Ballet Rockland

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General

Who is Reviewing?

Parent

Program:

Ballet Rockland

Season Attended:

2023-24

# Of Levels In School:

Highest Level is Pre-professional D. Pre-pro levels are A-D, and then there are sub-levels (eg., A1, A2, B1, B2, etc) depending on enrollment and needs of students.

Dancer Age:

Company Affliated?

Was Student Scholarshipped?

Please Describe Scholarship:

n/a

Years At School:

7 or more years

Curriculum

Days Per Week:

Classes Per Day:

Weekend Classes?

Yes

Weekend Schedule:

Half day

Students Per Class:

10-15

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

Yes

Pointe Classes Per Week:

Daily

Live Music in Technique Class?

Dedicated Men's Program?

Boys In Level:

Less than 5

Separate Technique Class for Boys:

Techniques Taught:

General Classical, Vaganova, Balanchine

Technique Teacher Rotation:

The school rotated teachers on a fixed schedule

Did School Director Teach?

Occasionally

Classroom Corrections:

Dancer specific: almost every dancer got specific corrections each day

Attention From Teachers:


Very Little	A Lot

Quality of Instruction:


Poor	Excellent

Did Technique Improve?


Not at all	Tremendously

Curriculum Comments:

Classes and levels seem to be progressive building upon techniques and skills learned. There is an hour and half ballet class (barre, center, adagio) and then 45 minutes of pointe class. The schedule of each dancer depends on each student. At the beginning of the year, the owner will meet with each dancer and parent to discuss the specific curriculum that would be best for them. My dancer also took classes in Pas de Deux, contemporary, conditioning, cross-training, and variations. The summer curriculum offers even more classes like: pirouettes, dance for theatre/performance, music theory in relation to dance, competition preparation, healthy dancer (focusing on nutrition and mental and emotional health), as well as master classes.

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class:

1x per week

Partner Ratio:

Everyone had to share a partner.

Who Taught?

Male teacher

How Much Partnering Improved:


No	Tremendously

Quality of Pas Teaching:


Poor	Excellent

How Were Corrections Given?

Attention and corrections were evenly distributed between the males and females

Description of Partnering Class:

There are no boys currently at the studio. Pas de deux class is taught by a male instructor who partners with each student. They work on turns, lifts, adagio, artistry, spacial awareness/timing, and communication. During the summer, there are male students who come in (depending on the year) to partner.

Additional Comments:

My dancer is a girl, so for us, I prefer this type of class as the teacher is strong and is very careful to protect the girl. I feel it's safer than if an untrained male and untrained female were learning to partner at the same time. We've had several times throughout the year where we're able to get other male teachers to come in, so students learn to partner with different people, but for the most part, they're all already trained partners.

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles:

Contemporary. There are master classes in Luigi Jazz. modern, and Martha Graham technique. And in the summer, depending on teacher availability, there may be dance for musical theatre. But the primary focus is on ballet.

Other Class Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

Yes

Types of Contemporary Classes Taught:

Improv, Choreography workshops, Technique

Contemporary Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Master Classes?

Yes

Master Classes Description:

Master classes vary depending on curriculum and availability of teachers. There are classes offered by a Dance Physical Therapist who comes in to discuss safety and protection of the body. There have been classes in nutrition as well as mental health. Former students who have gone on to join companies have returned to offer master classes discussing their experiences in the dance world as a professional. There have been principal musicians with the NYCB come in to give master classes about music in relation to ballet.

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

Yes

Physical Training Types:

Weight training, Body conditioning, Stretch class, Other

Physical Training Schedule:

Several times a week

Were Trainers Certified?

Yes

Physical Training Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Strength & Conditioning Comments:

There are strength & conditioning, floor/barre, and cross-training classes. There is a gym in the same complex as the ballet studio, and the students have access to their classes. In addition, there are weekly classes offered specific to ballet students at the gym to help build strength and flexibility.

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

Yes

How Parents Notified?

Parent was informed same day, in person

How Treatment Obtained?

The injury was due to my dancer dancing on dead shoes. It wasn't an acute injury from class. The director contacted me immediately and recommended a physical therapist who specializes in dancers (and was a former dancer herself). The owner kept close tabs on my dancer as well as communicated with the PT to ensure dancer trained safely to prevent further injury.

PT Available?

Yes, for extra fee

Was There a Recovery Plan?

Yes

Describe Recovery Plan:

My dancer wasn't injured acutely. Her injury was due to her own negligence (dancing in dead shoes). Once she met with the PT, she was given specific stretches to do as well as an explanation of how to use KP tape. We had follow-up appointments. The PT also emailed and spoke directly to the director about my dancer after every appointment. The director made sure my daughter was following the PTs instructions correctly and progressing well with her healing. They discussed the injury and decided to change the variation my daughter was supposed to perform so as not to exacerbate the situation.

Mental Health Therapists Available?

Unsure

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

Were Students Weighed?

Was "Coded Language" Used?

Additional Comments:

The studio is hyper-vigilant and forward-thinking about matters concerning mental and emotional well-being. Nutrition classes and talk about food center solely around what is needed to fuel the body for stamina and strength. Dancers are not told what not to eat; rather the focus is on healthy options that sustain the level of activity dancers exert. The director is very careful about mental and social health. Dancers are encouraged to welcome new students (regardless of level) to the studio. Any situation of bullying, drama, negativity, etc gets addressed very quickly and transparently with students and parents. Overall, the environment is very nurturing and welcoming.

Performances: Winter Show/ Nutcracker

Performance Opportunities:

8-12

School Winter Show?

Yes

Company or School Show?

School puts on it's own production and students dance all the 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?

If Paid, Please Describe:

n/a

Performance: Ballet Season

Cast in Company Productions?

Yes

Kind of Part Given?

Dancing part

How Chosen:

Students are chosen to audition by Artistic Staff

Was Casting Fair?

Yes

Did Rehearsals Impact School Schedule?

Perfomance Opportunities:

There are many performance opportunities throughout the year. Nutcracker is the main one. The studio partners with another studio to put on a full production of Nutcracker. The studio also partner with the local youth symphony to perform excerpts of Swan Lake to their live orchestral performance. We are also asked to dance at Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center every year; those dances are ensemble pieces that are about 12-15 minutes long choreographed by the studio owner. We've done dances to Rachmaninoff, Bach, Beethoven, etc. There is an in-studio showcase at the end of the year where students showcase their technique. There is also a story-ballet in a theatre at the end of the school year. Along with those, there are typically a bunch of other performance opportunities that pre-professional students are invited to join.

Were You Paid?

If Paid, Please Describe:

n/a

Competition

School Does Competitions?

Yes

Competitions Required?

How Many Compete?

Students are invited to participate and the number seems to vary every year based on each student's goals, schedule, and ability.

% of Students Who Performed:

Difficult to answer as I don't have specifics about class sizes and participation rates.

How Chosen?

Students are selected for several competitions based on what the director feels is best for the studio and student. Some may be selected for YAGP and others for ICON or Connecticut Classic, etc; some are asked to participate in one, some, or all. Which competition the studio attends depends on several factors like scheduling, distance, cost, etc. Participation is not mandatory, but to be represented by the studio, the director offers an invitation. My dancer was invited to all the competitions, but we chose which ones were best for our schedule and budget.

Competitions Cost Extra?

Yes. Aside from the registration fee, each dancer has to pay for their own costuming (rentals may be available at the studio depending on the variation). Aside from that, dancers have to pay for private/semi-private variation classes.

Separate Competition Rehearsals?

Yes

Competition Interfered With Training?

Participation generally added to training as dancers were under pressure to be able to perform on stage all by themselves in front of strangers. My dancer also has commitments outside of dance, so scheduling competitions along with those commitments is sometimes difficult. Luckily, participation is completely voluntary with no issues if you choose not to participate. Our participation is heavily based on scheduling as some competitions are too close to Nutcracker or to each other to make them feasible for us.

Communication

Formal Orientation?

Handboook & Paperwork:

Comprehensive and complete. I knew what to expect for the year

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:

Welcoming, focused, congenial, happy, safe

Placement Notification Timing:

Before the school year begins. The director meets with each student/family and makes recommendations about classes and placement based on numerous factors. Classes can overlap, so there may be some Level C2 students with C1 and D levels. This is very beneficial to my dancer as she has the opportunity to feel challenged (when dancing with the higher level students) and accomplished (when dancing with the lower level students). In any mixed classes, whoever is instructing caters separate combinations to whatever level the dancer is in. The mixed classes also gives students the opportunity to get to know other dancers in the different levels giving it a more familial feeling rather than one group feeling like they're better than any other.

Overall School Culture:


Lord of the Flies	Warm & Inclusive

School Outcomes

Is Student In Upper Levels?

Building & Surrounding Area

Security Around Building:

Yes

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?

Lived at home

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:

A+

Career Support and Placement:

A+

Emotional Support:

A+

Housing & Food:

N/A

Performance Opportunities:

A+

Overall Comments

Program's Best Aspect:

The program is tailored to each individual student. The director is very communicate with parents, and there is a sense that we're all working together as a team (dancer, teachers, director, and parents). The director is very knowledgeable about the current ballet world and works hard to help students meet their goals. She continues to help students who have graduated and gone on to work in companies often inviting them back to the studio to teach or talk with current students. You can see how much the owner is vested into each and every student; eg., she accompanies them to their first pointe shoe fittings to make sure they're in the right shoe, she meets with all the other instructors several times throughout the week to discuss the progress of each student, she uses social media to celebrate accomplishments (not just in ballet), and ensures a nurturing and warm environment.

Program's Worst Aspect:

Sometimes the schedule is a bit constrictive. I guess that's the case with all programs, but I wish there were more class scheduling options. The studio is growing each year, so that'll come in time, but it's tough when there are conflicts with a specialty class and another commitment.

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

The studio spaces are gorgeous and very open and roomy, but I'd love to see the studio be able to be on its own private campus. Given the location (suburb of NYC), land/space is VERY expensive, but I'm hoping the studio grows enough for that to happen.

Anything Else We Should Know?

It's really such a special program. You get so much individualized attention from all the instructors. It is a bit remote to get to, so it's understandable why it's small, but I feel like it's a hidden gem.

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