push them to improve
It gave good individual corrections.
Instruction was very focused on technique
I loved how incredibly seen I felt as soon as I walked into classes the first day. It was truly am environment where I could work my hardest, yet also make lifelong friendships throughout.
Variety of techniques and styles of dance offered
The daily ballet class with a variety of faculty and the availability of the studios for practicing during long lunch breaks.
The intense training and consistent expectations provide an efficient environment for quickly improving and fresh skillset to move on with.
Contemporary, pointe support, the enrichment classes on nutrition and sports performance
Partnering
Loved jazz classes, and the single-partnering class was offered.
The show at the end of the program
Least liked about program
Nothing
There is not a lot to do in Tulsa and it was very hot. The food was not great.
more of a company experience
That I didn't get to do all four weeks.
The music teacher was not good and made several girls feel very uncomfortable. He was a guest and I would not have allowed my daughter back to his class if I’d known how he talked to the girls.
Probably the drive to and from the studio/ hotel.
Can’t think of anything, we were very happy with it!
The food choices were limited. The food was a healthy variety but if you didn't like the protein there weren't other choices.
Nothing.
Not enough ballet/pointe technique, Flamenco was very slow
nothing
Placement and casting for the show
Nothing.
N/A
Not being to change studios.
Felt my dancer could have been in a higher level but the boys were only split into two levels
The areas outside of the hotel were a little bit sketchy at times and you had to be very aware of your surroundings constantly.
Wish there could be more laundry facilities
It was very much geared towards the final showcase, which meant the majority of our pointe classes were spent rehearsing rather than doing technique exercises.
The staff could be a little harsh about things outside of class but I understood the reasoning for strictness
Only few students experience partnering class even after being told to buy a partnering tutu, the students rehearsed short demonstration pieces fully for up to 3 weeks which made it boring and monotonous at times. New Combinations could have been introduced more frequently. The 2nd half of the intensive the hip hop class did the exact combinations over and over. Which allowed for improvement with movement but the dancers needed more variety and opportunities to pick up choreography quickly.
Lack of instruction/focus on rehearsals
How the placement class worked, I was never placed correctly.
We need more boys for partnering!
Suggested changes to program
Add Partnering
Nothing
NOTHING
Eliminate the music teacher, vet the guests better
A shorter commute, but that’s our problem, not theirs.
I would have liked more partnering.
Less Hip Hop and jazz and more pointe and partnering classes. More freedom for housing students
nothing
Incorporating more partnering classes
More variety for dinners at the hotel.
There isn’t anything that would change.
N/A
More partnering and more different style of dances to learn.
I do wish that we had a few more partnering classes throughout the weeks.
Space in the vans was tight especially when transporting tutus
More pointe technique classes!
More guest teachers from the Tulsa ballet company for the younger students/ levels, partnering, guest teachers in modern technique such as Horton and Limon.
I would eliminate the showcase and offer parent observation only, as rehearsals took away from instruction. Less major allergen containing snacks offered to the students without instructions to mitigate risk to those with food allergies.
Placement class structure, studio space, more parterning classes (I personally had one but loved it), and more styles of dance.
None
Culture of program
Friendly
Very intense. You should expect to be pushed both mentally and physically. The teachers are very hard on you. This was ideal for me as an older student but I would not recommend this to younger students who have not gone to other summer intensives away from home.
very intense
I have been to many other summer intensives, but this one seemed the most friendly and paid attention to the physical health of every dancer.
Friendly, helpful
Really nice. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. Dedicated dancers from all over North America attended, overall a really pleasant experience.
Positive. Obviously there are always dancers that aren't nice but that is normal in the dance world. The teachers at Tusla were fantastic and encouraging.
Supportive, friendly, caring.
Very supportive and Fun
encouraging and challenging
Supportive with high standards for student performance
Very positive, learning environment. Teachers were attentive; most students received corrections. Peers were talented, high achieving dancers who remained humble and fun to be with.
Intense, in a good way.
Inclusive, professional, flexible, supportive
Excellent
Friendly and warm
Extremely professional and demanding but in the most safe and supportive environment.
Very supportive environment while being challenging in terms of dance instruction; instructors seemed to pay attention and give feedback to all dancers—invested in seeing growth and improvement among all dancers
Everyone was very friendly and supportive. The teachers genuinely want every student to improve and have fun!
Great culture for good training, high expectations, and a set up for a professional career.
A very warm and supportive culture that values students and has their best interest at heart.
The instructors were helpful and welcoming for the most part. The other students seemed to struggle with attention and respect for instructors at times.
Inspiring and Friendly
Other comments
I got to see company dancers in class and even make friends with some of them.
We are grateful for the experience and would return again.
This intensive is tough and you have to put in a lot of work but it's worth it as you will definitely walk away having improved on technique.
I would highly recommend this program!
I wish I stayed longer, for the full duration of the intensive. 2 weeks was a great value in terms of pricing, but I had so much fun and learned so much I could've easily stayed for 4! I highly recommend this intensive.
This program is heavy on technique, which I think helped a lot especially as an older dancer who doesn’t get many actual technique classes.
No
I absolutely loved this intensive. I will definently be going back in the future, as I noticed immense growth in the short four week time period. The staff are extremely dedicated and bring an incredible professionalism to the program.
Add to the packing list that it would be helpful to bring a nicer outfit or two for meals out
Very talented teachers and artists that inspired the students.
TBT Summer Intensive prepared my dancer for a great season ahead!
My dancer loves this program so she was back for the second time!
