Texas Youth Ballet Conservatory

#1 of 1

General

Who is Reviewing?

Dancer

Program:

Texas Youth Ballet Conservatory

Season Attended:

2023-24

# Of Levels In School:

Three beginner levels, three intermediate, and four advanced levels. Highest three school levels are pre-professional.

Dancer Age:

Company Affliated?

Was Student Scholarshipped?

Years At School:

4 years

Curriculum

Days Per Week:

Classes Per Day:

Weekend Classes?

Yes

Weekend Schedule:

Full day

Students Per Class:

Less than 10

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

Yes

Pointe Classes Per Week:

Live Music in Technique Class?

Dedicated Men's Program?

Yes

Boys In Level:

Less than 5

Separate Technique Class for Boys:

Techniques Taught:

General Classical

Technique Teacher Rotation:

Usually the same every day

Did School Director Teach?

Often

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:

Follows the same training method as CPYB, the Marcia Dale Weary syllabus. As an advanced dancer, any days with only two advanced class offerings would be supplemented with intermediate or fundamentals classes, more commonly the former. Morning classes are strictly for the pre-pro levels, but many also choose to take some evening classes, when there are supplemental styles like modern, or as warm ups for rehearsals.

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class:

1x per week

Partner Ratio:

Most girls had to share a partner.

Who Taught?

Female 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:

Very thorough technique of partnering taught, well structured with good warm-up exercises before turns and lifts.

Additional Comments:

Only downside is the lack of male students, quality was very good.

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles:

Horton, Tap, Folklorico

Other Class Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

Master Classes?

Yes

Master Classes Description:

One or two-day masterclasses during winter or spring break, either with celebrated local teachers or their partnership with a former Prix de Lausanne judge. Mainly ballet, but jazz and contemporary masterclasses have happened before.

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

Yes

Physical Training Types:

Pilates (mat or reformer), Stretch class, Gyrotonic or Gyrokenisis

Physical Training Schedule:

Once or twice a week

Were Trainers Certified?

Yes

Physical Training Quality:


Poor	Excellent

Strength & Conditioning Comments:

Advice is given for individual conditioning, and pilates focuses most on core strength and flexibility. Gyrotonics more for recovery, but very nice after a long day.

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

How Parents Notified?

Parent was informed same day, in person

How Treatment Obtained?

We are recommended to visit a doctor on our own, but they have a list of PT and chiropractic offices that they refer us to afterwards.

PT Available?

Was There a Recovery Plan?

Yes

Describe Recovery Plan:

The staff work with you to slowly introduce more of class, like taking only barre for a week, then parts of center, until you can do the full class. In my case, I was also given exercises to strengthen where I was injured so it wouldn't be as likely to happen again.

Mental Health Therapists Available?

Unsure

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

Were Students Weighed?

Was "Coded Language" Used?

Additional Comments:

Very open when talking about mental health, resources are given if you ask. If your teacher notices concerning behaviors, like restrictive eating patterns, they'll pull you aside or request a private meeting to discuss it.

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:

Audition

Winter Show Role:

Dancing part

Were You Paid?

Performance: Ballet Season

Cast in Company Productions?

Yes

Kind of Part Given?

Dancing part

How Chosen:

All students allowed to audition

Was Casting Fair?

Yes

Did Rehearsals Impact School Schedule?

Perfomance Opportunities:

All school opportunities, with both theater performances and with their community outreach program.

Were You Paid?

Competition

School Does Competitions?

Yes

Competitions Required?

How Many Compete?

No maximum, but allowance to compete is at the dancer's main teacher's discretion.

% of Students Who Performed:

About 20 percent

How Chosen?

Students inquire, and their teacher allows them to or not to go. Together they choose a variation, and arrange coaching outside of class time. The director can pull a dancer from competition if they don't think they will perform well, but this almost never happens.

Competitions Cost Extra?

Fees are up to the student, but costumes can be borrowed.

Separate Competition Rehearsals?

Yes

Competition Interfered With Training?

I competed, and I think that it added to my year. I got more experience learning soloist roles, and got very detailed feedback from my teacher and the director when I was observed.

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?

School Culture

How Supported Did Student Feel By Staff?


Not	Completely

How Supportive Were Students of One Another?


Not	Completely

Describe School Culture:

Family, competitive, close-knit, challenging.

Placement Notification Timing:

You can get moved up a level at any time throughout the year, but most placements occur in May.

Overall School Culture:


Lord of the Flies	Warm & Inclusive

School Outcomes

Is Student In Upper Levels?

Yes

Highest Levels of School?

There are no bridge levels

How Many Promoted Internally to Bridge Level:

N/A

How Many Come From Outside to Bridge Level?

N/A

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?

About a third of my class.

Career Support:

Received lots of help

Describe How School Helped:

School helped me research summer programs that could lead to a traineeship.

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?

Yes

Did Dancer Stay in Provided Housing?

Where Did Dancer Live?

Lived at home, but I knew some girls who lived with host families arranged by the school.

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:

Emotional Support:

A+

Housing & Food:

Performance Opportunities:

Overall Comments

Program's Best Aspect:

The one-on-one instruction and correction. Levels are mainly skill-based with age minimums for a few levels, and students improve so fast, it's like they catch fire. I went from a complete teenage beginner to almost being ready for a traineeship in less than four years. It's a relatively small school, but it has solid, intense training.

Program's Worst Aspect:

Lack of male students and small studio size.

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

Larger studios in a slightly larger building. Additional classes like character and an extra pas class for the advanced/pre-pro levels, with a junior pas class for the intermediate levels.

Anything Else We Should Know?

The youth company is very classical, but has some modern works, and mainly takes students in high school or college. The company is structured like a real one, with apprentices, corps de ballet, and soloists. Students as young as 10 or 11 have been apprentices, but they are generally 12 and up. Great experience for learning about company life and repertoire, especially for late high school and college ballet dancers.

Loading…