St. Louis Ballet

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General

Who is Reviewing?

Parent with dancer input

Program:

St. Louis Ballet

Season Attended:

2022-23

# Of Levels In School:

There are no levels in the Professional Training Program. There is the academy, Professional Training Program, and the Company.

Dancer Age:

Company Affliated?

Yes

Was Student Scholarshipped?

Please Describe Scholarship:

I do not believe many scholarships were given in the past.

Curriculum

Days Per Week:

Classes Per Day:

Weekend Classes?

Yes

Weekend Schedule:

Half day

Students Per Class:

16-24

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

Pointe Classes Per Week:

Live Music in Technique Class?

Dedicated Men's Program?

Techniques Taught:

General Classical, Balanchine

Technique Teacher Rotation:

The school rotated teachers on a fixed schedule

Did School Director Teach?

Never (school admin was a designated upper level teacher)

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:

The schedule is usually technique and pointe (they are listed as two classes) Monday through Friday from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM and Saturday from 11:15 to 1:45. Sometimes, they will switch pointe for variations or contemporary, but that is not the usual. The last hour is sometimes replaced with Rehearsals. During busy times, like Nutcracker, rehearsals will extend to 4 or 4:30.

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class:

No partnering

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles:

Modern

Other Class Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

Yes

Types of Contemporary Classes Taught:

Technique

Contemporary Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Master Classes?

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

Yes

Physical Training Types:

Progressing Ballet Technique

Physical Training Schedule:

Rarely

Were Trainers Certified?

Physical Training Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Strength & Conditioning Comments:

It was only offered a few times.

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

How Parents Notified?

Student told parent. School not involved

How Treatment Obtained?

You would seek your own treatment.

PT Available?

Yes, it is part of fees

Was There a Recovery Plan?

Describe Recovery Plan:

N/A

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:

The staff/teachers would decide on a rule for certain students (no pink leg warmers, no creative makeup, no lace on the leotard) while not commenting or enforcing it with a student standing right next to the dancer wearing the same thing. They did this with many dancers throughout the year. The staff spoke poorly about students calling them names in front of other students and company members.

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:

I had both types of parts

Were You Paid?

If Paid, Please Describe:

N/A

Performance: Ballet Season

Cast in Company Productions?

Yes

Kind of Part Given?

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

How Chosen:

All students allowed to audition

Was Casting Fair?

For some but not all

Did Rehearsals Impact School Schedule?

Perfomance Opportunities:

Trainees are in company shows such as Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Love X, etc. Rehearsals are often during the second half of class (where pointe is listed), and when the production is about to open will extend past class time up to two hours. Trainees are usually in Flower Corps in Nutcracker and sometimes in Snow Corps. For shows like Swan Lake, many trainees were Swans, and others had character roles that did not involve dancing. The trainees are also understudies, but there has never been an understudy go on; they are replaced with someone from a different cast, nor are there rehearsals for understudies where they can fully participate- they learn the part from a distance.

Were You Paid?

If Paid, Please Describe:

N/A

Competition

School Does Competitions?

Yes

Competitions Required?

How Many Compete?

The ballet competitions are not part of the Professional Training Program. They are part of the academy. Students are selected to participate. I would guess about 20% of the students participate.

% of Students Who Performed:

20%

How Chosen?

Asked by the artistic staff to join.

Competitions Cost Extra?

Yes. The dancers pay upfront a choreography fee and an hourly rate for every rehearsal. The total cost is divided by the number of performers in the piece. The dancer also pays all their own entrance fees, costumes, and expenses for their coach/choreographer.

Separate Competition Rehearsals?

Yes

Competition Interfered With Training?

Neither

Communication

Formal Orientation?

Unsure

Handboook & Paperwork:

Fairly comprehensive but missing a few pieces

Quality of Communication?


Poor	Excellent

Who Received Communication?

With dancers only. Parents not involved

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:

Oppressive overall, some great teachers.

Placement Notification Timing:

Yes

Overall School Culture:


Lord of the Flies	Warm & Inclusive

School Outcomes

Is Student In Upper Levels?

Yes

Highest Levels of School?

Trainee

How Many Promoted Internally to Bridge Level:

There were approximately five high school students from the academy in the Training Program.

How Many Come From Outside to Bridge Level?

Where Graduates Who Do Not Get Bridge Level Go:

A few find positions elsewhere but most leave ballet

How Many Left and Went to College?

Unsure

Career Support:

Received no help - I was on my own

Describe How School Helped:

N/A

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?

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:

Career Support and Placement:

Emotional Support:

Housing & Food:

N/A

Performance Opportunities:

Overall Comments

Program's Best Aspect:

The best aspect is the opportunity to dance on stage with the company. The company dancers and many of the teachers are wonderful.

Program's Worst Aspect:

The artistic staff in charge of the program.

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

The number of hours that they train each week should increase. They should replace the artistic staff that was in charge of the program.

Anything Else We Should Know?

Dancing with the company is a valuable experience. As of yet, no dancer has been promoted from the training program to the company. There was only one male in the program so partnering was only once every few months.

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