BALLET HELP DESK

Full-Time Training Reviews

Programs Reviewed: 98
Total Reviews: 352

Tulsa Ballet

Full-Time Reviews

General

Who is Reviewing?

9
1

Program

10

Season Attended

3
2
1
4

# Of Levels In School

  • "8"
  • "level 1-8 + day program + trainee"
  • "The school has levels 1 through 8 for students and then the bridge trainee program into the company."
  • "Levels 1-8 and Trainee"
  • "1-8 + trainee"
  • "I believe there are 7 academy levels... And 5-7 are broken up in "evening program" and "day program" where the day program is the precursor to the trainee program. The trainee program is the postgrad level, though."
  • "Intensive levels 1-8, trainee program"
  • "The programs that I am most knowledgeable of are the trainee program and the daytime program (which combined a lot with the trainees but started classes later in the afternoon)."
  • "The evening program: more recreational and for younger kids, daytime program: intensive program for late middle/high-school kids on a professional trajectory, trainee:full time schedule for post high-school kids auditioning to be professionals"
  • "Two year trainee program"

Dancer Age

1
1
2
3
2
1

Hours of Dance Each Week

3
1
1

Gender

9
1

Company Affliated?

10

Was Student Scholarshipped?

6
4

Please Describe Scholarship

  • "It covered part of my tuition"
  • "The scholarship covered the whole tuition, this was given to some trainee students."
  • "N/A"
  • "I was on a 50% tuition scholarship that only a few dancers were offered on a basis of merit."
  • "It covered one hundred percent of the tuition"

Years At School

6
1
1

Full time or after school?

5

Curriculum

Days Per Week

1
9

Classes Per Day

1
3
5
1

Weekend Classes?

10

Weekend Schedule

3
7

Students Per Class

6
2
2

Weekly Repertoire or Variations?

10

Pointe Classes Per Week

2
2
2
3
1

Live Music in Technique Class?

4
6

Dedicated Men's Program?

6
2
2

Men Taught by Male Teacher?

1
4

Men Taught Batterie?

2
3

Boys In Level

3
4

Separate Technique Class for Boys

7

Techniques Taught

7
10

Technique Teacher Rotation

5
5

Did School Director Teach?

1
7
2

Classroom Corrections

6
4

Attention From Teachers

Very Little
3
3
4
A Lot

Quality of Instruction

Poor
1
3
6
Excellent

Did Technique Improve?

Not at all
2
3
5
Tremendously

Curriculum Comments

  • "Monday-Ballet, Pointe or Variations, Contemporary, Tuesday-Ballet, Pointe, Conditioning, Wednesday- same as monday, Thursday- same as tuesday, Friday- Ballet, variations, character or co rep, Saturday- Pbt, ballet, pointe, jazz (last year)"
  • "Each day starts with a 1.5 hour ballet class. Schedule changes often depending on where we are in the year and if we're doing company performances, but if it's a regular work week, after class we'll have 1-2 hours of pointe or rep on pointe, a lunch break, and then another 2-3 hours of either contemporary or contemporary repertoire. Occassionally we have other classes like nutrition, dance history, conditioning, etc. The day runs from 9:30am-4:30pm with a 1 hour lunch break."
  • "Trainee Director's classes were very similar to company classes, Academy Director's classes were heavily Vaganova. Each day we started with a ballet technique class, and then we usually went into rehearsals, whatever that means for the time. At the beginning of the year, there were more pointe classes and occasionally a pas class but that dwindled later in the year. If you wanted more pointe classes, you usually had to do your own exercises or take a lower level class. Once or twice a week there were contemporary technique classes."
  • "Their curriculum includes weekly classes in Ballet Technique, Pointe, Variations, Men’s Class, Pas de Deux, Character, Conditioning, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, and Hip Hop. Students also receive workshop classes in Nutrition, Sports Performance Psychology, Ballet Pedagogy, and Dance History."
  • "The school’s curriculum was very organized, structured around Vaganova-based training methods that closely mimicked the company standards. Our days typically consisted of an hour and forty-five minute technique class followed by hour rehearsal blocks where we would rehearse variations/co-rep. There were consistent pointe, pas de deux, and contemporary classes during the fall but those were quickly replaced to make time for rehearsing. There was heavy emphasis placed on preparing audition material and we received a significant amount of guidance with that."
  • "We took Technique classes every morning, after the firsts class we had a couple of different classes that ranged in male technique/pointe, contemporary, variations, conditioning, but we mostly had rehearsals."

Partnering

Frequency of Partnering Class

3
1
6

Partner Ratio

1
1
2

Who Taught?

4

How Much Partnering Improved

No
2
2
Tremendously

Quality of Pas Teaching

Poor
2
2
Excellent

How Were Corrections Given?

1
1
1
1

Description of Partnering Class

  • "Partnering class was each week, taught by a male instructor- during partnering they worked on turns, lifts, and adagio"
  • "Partnering classes only took place at the start of the year because they were eventually replaced by rehearsals. There were less than five boys so three girls typically had to share one guy. The instruction was all over the place because there were various levels of experience. It would have been beneficial to have more classes to dive deeper into specifics."
  • "Partnering class was mostly learning repertoire, and base technique was coached along the way."
  • "We had partnering classes with the lower level school members. We started with slow easy combination, slow adagios, jumps, pirouettes and finished with lifts"

Additional Comments

  • "The teacher did not progress as quickly as I would’ve liked, and I felt this held me back in my development"
  • "A select few were able to rehearse pas de deuxs for end of year performances and got a considerable amount of instruction. However, the boys needed a lot of help to learn proper technique."
  • "Partnering classes were offered at the beginning of the year but were quickly replaced by rehearsals for upcoming shows."

Other Classes

Other Dance Styles

5
1
1
1
4
2
3
5
1

Other Class Quality

Poor
1
3
3
3
Excellent

Contemporary Offered?

10

Types of Contemporary Classes Taught

4
5
6
10

Contemporary Quality

Poor
1
2
4
3
Excellent

Master Classes?

4
6

Master Classes Description

  • "Occasionally accomplished guest teachers were brought in for our Saturday joint classes with the school students. In our contemporary class, two guest teachers were brought in during the year- one to teach floorwork technique, and the other to teach a Gaga class."
  • "If you wanted strength or conditioning, you had to go to the lower level classes, but the schedule was so inconsistent (for the trainees) that that wasn't always reliable, so most of us kept warm and "strengthened" on our own."
  • "There were several weeks of master classes offered by professionals within the company"
  • "A couple of guest teachers (from other schools or within the Tulsa Ballet main company) taught masterclasses that provided a great break from the typical schedule."

Strength & Conditioning

Physical Training Offered?

1
9

Physical Training Types

8
1
8
7
5
1
1

Physical Training Schedule

2
6
1

Were Trainers Certified?

4
5

Physical Training Quality

Poor
1
3
5
Excellent

Injuries/Health/ Mental Health

Are Doctors Available?

9
1

How Parents Notified?

4
6

How Treatment Obtained?

  • "sought outside medical attention unaffiliated with the school"
  • "Faculty offered contact information and references to local sports PTs. One came in to introduce himself to Trainees back in September, unsure if any of the Trainees sought out treatment with him."
  • "They had doctors that usually saw most of the dancers and would recommend them to those who were injured."
  • "Unsure"
  • "Students had to seek their own medical treatment."
  • "I was allowed to attend the companies physical therapist but it is not usually offered to students, only company members."

PT Available?

9
1

Was There a Recovery Plan?

4
6

Describe Recovery Plan

  • "The school was not responsible for providing a recovery plan- if injured, it was up to the dancer to communicate with staff with updates and info on what they could and couldn't do in class & rehearsal. Doctor and PT visits were highly recommended to students with chronic/repeat injuries."
  • "At the trainee level, you really have to know your body (i.e., what to push through, what to sit down to, what to call an injury, how to make a plan for an injury) and communicate that with the staff. If you're communicative, they're very understanding."
  • "Students were expected to heal themselves and reintegrate as soon as possible."

Mental Health Therapists Available?

7
2
1

Were Students Given Fat Talk?

10

Staff Made Comments About Bodies?

7
1
2

Were Students Weighed?

10

Was "Coded Language" Used?

3
4
3

Additional Comments

  • "all of this is from previous year under previous director"
  • "it seemed as though casting was often decided based on body type rather than ability"
  • "As the trainee are all older (postgraduate age), it was expected that we advocate for ourselves and be the judges of when we do and don't need help. The school is open to helping in any way they can with both physical and mental health issues, but the dancer is responsible for notifying the school of those issues. In my experience, the faculty are very understanding of injuries and prioritize dancer health above all else."
  • "Injuries were taken seriously, but mental health was not really. You REALLY have to be secure in yourself because some of the comments can be very degrading... Even if it made us better dancers and jarred us into a more "company atmosphere", you would quickly get in your head and get incredibly anxious to dance or talk to the staff... I don't know how it will be next year though."
  • "The director aims to make everyone feel supported and included. However, the mental health resources were very limited. Although there was a registered therapist and dietitian available to us, it was up to the student to get in contact with them and it was very difficult to do so. Students often had to lean a lot on each other to get through stressful times."

Performances: Winter Show/ Nutcracker

Performance Opportunities

1
2
5
1
1

School Winter Show?

3
7

Company or School Show?

6
1

Cast in Winter Show?

7

How Chosen

2
5

Winter Show Role

4
3

Were You Paid?

7

Rehearsal Impact on Classes

4

Rehearsal Hours

1
2
1

Performance: Ballet Season

Cast in Company Productions?

3
7

Kind of Part Given?

4
3

How Chosen

4
3

Was Casting Fair?

3
4

Did Rehearsals Impact School Schedule?

3
3
1

Rehearsal Hours

1
1
1

Perfomance Opportunities

  • "we weren’t given many opportunities to perform. many of us have done 2 company productions (all “standing around” parts as stated above) and a couple of small outreach performances and an end of year showcase with the school"
  • "d"
  • "Trainees had the opportunity to perform in all full-length company productions (4 for 23-24 season). Depending on the ballet, we performed either dancing or supernumerary roles. Trainees also performed a piece to open each of the TBII outreach-child-story-ballet performances (6-8 shows in September, 4-6 shows in April). The last performance of the year is the school's End-of-Year performances, 6 shows total, where trainees performed one multi-movement contemporary ballet, one short piece (both of these from TB company repertoire), one student-choreographed piece, and excerpts from La Bayadere (trainees performed all leading roles as well as pas de quatre and corps roles)."
  • "not many opportunities to perform with the school; outreach performances with the second company on occasion; everyone had a part in nutcracker but none were dancing parts; some trainees were used in don q and romeo and juliet as “space fillers” in street scenes"
  • "I was fortunate to understudy multiple dancing roles in company productions, which required I leave classes early to attend rehearsals. All trainees perform in our fall showcase, Nutcracker festival, spring showcase, Children’s program, end of year show, and additional outreach programs."
  • "Many trainees were given the opportunity to participate in the company productions with standing parts, also, there were many trainee and school specific shows that gave dancers opportunities to learn very dance heavy roles in all styles."
  • "We had a lot of shows with the school (winter and spring shows, children shows and end of year shows) and i got to perform a dancing part in the company’s nutcracker and a standing part in the company’s Sleeping Beauty"

Were You Paid?

7

If Paid, Please Describe

  • "N/A"

Competition

School Does Competitions?

10

Communication

Formal Orientation?

1
1
8

Handboook & Paperwork

3
7

Quality of Communication?

Poor
2
2
2
4
Excellent

Who Received Communication?

5
5

Exams

Formal Exam?

10

Written Feedback?

10

Exam Adjudicator

9
1

Exam Rubrics Clear?

4
1
2
1
2

Who Attends Exam Meeting?

2
1
7

Well Prepared For Exam?

Not at all
2
3
5
Completely

How Heavily Did Exams Weigh in Promotions

Not at all
1
3
4
2
Heavily

School Culture

How Supported Did Student Feel By Staff?

Not
1
3
1
5
Completely

How Supportive Were Students of One Another?

Not
3
7
Completely

Describe School Culture

  • "Caring, professional, great atmosphere"
  • "extremely intense with occasional jokes"
  • "supportive, creative, caring"
  • "Clear Standards, Professional, Intense, Exciting"
  • "supportive students, harsh teachers"
  • "Good training, anxiety, weird communication"
  • "Rigorous training program but supportive"
  • "Rigorous yet effective"
  • "Professional with high expectations"
  • "Disciplined and Hardworking"

Placement Notification Timing

Repeated Responses:
  • "mid march" (2 responses)
Unique Responses:
  • "At the end of the dance year"
  • "already know"
  • "March, after exams"
  • "Yes. A second year should be automatic, unless told otherwise, but some were told about being considered for second company."
  • "April"
  • "Late March"
  • "Yes"
  • "During my exam meeting"

How Dancer Was Notified

3
2

Dancer Had Mentor?

3
2

Mentoring Details

  • "No mentoring, unsure how to answer."
  • "Na"
  • "Xavier Ferla (the director of the trainee program) served as a great mentor, looking out for me and my development as a dancer. Lauren Richter (the director of the school) also cared about finding me a position for next year and nurturing my growth and confidence. It felt very personal and I am thankful to have been cared for so dearly. Not everyone was as lucky as me to receive such fantastic mentorship. There was definitely some favoritism involved, especially because of my height and training background."
  • "The program is very formal, but if a student is struggling the teachers will help. They were particularly helpful with the audition process."
  • "The main Trainee teacher was our mentor, he gave us corrections but also a lot of advice during auditions, exams and for our profesional careers"

Overall School Culture

Lord of the Flies
3
1
2
4
Warm & Inclusive

School Outcomes

Is Student In Upper Levels?

5

Highest Levels of School?

6
1
3

How Many Promoted Internally to Bridge Level

1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

How Many Come From Outside to Bridge Level?

1
1
1
1
1

Where Graduates Who Do Not Get Bridge Level Go

2
4
4

How Many Left and Went to College?

1
1
1
2
1
3
1

Career Support

3
4
3

Describe How School Helped

  • "I am still in the levels"
  • "they helped us film our audition videos. we each had private time with one teacher while we filmed"
  • "Helped put together audition materials, looked over materials, hired photographer for headshot and arabesque photos, resume seminar was conducted with a company member including feedback from Artistic Director. Meetings were held in January to go over our audition plans- we were asked to make company audition lists beforehand and send to our directors. School if affiliated with YAGP job fair, so students interested in attending were given acceptance to attend without prior audition."
  • "Had allotted times to learn and rehearse combos for audition materials as well as to videotape those combos."
  • "The school helped me film all of my audition material, even going to the extent of choreographing a full barre and center. We rehearsed and filmed variations with the guidance of faculty and pieced together an in-depth resume. We were also super fortunate to take company classes which gave us great firsthand experience going into in-person auditions."

Building & Surrounding Area

Security Around Building

4
6

Safety of Area Around School?

Not Safe
1
2
3
4
Extremely Safe

Studio Space

Cramped
1
3
6
Lots of space

Studio Cleanliness

Dirty
3
5
2
Spotless

Housing

Was Housing Provided?

9

Did Dancer Stay in Provided Housing?

1

Where Did Dancer Live?

1
8

Academics

How Did Academics Work?

10

Academic Support

1
9

Did the School Support Academics?

Didn't support
4
3
3
Definitely supported

Overall Program Grades

Overall Dance Instruction

3
6
1

Career Support and Placement

1
4
1
1
3

Emotional Support

1
1
3
2
1
1
1

Housing & Food

1
9

Performance Opportunities

2
2
3
2
1

Overall Comments

Program's Best Aspect

  • "The teachers are great here now and all support and push you to do your best"
  • "it was extremely small so we each got individualized feedback regularly"
  • "Our director, taking company class, and the amount of company production we got to be a part of"
  • "The training. Technique classes helped build stamina and work ethic for company class, and we learned to work in and around the changing schedules. Corrections and feedback, albeit vague sometimes, were personalized, and the staff knew every dancer."
  • "The training"
  • "Help with audition season"
  • "It was a very intense program that focused on improving a dancer's technique and artistry as well as helping them to find a job or next step in their career."
  • "We had a lot of the performing opportunities"

Program's Worst Aspect

  • "it’s often a very hostile environment. often told we are not good enough, aren’t smart, don’t have what it takes, etc."
  • "Occasionally there are days where we have 3-4 hours of dancing on our schedule with no break. 3-4 of class or rehearsal is fine, but I wish there was a more clear cut rule for break times during these long work periods- I would often get very hungry and worn out during these days and it would make it difficult to dance my best."
  • "The environment. Favoritism - not just "I like these select people and I won't pay attention to the rest" but "I also don't like these select people and will treat them poorly and unfairly." The authority dynamic was off... Most of us trainees are adults and were treated like kids, staff were paranoid at little things that we did, so we would get in trouble and then we were let known after the fact about a rule none of us knew about in the first place. Honestly, some of the staff seemed a bit out of touch when it came to rules and "discipline"."
  • "Saturday classes"
  • "Unnecessary rehearsals that overworked dancers"
  • "The exam process was my least favorite part."
  • "I wish we had more classes instead of rehearsals but i enjoyed performing a lot."

What Changes Would Be Helpful?

  • "the training is incredible, but the environment isn’t conducive with learning and applying corrections, as you’re often so anxious/afraid it’s difficult to focus on dancing"
  • "More specific feedback from instructors in exam and year-end evaluations. The results we got were a bit vague, often with the papers just reading "Pointework" - 16/25 or something like that with no additional comments."
  • "More technique classes in pointe, modern, pas..."
  • "I would like to see more rest and recovery time for the dancers, as well as the staff, dropping classes on Monday would provide dancers with two full days of rest each week rather than dancing six out of seven days"
  • "We were expected to take care of ourselves independently which at times was very difficult with our rigorous rehearsal schedule."
  • "More classes, especially partnering"

Anything Else We Should Know?

  • "They should come because it’s great here all the teachers are amazing and the company is amazing, and it’s great"
  • "i would absolutely recommend this program if you are strong willed and have a very thick skin. if you’re an anxious person or have difficulties with extremely harsh criticism often delivered in an aggressive way, i don’t think this is the program for you"
  • "The Trainee program is a very challenging program with a lot of dancing and an intense working environment. I think our trainee program director is absolutely phenomenal, but she gives "tough love" to be sure. Trainees get criticism that can be harsh and difficult to hear, but you need to be able to take it. If you roll with the punches, you can improve A LOT in this program. By far I think this is the best post-graduate program out there- it really prepares you to work in a professional environment and have the working efficiency of a professional dancer. Just make sure you're mature/old enough and emotionally strong enough to be in an environment like this."
  • "Things are changing after the 2024-2025 season, but as far as I'm concerned, you have to be secure in yourself. The comments they make can be incredibly degrading, but as long as you're in to improve YOURSELF and not just to seek approval (because you will improve with the training), you'll be fine. If you struggle with anxiety or are sensitive, I would not recommend this program."
  • "I would recommend the day program at Tulsa Ballet Students should be prepared to spend several hours training every week. The staff and students are supportive of each other and your skills can really develop and grow."
  • "Each dancer’s experience is unique. I was fortunate to be given a handful of opportunities with the company and get a lot of individualized attention from staff. I am extremely grateful for my experience. Going in, I wanted to up my training and learn more about how to prepare myself for audition season. Leaving, I feel as though Tulsa Ballet more than helped me achieve my goals. Although it was cutthroat at times, I was super motivated to soak up everything from my experience and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I think parents and students should understand that trainee programs are very much about the dancer gaining independence and figuring out next steps. It is far from a perfect science."
Reviews
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Age: 16, FemaleInstruction A+
Placement A
Performance A-
Attended 2025-26
Age: 18, FemaleInstruction A
Placement B+
Performance A
Attended 2025-26
Age: 19, FemaleInstruction A+
Placement A+
Performance A+
Attended 2025-26
Age: 18, MaleInstruction A+
Placement A+
Performance A+
Attended 2025-26
Age: 19, FemaleInstruction C
Placement B
Performance B
Attended 2024-25
Age: Older than 21, FemaleInstruction A+
Placement B+
Performance A
Attended 2023-24
Age: 18, FemaleInstruction A
Placement B+
Performance C
Attended 2023-24
Age: 14, FemaleInstruction A+
Placement A+
Performance A-
Attended 2022-23
Age: 17, FemaleInstruction A
Placement B-
Performance B
Attended 2022-23
Age: 17, FemaleInstruction A+
Placement A+
Performance A+
Attended 2022-23