School of Alberta Ballet

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General

Who is Reviewing?

Parent

Program:

School of Alberta Ballet

Season Attended:

2022-23

# Of Levels In School:

They go to Year 12 and then offer 1 or 2 years post graduate training

Dancer Age:

Company Affliated?

Yes

Was Student Scholarshipped?

Curriculum

Days Per Week:

Classes Per Day:

more than 6

Weekend Classes?

Weekend Schedule:

Half day

Students Per Class:

10-15

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

Yes

Pointe Classes Per Week:

Live Music in Technique Class?

Yes

Dedicated Men's Program?

Unsure

Boys In Level:

Less than 5

Separate Technique Class for Boys:

Yes

Techniques Taught:

General Classical, Vaganova, Balanchine

Technique Teacher Rotation:

The school rotated teachers on a fixed schedule

Did School Director Teach?

Never (school admin was NOT designated as an upper level teacher)

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:

Academic education from 8am - 12noon. From 12.30pm until 5pm (one day finish is 5.30pm) they do a variety of classes; ballet, pointe, contemporary, variation, movement, stretch

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class:

2x per week

Partner Ratio:

Most girls had to share a partner.

Who Taught?

It varied based on the week

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:

Safe practice, focus on not just technique but also the artistic qualities of partnering

Additional Comments:

If the boy number were higher it would have been amazing

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles:

Character, Modern, Contemporary

Other Class Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

Yes

Types of Contemporary Classes Taught:

Improv, Repertoire, Choreography workshops, Technique

Contemporary Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Master Classes?

Yes

Master Classes Description:

Short programs attended by people not currently students

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

Yes

Physical Training Types:

Pilates (mat or reformer), Body conditioning

Physical Training Schedule:

Once or twice a week

Were Trainers Certified?

Yes

Physical Training Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

Yes

How Parents Notified?

My student did not get injured

How Treatment Obtained?

School arranged appointments

PT Available?

Yes, for extra fee

Was There a Recovery Plan?

Yes

Describe Recovery Plan:

The director meets with the family and receives medical notes. This is reviewed on a regular schedule

Mental Health Therapists Available?

Yes

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

Unsure

Were Students Weighed?

Was "Coded Language" Used?

Yes

Additional Comments:

They managed this better than others, although room for improvement. Regarding injuries they were excellent and never “write off” a child if they demonstrated commitment to recovery

Performances: Winter Show/ Nutcracker

Performance Opportunities:

2-3

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:

I had both types of parts

Were You Paid?

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:

Winter showcase, contemporary showcase, ajudication performance, end of year performance, 2 x opportunity to dance with company

Were You Paid?

Competition

School Does Competitions?

Communication

Formal Orientation?

Yes

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?

Yes

Written Feedback?

Yes

Exam Adjudicator:

Outside adjudicator

Exam Rubrics Clear?

Strongly agree

Who Attends Exam Meeting?

Yes and parents were included. The meeting was with my teachers.

Well Prepared For Exam?


Not at all	Completely

How Heavily Did Exams Weigh in Promotions:


Not at all	Heavily

School Culture

How Supported Did Student Feel By Staff?


Not	Completely

How Supportive Were Students of One Another?


Not	Completely

Describe School Culture:

Supportive staff

Placement Notification Timing:

March (year starts in September)

Overall School Culture:


Lord of the Flies	Warm & Inclusive

School Outcomes

Is Student In Upper Levels?

Yes

Highest Levels of School?

Post- Graduate/Graduate

How Many Promoted Internally to Bridge Level:

3 (from 16)

How Many Come From Outside to Bridge Level?

Where Graduates Who Do Not Get Bridge Level Go:

All find bridge level positions at other ballet schools

How Many Left and Went to College?

Not sure

Career Support:

Received some help

Describe How School Helped:

Meetings to discuss and provide guidance with the director. Filming and photos arranged by school.

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?

Yes

Did Dancer Stay in Provided Housing?

Yes

Type of Housing Provided::

Dorms

Housing Minimum Age:

# of Roommates::

Adequate # of RA's?


Not at all	Absolutely

Type of Bathrooms::

1 bathroom for 4 students

Curfew?

Yes

Curfew Reasonable?

Yes

Nightly Room Check?

Yes

Dorm Strictness:


Extremely Lax	Extremely Strict

How Infractions Handled?

Fair

How Roommate Issues Handled?

Really well

Housing Cleanliness:


Dirty	Spotless

Students Required to Clean Room?

Yes

Laundry Available?

Yes

Laundry Free?

Yes

Evening Activities?

Yes

A/C In Room?

Yes

Weekend Outings?

Transportation Between Housing and Studios?

Private bus

Safety Around Housing:


Not Safe	Very Safe

Overall Rating of Housing:


Poor	Excellent

Additional Comments:

Every Christmas they rotate room mates if needed

Meal Plan

Meal Plan?

Yes

Food Quality:


Gross	Excellent

Enough Food?

Yes

Late Meals Available?

Yes

Dancer w/ Dietary Needs?

Academics

How Did Academics Work?

Integrated

Academic Support:

Students attended in person classes provided by school

Did the School Support Academics?


Didn't support	Definitely supported

Overall Program Grades

Overall Dance Instruction:

Career Support and Placement:

B+

Emotional Support:

A-

Housing & Food:

A-

Performance Opportunities:

Overall Comments

Program's Best Aspect:

This program has the balance of quality training with high academic education

Program's Worst Aspect:

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

Anything Else We Should Know?

They focus on embracing the dancer, so demonstrate commitment. They are less interested in the dancers that only come for one year or are not participating in the “full” program offering (eg doing their own academics)

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