Alabama Ballet

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General

Who is Reviewing?

Parent with dancer input

Program:

Alabama Ballet

Season Attended:

2025-26

# Of Levels In School:

There was only 1 level during this season.

Dancer Age:

Hours of Dance Each Week:

16-20 hours

Company Affliated?

Yes

Was Student Scholarshipped?

Please Describe Scholarship:

N/A

Years At School:

1 year

Full time or after school?

Full-Time

Date Submitted:

4/25/2026

Curriculum

Days Per Week:

Classes Per Day:

Weekend Classes?

Weekend Schedule:

I did not have weekend class

Students Per Class:

16-24

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

Pointe Classes Per Week:

Live Music in Technique Class?

Dedicated Men's Program?

Boys In Level:

There were no boys in my level

Techniques Taught:

General Classical

Technique Teacher Rotation:

Different depending on week

Did School Director Teach?

Occasionally

Classroom Corrections:

Dancer specific: detailed but only a few dancers consistently got corrections

Attention From Teachers:


Very Little	A Lot

Quality of Instruction:


Poor	Excellent

Did Technique Improve?


Not at all	Tremendously

Curriculum Comments:

There was no set curriculum. We were told it was based on English National Ballet, but there was no set curriculum or a way to track/see progress throughout the season.

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class:

No partnering

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles:

None

Other Class Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

Master Classes?

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

Yes

Physical Training Types:

Body conditioning

Physical Training Schedule:

Occasionally

Were Trainers Certified?

Physical Training Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Strength & Conditioning Comments:

It was only offered consistently for a few weeks or whenever a particular teacher was available.

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

Yes, for everyone

How Parents Notified?

Student told parent. School not involved

How Treatment Obtained?

Outside PT. The PT provided was usually off site or took the main company as priority. She was only available once per week.

PT Available?

Yes, for extra fee

Was There a Recovery Plan?

Describe Recovery Plan:

We had to manage injuries on our own with our own PT and maintenance protocols.

Mental Health Therapists Available?

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

Yes

Were Students Weighed?

Was "Coded Language" Used?

Yes

Additional Comments:

Injuries and health are treated poorly. Dancers do not feel safe communicating their concerns to teachers.

Performances: Winter Show/ Nutcracker

Performance Opportunities:

2-3

School Winter Show?

Yes

Company or School Show?

Company affiliated production and the students perform certain parts

Cast in Winter Show?

Yes

How Chosen:

Chosen by school director or the company artistic staff

Winter Show Role:

Dancing part

Were You Paid?

Rehearsal Impact on Classes:

Rehearsal Hours:

6-10

Performance: Ballet Season

Cast in Company Productions?

Yes

Kind of Part Given?

"Standing around part" e.g. party attendant, royal guard, etc.

How Chosen:

Students chosen for roles by staff - NO AUDITIONS

Was Casting Fair?

Did Rehearsals Impact School Schedule?

Rehearsal Hours:

6-10

Perfomance Opportunities:

Able to perform in all school opportunities and two company performances.

Were You Paid?

Competition

School Does Competitions?

Yes

Competitions Required?

% of Students Who Performed:

2 dancers

How Chosen?

unknown

Competitions Cost Extra?

unknown

Separate Competition Rehearsals?

Yes

Competition Interfered With Training?

Yes. Training would essentially stop. Pointe classes cancelled or shortened, etc.

Communication

Formal Orientation?

Yes

Handboook & Paperwork:

Vague and incomplete

Quality of Communication?


Poor	Excellent

Who Received Communication?

With parents and students

Exams

Formal Exam?

School Culture

How Supported Did Student Feel By Staff?


Not	Completely

How Supportive Were Students of One Another?


Not	Completely

Describe School Culture:

Toxic with a lack of organization or leadership.

Placement Notification Timing:

Not notified at all. (next quest forced an answer, but we had no communication)

How Dancer Was Notified:

Written communication via email or regular mail

Dancer Had Mentor?

Yes

Mentoring Details:

A company member reached out and was very kind and provided continued guidance. No one else in the organization provided any type of support or guidance.

Overall School Culture:


Lord of the Flies	Warm & Inclusive

School Outcomes

Highest Levels of School?

There are no bridge levels (If you chose this answer, please skip next question)

Where Graduates Who Do Not Get Bridge Level Go:

Some find positions elsewhere and about half leave ballet

How Many Left and Went to College?

20%

Career Support:

Received no help - I was on my own

Describe How School Helped:

None other than received a recommendation letter after several reminders.

Building & Surrounding Area

Security Around Building:

Safety of Area Around School?


Not Safe	Extremely Safe

Studio Space:


Cramped	Lots of space

Studio Cleanliness:


Dirty	Spotless

Housing

Was Housing Provided?

Where Did Dancer Live?

Rented an apartment alone or with other dancers

Academics

How Did Academics Work?

Separate e.g. online, independent study, etc.

Academic Support:

There were no formal study requirements. Students were on their own

Did the School Support Academics?


Didn't support	Definitely supported

Overall Program Grades

Overall Dance Instruction:

Career Support and Placement:

Emotional Support:

Housing & Food:

N/A

Performance Opportunities:

Overall Comments

Program's Best Aspect:

N/A

Program's Worst Aspect:

Too much disorganization, lack of communication, no support.

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

Clear communication and expectations.

Anything Else We Should Know?

It was truly a poor experience for us as parents and my dancer. Partnering was provided once per week but after hours (in the evening). There were no men in our program, so company men and other men were brought in from outside studios. There was no cohesion amongst the teachers and they constantly contradicted each other. While there was supposed to be a contemporary class twice weekly, the teacher frequently did not show up - if he did show up, he was unprepared. Note that this was never addressed with parents/ persons paying for tuition. Injuries were not properly addressed with any student. We also noticed that dancers had common injuries. The teachers/staff can also be quite disrespectful to the students. Dancers who worked frequently had to change their schedule due to inconsistencies and lack of communication. The same is said for academics.