BALLET HELP DESK

Full-Time Training Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 87
Total Reviews: 296

The School of Cadence Ballet

Full-Time Reviews

General

Who is Reviewing?

2
2

Program

4

Season Attended

4

# Of Levels In School

  • There are 4 divisions (Prep 1-3, El 1-3, Inter 1-2, Sr 1-3). Prep 1 starts at Grade 2 in school
  • 5 levels - mini, junior, intermediate, senior, bridge
  • Prep - graduate
  • jtp then prep, el, inter and sr

Dancer Age

2
1
1

Gender

4

Company Affliated?

4

Was Student Scholarshipped?

3
1

Please Describe Scholarship

1

Years At School

1
1

Curriculum

Days Per Week

1
3

Classes Per Day

3
1

Weekend Classes?

4

Weekend Schedule

2
2

Students Per Class

2
2

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

1
3

Pointe Classes Per Week

1
1
1
1

Live Music in Technique Class?

4

Dedicated Men's Program?

4

Boys In Level

2

Separate Technique Class for Boys

2

Techniques Taught

4

Technique Teacher Rotation

4

Did School Director Teach?

2
2

Classroom Corrections

1
3

Attention From Teachers

Very Little
1
1
2
A Lot

Quality of Instruction

Poor
2
1
1
Excellent

Did Technique Improve?

Not at all
1
1
1
1
Tremendously

Curriculum Comments

  • Vaganova based ballet. Very strong contemporary training. In the full-time program there is a very technically based ballet class and then later in the day a standard ballet class. Pointe is 1-2 times a day in the form of pointe class and/ or variations. Contemporary/ Modern is 3 times a week and they have a daily conditioning class
  • Conditioning + technique + variations + pointe + character
  • Conditioning class every day which including strength, balance and flexibility work. Technique class daily for ballet working on alignment and placement. Contemporary class at least 3x a week and pointe classes at least 3-4 x a week. Rep/variations classes sometimes twice a week depending on if it was comp season
  • we would only ever do the same class work (very easy) there was no curriculum at all

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class

4

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles

3
1
1
3

Other Class Quality

Poor
3
1
Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

4

Types of Contemporary Classes Taught

1
4
3
4

Contemporary Quality

Poor
4
Excellent

Master Classes?

1
3

Master Classes Description

  • They had professionals from National Ballet of Canada teach.
  • Pro dancers from Natl Ballet of Canada would do master classes for a fee
  • Maybe 1 or 2 classes throughout the whole year offered for an extra price and was with dancers from the local company
  • if there was it would be during school and you need to pay

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

4

Physical Training Types

4
1
2

Physical Training Schedule

3
1

Were Trainers Certified?

2
1
1

Physical Training Quality

Poor
1
3
Excellent

Strength & Conditioning Comments

  • I believe they need to hire an outside person to conduct these classes. They should not be taught by their ballet teacher
  • Never changed was always the same routine
  • the conditioning class was injuring all the dancers

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

4

How Parents Notified?

4

How Treatment Obtained?

1
1
1
1

PT Available?

4

Was There a Recovery Plan?

4

Describe Recovery Plan

  • This was up to your physio or osteopath etc but wasn't well supported by the school.
  • The recovery plan was completely up to the parents and the student with a physiotherapist or other type of specialist. The school was informed of the plan. Oftentimes, the student was still expected to dance in rehearsals for competitions.
  • if you had a recovery plan, the AD would go against it so that it was the way she liked it (dancing)

Mental Health Therapists Available?

4

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

3
1

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

1
3

Were Students Weighed?

4

Was "Coded Language" Used?

4

Additional Comments

  • Students are encouraged to work through injuries.
  • All of the students got injured on a regular basis. Injuries were repetitive and many students had dropped out by the winter holidays due to early injuries. My daughter was consistently injured in different areas of her body due to repetitive strain and poor technique teaching. Several students were injured so badly that they were not able to continue to dance.
  • Many dancers at this studio suffer with injuries and often dance through them especially during competition season.There are also many dancers here with mental health issues that are very present to other dancers at the studio such as self harm
  • my teacher told me i need to look anorexic

Performances: Winter Show/ Nutcracker

Performance Opportunities

2
2

School Winter Show?

2
2

Company or School Show?

2

Cast in Winter Show?

2

How Chosen

2

Winter Show Role

2

Were You Paid?

2

Performance: Ballet Season

Cast in Company Productions?

3
1

Kind of Part Given?

1

How Chosen

1

Was Casting Fair?

1

Did Rehearsals Impact School Schedule?

1

Perfomance Opportunities

1

Were You Paid?

1

Competition

School Does Competitions?

4

Competitions Required?

2
2

How Many Compete?

  • Almost all of the professional division students compete. Just not all do YAGP for ballet or YAGP at all.
  • Unlimited
  • As many as are selected
  • all can do contemporary but not all can do a ballet solo

% of Students Who Performed

3
1

How Chosen?

  • For a classical solo the hope is that you would place top 24 or better if you are not there yet they might hold off on doing classical at YAGP until you are stronger.
  • All pre-pro students are required to participate
  • Everyone is welcome to compete but at more prestigious competitions like yagp or adcibc the directors choose closer to who gets to compete but usually allows everyone that wants to compete at regional competitions
  • the AD will tell you that you can do a ballet solo

Competitions Cost Extra?

  • Yes for private coaching for your solos.
  • Yes, approximately $1000/dance per competition. Plus a minimum of 10 privates per dance.
  • Yes. Dancers pay for rehearsals, costumes, travel, travel fees for teachers and competition fees
  • yes you have to pay for privates and the fee to enter the comp then to fly and pay for the AD,s hotel if you go to a comp far away you also have to pay then to couch

Separate Competition Rehearsals?

2
2

Competition Interfered With Training?

  • It added value in the past but currently it is starting to detract as there is more and more focus on these ballet competitions.
  • Detract - there was a huge amount of favouritism at this school. The favourites had their solos run during class time repeatedly.
  • Detracted as so much focus was put on competition that if you weren’t a dancer competing your training suffered
  • there would be rehearsals during class if they didnt take place during class it would mean you were dancing from 1-8 with no breaks as they where replaced with rehearsals

Communication

Formal Orientation?

1
1
2

Handboook & Paperwork

3
1

Quality of Communication?

Poor
3
1
Excellent

Who Received Communication?

4

Exams

Formal Exam?

4

Written Feedback?

4

Exam Adjudicator

4

Exam Rubrics Clear?

2
2

Who Attends Exam Meeting?

4

Well Prepared For Exam?

Not at all
1
1
1
1
Completely

How Heavily Did Exams Weigh in Promotions

Not at all
1
1
1
1
Heavily

School Culture

How Supported Did Student Feel By Staff?

Not
1
1
2
Completely

How Supportive Were Students of One Another?

Not
1
2
1
Completely

Describe School Culture

  • Students supportive. AD difficult
  • The culture is extremely toxic. The favoritism is overwhelming. Dancers are held back in order for favorites to shine. My daughter was a favorite when she started. She had some mental health issues and physical issues during covid. When she went back to dance, she was not well received. Even though she was a top performer at all of the competitions. She was shunned by the director and made fun of by the director in front of others. When the director would videotape classes she would skip over my daughter very purposefully. My daughter attended a performing Arts high School for grade nine and that was a real problem with the director, who wanted her to do online classes at the training facility. When we refused, our daughter was neglected. We have since left this school. The unprofessionalism is overwhelming. I used to work at a ballet company and I understand the ballet world. This director is dangerous.
  • Favouritism is highly noticeable
  • very toxic

Placement Notification Timing

  • End of summer intensive
  • All students are required to do a 3-week summer intensive at the end of the summer. If you don't attend, you don't get in. We were notified about our placement at the end of the summer where it would have been too late to make plans for any other opportunities.
  • When the season begins or at summer intensive
  • at the end of the summer were there is then no time to find a new school

Overall School Culture

Lord of the Flies
2
1
1
Warm & Inclusive

School Outcomes

Is Student In Upper Levels?

1
3

Highest Levels of School?

2
1

How Many Promoted Internally to Bridge Level

  • 4
  • NA
  • not really

How Many Come From Outside to Bridge Level?

  • As many as want to pay.
  • NA
  • .

Where Graduates Who Do Not Get Bridge Level Go

3

How Many Left and Went to College?

1
1
1

Career Support

2
1

Describe How School Helped

  • They discouraged any movement away from their school. As a parent, I did all of the leg work and got my daughter into a different School in a different country. The director refused to even say goodbye to my daughter. Again, my daughter was one of the highest performing dancers in the school. It was extremely petty on behalf of the director.
  • Shared auditions
  • they dont think any other school is better then theres

Building & Surrounding Area

Security Around Building

2
2

Safety of Area Around School?

Not Safe
1
2
1
Extremely Safe

Studio Space

Cramped
2
1
1
Lots of space

Studio Cleanliness

Dirty
1
1
2
Spotless

Housing

Was Housing Provided?

3
1

Did Dancer Stay in Provided Housing?

1

Where Did Dancer Live?

4

Academics

How Did Academics Work?

1
3

Academic Support

2
2

Did the School Support Academics?

Didn't support
3
1
Definitely supported

Overall Program Grades

Overall Dance Instruction

1
1
1
1

Career Support and Placement

2
1
1

Emotional Support

1
3

Housing & Food

1
1
2

Performance Opportunities

1
1
1
1

Overall Comments

Program's Best Aspect

  • The technical training
  • My daughter left competition studio at age 11 and her first year at Cadence really gave her a strong foundation in vaganova. This studio does well at teaching foundational elements to preteens.
  • Technique classes
  • they worked a lot on the lines in ballet very good for little kids

Program's Worst Aspect

  • The amount of stress the AD created and pressure to do well in competitions
  • The blatant favoritism, the cattiness of the favorite dancers and their parents, and the lack of progression in technique.
  • Communication with the directors
  • it was abusive, and i had been doing the same things since el the little kids. we dont do jumps at all

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

  • Have a professional physio on site that works with the dancers and AD
  • We left the program.
  • Less emphasis on competition
  • the AD to remember that we are kids that just want to dance and learn, not be to cause us so much pain

Anything Else We Should Know?

  • If you live in the area I would recommend it but I wouldn't send my child there away from home.
  • The contemporary teacher is a phenomenal choreographer and teacher. There are no opportunities for older dancers to move on to companies or to colleges. As a matter of fact, the director has told many senior dancers that they should stay for bridge programs and they have lost opportunities. No one gets hired into a professional company from this training program.
  • The program promises more than is actually offers. There is no pas de deux training which is essential for older dancers.
  • dancers were crying every day
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