BALLET HELP DESK

Full-Time Training Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 90
Total Reviews: 306

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre

Full-Time Reviews

General

Who is Reviewing?

1
3
1

Program

5

Season Attended

3
2

# Of Levels In School

1
1
1
1
1

Dancer Age

1
1
1
2

Hours of Dance Each Week

2

Gender

3
2

Company Affliated?

5

Was Student Scholarshipped?

2
3

Please Describe Scholarship

1
1
1

Years At School

2
2
1

Full time or after school?

2

Curriculum

Days Per Week

3
2

Classes Per Day

2
3

Weekend Classes?

3
2

Weekend Schedule

1
1
3

Students Per Class

3
1
1

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

5

Pointe Classes Per Week

1
2
1
1

Live Music in Technique Class?

1
4

Dedicated Men's Program?

2
3

Men Taught by Male Teacher?

2

Men Taught Batterie?

1
1

Boys In Level

1
4

Separate Technique Class for Boys

3
1
1

Techniques Taught

1
5
1

Technique Teacher Rotation

3
2

Did School Director Teach?

2
1
1
1

Classroom Corrections

2
1
2

Attention From Teachers

Very Little
1
3
1
A Lot

Quality of Instruction

Poor
1
3
1
Excellent

Did Technique Improve?

Not at all
1
2
2
Tremendously

Curriculum Comments

  • Am class 8-9:30, technique, one day a week conditioning or character. PM class was technique and either pointe, pas, variations or rep
  • daly ballet class, and then 2 to three other classes of pointe, variations, pas, modern, contemporary, pilates and conditioning
  • Typically three or more classes each day. Morning class happened eight to 9:30 AM and was a technique class. Students then head off to conduct schoolwork and returned in the afternoon for two more classes: typically a ballet and variations class for an hour and a half each
  • daily technique class with center en pointe required. contemporary and conditioning once a week. variations pointe and rep classes alternate as well as rehearsals for both grad and company productions. daily hours usually spanned from 9:15-2:30, latest end time was 6pm.

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class

2
2
1

Partner Ratio

1
2
2

Who Taught?

1
1
3

How Much Partnering Improved

No
1
2
2
Tremendously

Quality of Pas Teaching

Poor
4
1
Excellent

How Were Corrections Given?

2
1
2

Description of Partnering Class

  • Basic
  • Boys were generally lacking and wasn't the greatest match ups.
  • Did not have pas class consistently throughout the year. Only when there were not rehearsals for performances.
  • Partnering typically occur 2 to 3 times a week
  • Began with short fundemental exercises for 30-45 min then learning and working on a specific pas for the remainder of class (1.5hr total class)

Additional Comments

  • no
  • n/a
  • It would have been helpful to have a female present to instruct the female students.
  • class is 1x per week at the beginning but normally very few classes happen after november

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles

3
1
5

Other Class Quality

Poor
1
1
1
2
Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

5

Types of Contemporary Classes Taught

4
3
1
5

Contemporary Quality

Poor
1
2
1
1
Excellent

Master Classes?

1
4

Master Classes Description

  • Master classes offered to all students and general public, not specifically to level..
  • one or two were offered to the public as well as the school
  • Monthly master classes offered with instruction by artistic director as well as company artists
  • Various master classes taught by PBT company dancers at a discounted but still very expensive price.

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

1
4

Physical Training Types

4
2
4
1

Physical Training Schedule

3
1

Were Trainers Certified?

1
3

Physical Training Quality

Poor
3
1
Excellent

Strength & Conditioning Comments

  • Privates also offered in the TRX, gyrotonics and Pilates room

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

2
2
1

How Parents Notified?

3
1
1

How Treatment Obtained?

  • Margie is amazing at helping you connect with the right people when you need it, you just have to ask her!

PT Available?

1
1
3

Was There a Recovery Plan?

4
1

Mental Health Therapists Available?

2
1
1
1

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

5

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

3
2

Were Students Weighed?

5

Was "Coded Language" Used?

1
3
1

Additional Comments

  • They did give us a list of professionals in the Pittsburgh area that we could reach out to for help.
  • Teachers are very nurturing and take consideration about the dancers growth as a whole not just artistically but also as humans
  • They do tend to shy away from difficult conversations if they are at all avoidable especially considering most of the graduate students are adults not minors. That being said I know that if a friend was concerned and told a teacher that a fellow student needed help they do step up and ensure that help is available.

Performances: Winter Show/ Nutcracker

Performance Opportunities

4
1

School Winter Show?

5

Company or School Show?

4
1

Cast in Winter Show?

5

How Chosen

1
4

Winter Show Role

4
1

Were You Paid?

5

If Paid, Please Describe

  • pointe shoe reimbursement if you perform a certain number of shows (only about 50% of grads qualify)

Rehearsal Impact on Classes

1
1

Rehearsal Hours

2

Performance: Ballet Season

Cast in Company Productions?

3
2

Kind of Part Given?

2

How Chosen

1
1

Was Casting Fair?

1
1

Did Rehearsals Impact School Schedule?

1
1

Rehearsal Hours

1

Perfomance Opportunities

  • School outreach, collaborative shows with PSO
  • Can be chosen for additional productions in story ballets with the company. Often times these are standing roles or covers only but occasionally end up in a dancing role or having to perform per the cover policy.

Were You Paid?

2

Competition

School Does Competitions?

5

Communication

Formal Orientation?

1
4

Handboook & Paperwork

4
1

Quality of Communication?

Poor
2
1
2
Excellent

Who Received Communication?

1
4

Exams

Formal Exam?

5

School Culture

How Supported Did Student Feel By Staff?

Not
1
2
2
Completely

How Supportive Were Students of One Another?

Not
1
3
1
Completely

Describe School Culture

  • disorganized
  • overshadowed by the company.
  • transparent
  • Welcoming, nurturing, engaging, spirited
  • competitive yet still supportive

Placement Notification Timing

  • NA
  • late spring
  • February/March
  • In January
  • Never. I specifically asked what the timeline was to know if I would be allowed back for another year and was never given a concrete answer. I did end up getting a contract elsewhere so never followed up on the conversation. Be direct and persistent!

How Dancer Was Notified

1
1

Dancer Had Mentor?

1
1

Mentoring Details

  • Informal mentoring of students with various grads and Company members.
  • No formal program. There were certain teachers I connected with and talked to more than others though that helped me when I needed them.

Overall School Culture

Lord of the Flies
3
1
1
Warm & Inclusive

School Outcomes

Is Student In Upper Levels?

3

Highest Levels of School?

4
1

How Many Promoted Internally to Bridge Level

  • NA
  • 10-15 into a 60 person level
  • no bridge level
  • Unsure
  • Unsure

How Many Come From Outside to Bridge Level?

  • Not sure
  • 30-45-ish
  • There were 60 students in the grad program but the grad program is in the school

Where Graduates Who Do Not Get Bridge Level Go

1
3

How Many Left and Went to College?

  • NA
  • 5 out of a class of 30 for level 8, not sure about Grad/bridge level
  • not sure, some went to college, but not sure if it was to study ballet or something else
  • Unsure
  • Unsure

Career Support

2
2
1

Describe How School Helped

  • They reviewed our resumes and videos, they also provided studio space to make videos and we had a Q&A with McKinney.
  • You can use studios for free to film but that’s about it. If you can schedule a meeting and go in with very specific questions they can help but you are mostly on your own.

Building & Surrounding Area

Security Around Building

1
4

Safety of Area Around School?

Not Safe
2
3
Extremely Safe

Studio Space

Cramped
5
Lots of space

Studio Cleanliness

Dirty
1
4
Spotless

Housing

Was Housing Provided?

5

Where Did Dancer Live?

1
4

Academics

How Did Academics Work?

5

Academic Support

5

Did the School Support Academics?

Didn't support
4
1
Definitely supported

Overall Program Grades

Overall Dance Instruction

1
1
1
2

Career Support and Placement

1
2
1
1

Emotional Support

2
2
1

Housing & Food

5

Performance Opportunities

2
1
1
1

Overall Comments

Program's Best Aspect

  • A good post high school experience
  • We had outstanding circumstances and came into program in October, very willing to listen and help us with situation. Very very supportive.
  • Some of the teachers were wonderful.
  • Nurturing environment while still giving structure and coaching towards improvement in technique
  • I really enjoyed how much pointe was required. Daily classes are taken center en pointe as well as additional weekly or more pointe and variations classes also en pointe. All rep this year was pointe also. It really forces you to improve technique and strength. In terms of community, even though the program is large it works so well. Of course anywhere you go there are the dancers that cannot celebrate their peers success and there were definitely some here too- but for the most part this was the most beautiful community I’ve ever felt in a ballet focused program. The girls in grad will most likely be lifelong friends.

Program's Worst Aspect

  • New leadership and mixed messages
  • The genera ability level coming from younger levels in school is not great- most come from other places for level 8 and grad
  • Much too large. There were not enough performace opportunities because there were so many dancers. The top few got to do alot and the rest not so much.
  • It’s difficult to be seen. Being so large you have to find the balance between confidence and putting yourself in front to be seen, and being cocky. This also leads to a lot of favoritism that can be a bit frustrating but it just takes them time to get to know each student. This can make it feel very sink or swim and unsupportive until you can really settle in. Additionally, if you’re not a favorite of the teachers it is totally possible to go a full day without hearing your name one time outside of attendance-definitely something to keep in mind that self motivation is very important here.

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

  • smaller grad program
  • This program needs a contemporary component that prepares the dancers to to the type of rep that the comapny performs.
  • They split grad into three groups for the beginning of the year then usually move to two. Keeping those 3 groups for daily technique could be very beneficial as that significantly takes down the number of students per class which leads to more individual corrections. Also maybe one longer break per day!! Not really much time to eat on a normal day.

Anything Else We Should Know?

  • They do not promote from within
  • Not a single dancer was promoted from the grad program into the company for 2 years in a row. PBT only hires from the outside. We would not have come here had we known that.
  • Very positive environment in which students are guided daily.
  • Everyone has a completely different experience here. The fact that there are 50-60 people in the program is something that isn’t really advertised but should be!!! It is a large program and it’s totally normal for 3-5 girls to drop out throughout the year. Be prepared for anything but your dancing will improve as long as you’re self motivated and you will probably make some great connections :)
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