Building Your Personal Repertoire [Student]

As a student in ballet looking to become a pre-professional, it is important to include, within your skill level and abilities, your own personal repertoire.  Your repertoire is the collection of dances, variations, solos, etc. you have accumulated (and hopefully acquired exceptional skill at!) during your tenure as a student ballerina.  There are very specific areas to which a pre-professional dancer should take care to include in his/ her repertoire; whether it be for the resume, the social media resume, competition, audition or other submissions to a professional company and contract for dance.  While this post centers on the ballet pre-professional repertoire, many of the same principals can be applied to any dancer, in any genre.

Age & Level Appropriateness
The first factors to look at when developing your personal repertoire all have to do with age and level.  After all, the last thing you want to do as an 11 year old in the first year or so of your pointe work is to try out Black Swan.  Therefore, you want to look at what is appropriate for your age and level of strength with your pointe work.  I would say that in many cases, if not most, that you wouldn't want to even attempt variations and building a repertoire until at least your second year en pointe, and even then, you'll want to seek the advice and direction from your main ballet instructor as to whether or not you can safely begin variation work.  This, of course. is not to say that an aspiring young dancer can't begin variations study on demi-pointe/ flat, but variations are meant to be done on pointe, so even a demi-pointe study should be geared to what you will eventually do en pointe.

It should also be noted that while many instructors say that beginner students (on flat) or a new pointe student (again, I would say at least two years en pointe in most cases, the exception is a dancer that is taking multiple technique and pointe classes in a given week and has the feet/ ankle strength) there are many young dancers, as young as ten years old who want to compete in national ballet competitions.  Although the dancer should yield to the instructor's advice on whether they are strong enough, it's also a coach's responsibility to adjust variation choreography to fit the dancer's ability while still maintaining the original elements, hence the title of a variation.

Available at the end of this post is a rough guide for levels and the types of variations that would serve a dancer well to be working on as well as include on their social media resume, and their competitive submissions.

Variety of Character & Emotion

One of the biggest considerations is developing a range of characters within the variations you choose, as well as the range of emotion and depth said characters and variations portray.  For example, if you choose to study Giselle, Act I variation, and Aurora Act I variation and La Fille Mal Gardee, there won't be much of a difference in the acting factor of the performance.  Of course they are different characters with very different story lines but the dynamic is simply not there to demonstrate a wide range of character depth and emotion.  So the objective becomes picking a wide range of characters and "emotional situations" that provide a comprehensive portfolio to your dancing skill beyond technical proficiency.

The expressions of joy and happiness, such as with a peasant or princess type role who has found her true love, is something that is socially acceptable for the younger dancer in most cases.  Or fanciful characters like birds and other animals.  Many instructors and coaches will hold the position that within many of the ballet/ Broadway stories, a young dancer does't have the maturity and life experience to portray certain roles.  I, personally, disagree with this way of thinking. I believe this to be a lazy out for coaches.  It's absolutely true that a young person doesn't necessarily have these personal life experiences to draw upon, however, a coach does.  A coach should be able to not only explain and articulate some of these experiences (again, keeping in mind age and level appropriateness), but also mentor the dancer in how to mimic and design the lines and facial expressions needed to portray a given character.

It has to be understood, even very early on, that a dancer checks herself at the door upon entry of the studio.  Whether that is part of the appeal of dance to begin with or if it has to be a deliberate action and decision for the dancer, this transformation must take place.  Whether it be real or, imagined.  And honestly, the entire world of the stage is imagined with the assistance of sets, music, costumes, etc. so why would anyone limit a dancer's access to a character simply because she may have never actually fallen in love yet?  (Like any of us knew right from left if we ever had actually fallen in love...) Or the feeling of betrayal? Rage? Jealousy? Confinement? Hope?  It is usually naive to believe that a teenager doesn't or hasn't felt these things on some level and in some great measures for them to be able to draw into their own character portrayals.  

So it is by no means that a certain age, around 14 or older can probably take on most roles.  How they portray it and if their lines and facial expressions are properly performed is cultivated by the coach or instructor.

And when seeking that dynamic, the student should be seeking a wide range of joy, anger, loss, betrayal, jealousy, revenge, justice, liberty, generosity, majesty, love found, love lost, coquettish-ness, arrogance, etc. when they are examining the roles and variations to build their repertoire.

Dynamic of Classical and Contemporary

Ballet and all dance, really is rooted in tradition and what has become generally accepted as the classics.  It is important for students/ pre-professionals to master the classics because it demonstrates a palate from which almost everyone can identify with on technical, performance and presence overall to your acumen at achieving a well-known character and conveying that story line to the audience. 

Equally as important, however, is being able to convey this translation with a completely new work, hence most contemporary works.  Contemporary pieces are typically wide open for the dancer and choreographer.  It can be a deeply emotional piece, or completely abstract; it may or may not tell a story; if it doesn't have a story, it may focus solely on designing shapes with the body; music tends to have more modern beats, instruments and sounds, etc. Contemporary pieces may be more liberating from an artistic stand point but it is equally difficult to perform if given the right coaching and direction.  In some cases it requires a deeper level of discipline because so many of us are focused on classics from very early on and throughout our dance training.

What You Should Work On vs. What You Should Perform
A common mistake I see both students and coaches making is having a student perform or compete with a variation that is technically above their level before they are ready.  This is not to say that a particular variation isn't good for the student to work on to increase their technical proficiency, but if they are still struggling with the steps, they should not compete with it.  For example, if you have a dancer who is not a good grande allegro jumper, Gamzatti variation may be a great piece to work on, but not necessarily to compete with, unless the dancer has put about a year or more into working on the piece.  

Once you are around 14/ 15 years old and are ready (potentially) to start working on the more advanced variations, be sure you have realistic expectations of the timeline.  Most pre-professionals should expect to work on an advanced level variation for about a year prior to competing with it.  In this case, this is how your repertoire is steadily built, because you have what you will be working with for that year and what you will be working on in the coming year as well as whatever you did in the past.  And of course no one expects perfection from a pre-professional and to perform something that you haven't put that time into may be okay and probably encouraged so you have performance experience with the piece. But as a coach, I recommend a minimum of 6-8 months under your variation belt with a piece before seeking to compete with it.  And once you have performed or competed with a piece, it doesn't mean you stop working on it.  Anything that you pull into your repertoire, should be kept fresh and something you could easily perform at a moment's notice.

Example Repertoires

Beginner                                                
Bluebird/ Canary                                                        
Cupid                                                                             
Doll  
La Esmeralda
La Fille Mal Gardee   
Intermediate Variations on demi-pointe                                                                              

Intermediate
Beginner Variations
Kitri Act III                                                                          
Lilac Fairy                                                                   
Aurora Act I   
Contemporary pieces                                                                  

Advanced
Intermediate Variations
Odile/ Black Swan                                                           
Giselle Act I 
Firebird
Mad Scene (Giselle)/ Death Scene (Juliet/ Odette)                                                                  
Sugarplum Fairy        
Contemporary pieces                                                      

3 Pointers for Your First Pointe Shoes

It’s been requested that I share in a post my classroom pointers when introducing students to pointe shoes and pointe work for the first time.  These are tips that were either imparted to me by my instructors “back in the day” but also some that I have figured out for myself along the way.  Some may be helpful to readers, but others may not apply.  

Once you have been authorized to go on pointe, and I discuss this more thoroughly in Pointer #1, the main advice I give is do what feels right for you.  This is important to gain a sense of as quickly as possible because there is nothing “comfortable” about the first pair of pointe shoes.  Understanding what works for you though will help with fittings, proper shoe selection and avoiding injuries.  I do have to provide a disclaimer that my information is based on my personal 20+ years of dancing en pointe and working with students, but I am not a certified pointe shoes fitter or manufacturer, I am not a medical professional and I am in no way endorsing any brand of pointe shoe nor opposing a recommendation for any pointe shoe.

Pointer #1 Going on Pointe and Selecting the Shoe:

Determining the right time to go on pointe is the first crucial factor to get right.  Unfortunately, I have seen in several studios, mostly non-professional studios, that this is often times considered by the age of the dance student.  While some debate this is due to ensuring the muscles of the feet have been fully developed from a growth perspective, this is an inaccurate measurement of readiness in my opinion.  Readiness for pointe used to be determined by strength and technique of the student’s feet/ footwork.  As a basic guideline, if the student is not participating in at least two 90-minute ballet technique classes per week, they should not go on pointe, and I personally wouldn’t allow someone to go up unless they were taking three classes per week in addition to having the extra basic pointe work as a separate class.  

Some parents and studio owners may disagree, or feel that is too much to expect from a time and tuition perspective, but this is why I feel so many dance students are put on pointe prematurely and usually sustain some sort of injury/ injuries. 

It’s also easy for students and studios to go to the local dance clothing and supply shop to obtain their first pair of toe shoes, however, if your local dance store(s) are basically boutiques, carrying a wide variety of dance wear, jazz and tap shoes, maybe even some ballroom and hair accessories, etc., this would not be my recommendation for finding a first pair of pointe shoes.  You can go there to get a pair to “test” but I always recommend finding a true pointe shoe distributor who works directly with manufacturers if at all possible for you.  Usually the pointe shoe is all they specialize in.  As a student in a small town, there was a selection of three types of pointe shoes for me to try when I was approved for pointe class.  They were all awful, but I was so excited to get shoes, I didn’t want to wait.  However, our next family vacation, we road-tripped two states away to Texas, and my mother and I took an entire day to visit the largest pointe shoe distributor.  I spent 6 hours trying on every single type of pointe shoe the distributor carried, and it was time well spent.  By the time I was back in the studio, my dancing was much easier because I had a more comfortable shoe that fit properly with the width of my foot and had the flexibility in the shank for my arch.  

Although the distributor I went to back then was extremely knowledgeable on trying on pointe shoes, they also encouraged trying on as many as I wanted.  This spoke volumes to me back then and to this day, because they were not “pushing” any one type of shoe or inventory at me and were concerned that I got the proper shoes for me.  I am not convinced that all dance stores follow this principle, as I have witnessed several sales pitches to a particular type of shoe I knew did not work for me, even just through verbal explanation or sharing what my shoe preference type was and I’ve seen it in students that come into a class with ill-fitting shoes, saying that the fitter really pushed that shoe on them even though they preferred a different one.  So it’s important that you do not crumble to a sales pitch, or believe everything the fitter tells you as far as “this is what all the students are wearing” or ‘this is the latest and greatest” shoe on the market.  

Make sure you take full advantage to try everything on you can, and don’t feel like you have to buy something if none of them feel right and have an option to go and try some shoes elsewhere.  Your ballet instructor should provide you fitting tips with regards to *pointe shoe fittings such as length, width, shank strength and position, vamp length, etc. and the person conducting the fitting should also be up to speed on properly fitting shoes, but I still recommend to students (even my own) to do your own research.  With the Internet, students have a wealth of knowledge and resources available to them that previously could only be passed down from instructor to student.  Even if the information seems redundant, both parent and student should research this on-line to gain a sense of what they should be looking for and feeling for at the fitting to make a more informed decision and be able to identify if the fitter is fitting you properly or by sales pitch.

Pointer #2 Preparing Shoes and Feet:

*Preparing shoes takes some time and experience to find out what works best for you.  For me, I wet down the box with water before class and hammer out the box to soften by about 30% from the original mold hardness.  I do this to make sure I have flexibility in my demi-pointe work and fluidity of footwork to rise up to en pointe.  If the pointe shoes are strictly for practice and classroom, I will only sew on elastic, similarly to ballet flats.  If it’s a performance shoe, I will only sew on the ribbons and no elastic.  I also bend the shank repeatedly, I don’t exactly break it, but this also provides better fluidity with the shoes.  

I do all of this but I have a high arch and very strong feet and ankles, so I require less support.  A beginner student would not want to mess too much with the shank until they gain some experience with the feel of pointe shoes, but I do recommend working the shank on some pointe shoes for dancers who have a lesser arch or even flat feet.  Again, this needs to be determined on what feels right to the dancer.  Seek out advice from your instructor or more seasoned dancers, but ultimately this has to be evaluated by trial and error over time.

My preparation of feet for pointe work, I know will be contrary to a lot of what dancers do today, but I personally don’t believe in a lot of stuff in my shoes.  I believe in good old *toe wrapping and maybe a little lamb’s wool, but today I see a lot of students putting so much padding and toe flows in their shoes, I have to wonder if they can feel the floor at all.  And some of the newer manufacturers of shoes have built in padding!  This may alleviate the first pain of the experience of toe shoes, but I also believe if you never mold the shoes to your feet and feel what you’re doing and go through the rites of bloody blisters or losing toenails, you may be dancing numb, which may hinder your progress or even inspire injuries.  I also have to wonder again if the use and recommendation of all these “extras” is part of the sales pitch to get students to rely on having to spend this additional money since their feet will rarely get the calluses needed to go without all the padding.  One may also need to consider, after researching all your fitting guidelines of the shoes, is all that padding throwing off a proper fitting? 

To wrap your toes, it’s easy and cost effective to use some medical adhesive tape (this is recommended because it will stay on well even if your feet are sweating) and a little cotton to make a “dance band-aid”) and apply this wrap to your more blister prone areas, i.e. pinky toes, large toes.  If you have a long rehearsal ahead of you or a performance and you are struggling with the pain of some blisters, I recommend using some baby teeth numbing gel/ cream on your toes.  It doesn’t completely numb the toes, but it will make getting through the rehearsal, class or performance bearable.  Last, when your toes ache or you sustain blisters, suck it up.  It is a recipe for injury to “limp” around on pointe.  Either dance through the pain and focus on your dancing or take the shoes off and try to recover.  Blisters are part of the “thrill of your newfound pointe status,” if you don’t dance through it, pointe work will always be painful (calluses have to be developed).  Many of us felt it was also a rite of passage if we were able to dance through our bloody blisters and even be able to show the blood soaked through on the shoe.  It was our equivalent to being tough and our “macho” contest, rather than wimping out.  I realize some may not be that competitive but if you aren’t, that’s where it’s best to just take off the shoes to avoid stepping or rising incorrectly because of the pain and possibly sustaining an injury.  Soaking your feet in Epsom Salt will help to draw out the soreness when you begin dancing on pointe in the beginning.

There are probably many different methods to *tying shoes, but this is my recommendation:  1) Criss-cross the ribbons in the front of your ankle 2) Wrap the ankle about 1.5-2 times so that both lengths of ribbon meet in the inside of the ankle (Note: one ribbon length will be longer than the other) 3) Tie a square knot and place the ribbons in tandem to one another with the longest ribbon length on top 4) Tuck them in to form a square.  I burn the ends of my ribbons to ensure they don’t fray.  Never use safety pins to attached pointe shoes, always sew them.  It’s also a huge peeve for almost every instructor to see ribbons hanging out or tied in bows, it looks awful and it’s unprofessional.

Pointer #3 Extending the Life of Pointe Shoes

Serious ballet students and dancers quickly learn that pointe shoes are a major expense for your career.  Some dancers need 20 pairs a month, others only 20 pair every few months, a more beginner dancer may think 20 pair a year seems like a lot.  In either case, we want to try and make pointe shoes last as long as possible.  Depending on the wear you put your shoes through; it’s possible to get another performance out of a shoe and/ or another month or so out of shoe, by *‘cooking’ the shoes.   If you take some floor wax, and apply it to the box of the pointe shoes, both inside and outside (be careful on the outside if you are trying to use for a performance and some floor wax brands will change the color of the satin, making it darker, but usually this can also be covered with pancake make-up or paint), place the shoes on a baking sheet (I always remove the ribbons and re-sew them on after baking, but I’ll leave elastic on) and baking them in an oven this will temporarily re-harden the shoe.   Ovens can vary so you will need to watch carefully and develop it over some tries, but I would recommend starting with 250* and baking for approximately 10-15 minutes.  You should always check this every five minutes until you get your “recipe” just right.

I will also take a “dead” pair of performance shoes and completely hammer out the box and de-shank the shoes.  Remove the ribbons and sew on elastic, and voila!  I have a very good pair of ballet flats that also work my feet a little harder in technique class.

*Stay Tuned for Video Tools related to these topics - Coming Soon! 

Photo 1: Dancer Model Credit: Elliana F.

Adult Dancers: Meet the Floor

I previously wrote about Adult Dancers and the difficulty they may face while at the barre, whether it is their very first class, or they are returning to class after a long hiatus from the dance world and studio.  As much as the barre might be a challenge, stepping away from the barre to do the center and across the floor portions of class can be even scarier.  In this post, I cover some common, albeit unpleasant, surprises and how best to handle them.

Facing the Mirror

Although you may clear this hurdle while at the barre, my experience and observation has been that most Adult Dancers are not as studious at looking in the mirror while at the barre in their first classes.  Usually buck beginners are too focused on just getting the steps right (perhaps even having to watch another student in front of them) or even a seasoned dancer returning is also focused on "getting through barre," feeling their bodies vs. intensely watching in the mirror to scrutinize their technique.  And it's scary to look in the mirror.  That shock of pink tights and a leotard (even with some warm ups or a skirt on) can be jarring.  For a returning dancer its equally shocking because the last time you saw that reflection might have been when you were in your teens or early 20's and well...our bodies change as we age, or have children or simply become not as active as we once were.  Even if you skip the leotard and tights for something more 'common' such as yoga apparel or sweats, it's a different setting and different movements than what you may be accustomed to seeing in the gym mirrors or home mirrors.

The best advice I have for you is to make your peace with it sooner rather than later.  When I returned to dance after a few years off (and the majority of those years were dedicated to cheeseburgers and cupcakes) I spent a very long time wearing warm ups and junk throughout the entire class, telling myself I was doing everyone a favor to not have to see my bulges.  Never really making much progress with weight loss nor ever becoming comfortable with the image I saw.  Finally, during a summer session with an A/C on the fritz, I took the junk off.  Even though it was tough for the first few weeks to look at myself, I noticed that I automatically made more healthy choices with my eating habits and got a lot more disciplined with attending classes and doing cross training workouts, because of what I saw, as opposed to what I hid.  By the end of the summer, I had lost weight, and even though I was not a 90lbs. dancer again, I became comfortable with what I saw in leotards and tights.  Which may not be much in the studio per se, but in regular clothes I looked the best I had in years and my confidence soared.

Cinder Block Legs

While at the barre, your leg muscles may have taken on a life of their own with the shakes.  Another possibility is that barre wasn't too bad, and maybe all the rhetoric of the "big, difficult come back" was all hooey.  But somehow, for reasons no one knows or can understand, suddenly away from the barre, your legs will most likely feel like you've got cinder blocks on your feet as opposed to ballet slippers.  Center barre work typically shifts weight constantly between the feet, and when you're not used to "pulling up" and being off your heels, that weight change either becomes impossible or your muscles tense so much, simple tendus will make your legs burn.  Adagio, which once was my favorite part of class when I was a professional, quickly became the most dreaded part of class, because I no longer had the balance, extension and core muscles to maintain slow balances, slow developpes and penches.  Across the floor is also frustrating because you most likely will know what you need to do, but translating it to your legs becomes like those nightmares where you want to run but you're frozen or stuck in mud and can't move.

The best advice for this is to keep with it.  All these "blocks" are temporary and will improve with time.  It also helps to stick with the same class/ teacher.  Many teachers have a particular style that their combinations follow, so it becomes a little easier to pick up on these movements when there is that consistency in style.  The other advice is to keep pulled up, don't "sit' back in your heels.  Also, when you are battling your body and/ or learning ballet for the first time as an adult, you are constantly thinking about the step you're doing, and this sometimes makes us late for the following step. Always be thinking about the next move in the combination (to anticipate a weight shift or body position change).  And last, keep your movements small. Don't worry about getting a leg high (work at 90 degrees or lower for awhile), or doing multiple turns or traveling right away or including battu (beats) in your jumps.  

Last advice is to breathe.  This could just be a personal flaw, but many times I'm so focused on what I'm doing, I find that I'm holding my breath during the exercises which, as you can imagine, makes me feel like collapsing afterward.  Even if you aren't as extreme as that, you may still be experiencing that your wind and stamina are not up to par, so always breathe and hydrate and feel free to take a break or simplify a movement if you're not quite ready for it.

Now You Got Boobs

Some, if not most, young girls wait and hope for the day they grow breasts.  And although under almost all circumstances I am quite happy with my C cup, when it comes to allegro (especially petite allegro-small jumps) in class, those things are in the way!  It actually can be quite comical to see a well-endowed chest doing jumps; I know I have given myself a chuckle many times, if not some of my fellow dancers.  This "new addition" can also make a difference with your turns.  In my younger days as a dancer, I was a "natural turner."  Easily pulling triples and quads en pointe and the infamous 32 fouettes and piques in a circle were somewhat effortless, etc.  But, once I became "top-heavy," I basically had to re-train how to turn all over again, because I was in fact, aerodynamically different.

Re-training aside (which does take time, so be patient with yourself) recognize that this is now part of your body.  Wear a sports bra or leotard with a built in bra.  And/ or favor the dance wear that is a higher cut along the chest.  But technically speaking with regards to turns and jumps, beware not to throw your upper back backwards or compensate by letting your rear go out on your landings and plies.  These are things I naturally/ unconsciously did because of my curves to hide the impact of a landing, but they will lead to back and knee injuries at some point, so keep alignment of your body as the strictest priority even if it feels uncomfortable or looks a little off for you.  

4 Guidelines to Selecting a Dance School

With the school year starting and the coming of Fall, an important step for many parents at this time is selecting a dance school for their child/ children.  Selecting a dance school can be a daunting task.  Depending on your area, there are usually many to choose from and selecting the right fit for your student is critical to their happiness, their dance education and their long-term success with their dancing career, should they decide to pursue that avenue.   It’s true that while many young students looking for their first school, perhaps around the age of 3-6 years old, the following guidelines may be a bit premature.  However, it’s still beneficial to have your dance student start that young if they show an interest as it always begins the process of fine tuning motor skills and balance and lays the foundation for other benefits for life skills that dance provides.  And, as your dance student matures and shapes their focus, being at the right type of dance school is critical.

1. Know What Your Dance Student Wants

This again is largely dependent on age or in some cases, drive and maturity.  A first time student and/ or younger student may be trying dance out.  The parent may be looking to expose their child to various activities to see what holds the highest interest.  If this is the case, most any school choice will be fine, keeping in mind more personal conveniences such as lower tuition costs, schedule ease, proximity to home or regular school, etc.  

Many schools can offer little more than a glorified social atmosphere and the dancing is amateur and more of an extracurricular activity.  For some, this is the type of school you want.  If your child is merely looking for the social and/ or fitness aspect, then most schools will be okay.  However, if your dance student is perhaps older, has an established interest in gaining skill and ability, and has expressed enthusiasm for pursuing dance on a more serious level beyond an extracurricular activity, a more pre-professional school will be a better fit.  A great way to determine where your child might be happiest is if when asking your child how their dance class went, if your dance student  responds with a one-word answer like, "Fine" or "It was okay" vs. being descriptive about what they learned, and describe the fun aspects of the class or upcoming performance, etc. that is a way to understand the commitment level your child has. 

Another perspective to consider is most parents, especially after some years of the dance student attending classes, will want to make sure that the money being spent on lessons is serving a greater purpose than just another place for their child to socialize.  The next “level” in dance schools to identify is the performance opportunities.  While almost all dance schools will provide their students with at least some sort of annual performance or recital, some of the more professional schools will offer additional performance opportunities, including competitions and Spring and/ or Holiday performances or other smaller opportunities, in addition to the annual performance.  These schools will also support students either attending other summer intensive programs or provide their own.  Most students of these types of schools will be avid students until they graduate high school but may even continue their dancing afterward and will gain knowledge of life skills that they will use time and time again outside of the dance world.

The most advanced level of school is one that provides the multiple performance opportunities, combined with serious study and educational parameters.  These schools provide a structured curriculum and educational path of development specific to age and level using classic methodologies, such as the Vagonova Syllabus or the Royal Academy of Dance Syllabus.  On the ballet side for ages of around 11 years+, the school will require a minimum of 3-4 ballet technique classes per week as well as pointe and other disciplines.  The school also provides seminars and master classes from other professional dancers and instructors, usually with some renown within the dance world, as well as brings them in for choreography to expose their dancers to other styles and build their professional resumes and networks.  Their staff are all true ex-professional dancers from professional ballet companies and/ or Broadway, and/ or have professional certifications in a classical methodology.  This is not to say that there aren't first class teachers out there even if they were not professionals, but down the road, your dancer may want to be "raised by a dance family" as I call it, that has established connections and a network with other professionals within the dance world, as this is a useful aspect in garnering a paid position at some point.

The very highest pedigree of schools also provide scholarship opportunities for their students.  This is not just a tremendous benefit for students and their families facing the very large financial investment (perhaps even burden) of pursuing dance, but it is also a major indication that the school is stable (discussed more below) and well-managed.

2. What You Can Tell (or Can’t Tell) From a Website

One the first things we notice about websites before reading content is to notice their

images and photographs, and a dance school website is no different.  If the images presented on the website mainly show kids hugging each other or an instructor kneeling down with their arm around a student, they are usually an amateur type school.  Pictures showcased like this tell me they have no real dance photos of their students and they want to project that they are a school that fosters team work and nurturing environments.  And again, there is nothing wrong with this atmosphere, especially for the younger or first time student, but just don’t expect the dance education to be high caliber or actual pre-professional.  Although it might be possible, in general, your dance student’s skill to be an advanced dancer is unlikely if this is the type of school you choose.

For a more advanced school, their websites will generally showcase actual photos and sometimes videos from their performances.  Beware of the “staged” dance photos taken in costume, with static poses in front of a back drop.  These are like school pictures and don’t really show anything except whether or not the school has tasteful and age appropriate costume selections.   

Another defining factor between various schools is if they lean more towards competitions or towards a repertoire.  A competition school will showcase the competitions they attend annually and what awards they have won (the studio is usually littered with trophies), and their focus tends to be on hip-hop, jazz and tap.  A ballet or professional arts school will showcase repertoire with classics the school performs, such as The Nutcracker and other classic ballet works or other famous works of great choreographers, whether it be full productions or excerpts.

Faculty and instructors are usually also provided on the websites.  If you are looking for a more advanced school for your student, the faculty experience and background is critical to review.  If most of the faculty looks like they are in high school or college, they likely have little to no professional experience.  Beware if this is the ballet instructor depicted if you are looking for an advanced ballet school.  If the dance education is limited to college courses or their own education at a local school, it’s likely not going to provide a professional level of expertise.

Dress Code on dance school websites may sound like they are very strict and disciplined schools, citing the requirement for black leotards and pink tights only for ballet class.  However, dress code is never an indication of the discipline instilled or skill at the school overall.  Many of the mid-level schools boast a strict dress code on websites but they aren’t really enforced and many professional schools rarely have to cite a dress code because a professional dress where instructors can see the lines and technique of your dance student is simply a given and not necessary to cite on a website.

3. Observe a Class Before Registering

If a school won’t allow you to observe a class before registering, run away.  Observing a class is the best way to find out what is true about the school and what is fluff.  In particular, note how the teacher is and how the body of students responds.  Does the teacher have full command and respect of the class, or is it basically social hour for the students every time the music stops?  Do the students have varied levels of skill yet are all grouped together in the same class perhaps because they are close in age?  This is important to note if you are looking for a more serious school; intermediate to advance level classes will have a uniformed skill level regardless of age with only a few exceptions, if any.  If the class has varied skill levels, it is usually indicative of a school desperate to fill classes (see #4.guideline) rather than shaping a meaningful curriculum.

Also notice how the teacher teaches, even if you yourself have no experience with dance, you will be able to notice the following:  

• Does the teacher critique individuals or lectures the same critique to the whole class every time?  An instructor that does not provide individual critique is not providing enough instruction.  It is important that both you and your dance student recognize that critique from an instructor is invaluable and is a positive aspect.  Generalized instruction to the entire class is fine some of the time or especially if a new step is being introduced, but most critique should occur at the individual level. 
• Does the teacher themselves have an expert education with regards to steps and vocabulary?  This one is a bit trickier to pick up on, but it is possible without a formal dance education.  If the instructor demonstrates everything and does not call each step by the ballet term (French adjective), it's safe to assume they don’t really know the steps to be teaching them, or if they do, they have not made it part of their teaching to pass that along to students.  And unfortunately for some reason this is becoming an increasingly lacking piece to dance education.  For example, the director of a school I once taught at gave her students a leap to perform in several competition pieces and they practiced them across the floor in her jazz classes.  When they came into my ballet class, I instructed them to do a [grande] coupe jete entournent, the students looked confused and protested they did not know the step and that they needed a demonstration of it.  I thought this curious since I had seen them do it in their dances several times, and once I demonstrated it, they responded with “Oh! You mean ‘The Russian!’” I was appalled that the director of the studio would make such an egregious teaching error, and as you can imagine I did not teach there long after that incident.

4. Understand the Balance Between the Business and the Education

Almost all schools, even the professional ones, must maintain a balance between keeping the studio a profitable business and ensuring the best education for the students.  While it may seem that these are intrinsic to one another, they can often lead to opposing objectives for the owner/ director.  Due to this, I always recommend that even if your student is “trying it all out” make sure you ask up front what all the fees are:

1.     Trying it out for a month 

2.     Continuing for a year 

3.     And continuing on their advanced path or competition path for the next few years.  

The reason this is important is because there can be many unforeseen costs that you would never expect and having a student continue their dance education and/ or have them participate in all the offerings is an investment and often times an expensive undertaking.  Understand and ask about fees such as: Registration, recital & performance fees, costume fees and outright purchase costs, attire costs to stay within dress code requirements, shoes, competition fees, competition music fees, Summer Intensive program costs, Master class costs, audition fees, private lessons and coaching, etc.  Fundraising efforts you and your student will be expected to participate in, if you choose a competition school or a non-profit dance organization, ask about local competitions vs. their participation in national competitions and the travel costs associated.

Many schools make their profit in this way.  I personally don’t believe that any of it is frivolous for the most part, and as long as it is clearly provided what to expect and why, this should not be viewed as a “scheme to take your money.”  Dance is expensive, but that’s why you want to make sure you and your dance student are receiving in turn the true type of education you are investing in.  With these fees and the investment, your child should be exposed to all the opportunities that have been listed here.  The very best of schools are managed well enough to also offer scholarships and financial aid to a) families that demonstrate the need and b) the student that truly deserves it; meaning they want a career, they work hard and they have a good attitude.

A Last Warning
I have heard that some schools want their students to sign contracts and sometimes loyalty contracts, ensuring your money is spent only with them.  If the studio you are looking into has this, run away.  This is where I would say the business means more to the studio, than the education or that the school is not being managed well.  Loyalty to instructors and coaches is earned and the best instructors and coaches will encourage their students to take from as many good instructors and other dance opportunities as they can, especially if the school is smaller or under-funded, to ensure their students get the most out of everything that is available to them.  When instructors or directors get petty about other places you might be learning from, it may be time to evaluate where their true interest lies.

6 Ways to Make the Most of Your Summer Intensive Program

Lisa - Ballet on the Beach

At this time of year, most are in full swing of their Summer Intensive Programs (SIPs) or about to start them.  Many may think that going through audition season and receiving acceptance or invites to their respective SIPs, that the 'audition' part is over.  While you can proceed in this manner and still receive many benefits and experience great strides in your technical and artistic development, I always recommend that young, aspiring dancers take their SIP 'to the next level' using these six action items: 

1. Resume Development

Even if you are a younger dancer with years still ahead in your training before applying for professional dance positions and contracts, it's never too early to start putting together your dance resume, which I have provided a 4-part series to follow (see links below).  It's important to have some, if not all of these elements in place prior to starting off in an SIP. Why? Because it's important to view your SIP as one long audition/ interview marathon.  For some, this is the opportunity to gain visibility and exposure to professional ballet companies that you might not otherwise have in your normal settings. For others, even smaller SIPs, there is almost always at least one major Master Teacher/ Instructor who is well connected to many dance communities and would be an invaluable relationship, should you be able to garner favor with them.  So as with any interview process, it's important to get your resume in shape.

2. Marketing Collateral 

It may be an odd concept to accept, but think of yourself as a product.  You're the DANCER product and with any product, you have to market yourself.  Making sure you have the right marketing collateral prepared before you venture off to an SIP can make a huge difference in future job search efforts.  If you have all the elements of a resume together, I encourage dancers to go ahead and make up some business cards to take with them to an SIP.  These can be made for free with some companies, such as Vista Print, or you can invest a little money to make up more specific patterns and designs, but essentially it's important to provide your contact info as well as any social networking addresses that carry your dance activities and portfolio, like YouTube or Instagram.  This becomes an easy way to provide a Master Teacher or an Artistic Director you may meet or come across to let them know how to view your best dancing and how to get in touch with you.  It also opens a door to appropriately ask if they, too, have a business card that you can take with you, which will help to start building your network (discussed further below).  

Even if they respond that they don't have cards, or are out, that never stopped any salesperson.  Whip out another one of your cards and have them provide you at least an email address, and possibly their social networks that you have in common and can connect with or become a follower.  But business cards, although traditionally reserved for the adult corporate world, are just as effective in the dance world.

It's also a good idea to burn a few DVD's (or low-gig flash drives, depending on how much you want to invest) of your digital portfolio or compilations of your performances.  You can also add your resume info and DVDs and/ or flash drives are little more easily accepted than an unsolicited paper resume.  Again this is a quick and easy way to 'extend' the exposure you have with these professionals and the hope is they "keep you on file."

3. Consulting

I always called this consulting when I did it as a student, but I notice more and more SIP instructors are catching on, and here's what I mean by that: As a student attending SIPs, I would always bring my music of whatever variation or piece I was working on for the following season.  At the end of a class, usually proceeding a lunch break or transition into a rehearsal, I would very politely and humbly ask the teacher I was 'targeting' if I could please quickly run my piece.  This was usually allowed and I would also extend an invite for them to observe.  This inevitably led to some coaching from this Master Teacher, some only 15 minutes, others as much as 45 minutes to a full hour.  Most teachers can't help but want to coach anyone that is dancing in front of them.  

However, I have noticed over the years, more and more SIPs are specifying that an attendee must pay for a private lesson when seeking one-on-one time with one of the instructors.  So this tip may have to be played by ear, but again, most teachers will at least let you run a dance and maybe impart of few good tips without the expense of a private. This being said though, it can also be very much worth the expense to have that private time with a teacher.  Again, this is an investment into your future and a private is a way to gain a closer acquaintance with a Master/ Director among hundreds of other attendees.  If you can afford the expense, it is worth the exposure.

4. Letters of Recommendation

It's also a good idea to ask for a letter of recommendation from the Masters you encounter. This may be a tall order if your SIP was relatively short, but if it is 3-6 weeks or longer, it's definitely worth asking, especially if you feel like the Master(s) took a shine to you.  When requesting a letter of recommendation, it's always good to offer to write a form letter first for them to adjust as needed (and sometimes it's good to prepare these beforehand).  This is a win-win for everyone, you can write really wonderful things about yourself (which hopefully they agree with) and it becomes very little work for them.  The recommendations can later be used as part of your resume submissions for future SIPs or jobs.

5. Networking 

Networking is another area that can get missed while attending a SIP.  We already know it's good to make connections with Masters, Directors, Choreographers, etc.  But it's also important to connect and network with others, both inside the SIP and outside.  Within the SIP, if it's being held at a studio with a professional company, you may run into some of their apprentice dancers, or even their principals.  It's always a good idea to connect with these people, especially if this is a company you aspire to work for someday.  These dancers act as another foot in the door as well as can help guide you in your pursuits, or if you do get contracted, you have some acquaintances already and they can 'show you the ropes' and help acclimate you.  

It's good to do this with your fellow students/ attendees as well, especially if you are at that age when you will soon be seeking a contract with a professional company.  It can easily turn out that keeping in touch with people from SIPs (who have already secured a job or may secure one before you) may lead to 'insider' knowledge of job openings before they are posted as well as that foot in the door connection to a company seeking to hire.  It may also work out that if you have a pas de duex partner that you are perfectly matched to partner with, and if he has a contract (as they are in higher demand, it is sometimes an easier go of it), he may just be the person to drop your name to his Director as someone to consider because you do dance well together.  

You just never know what networks and connections can bring by way of opportunities.  And while I mention this from the 'business of ballet' perspective, let's be realistic.  One can never have too many friends in this world.

6.Follow Up

The first five tips are all about increasing your connections, but as with all things without the follow up and the follow through, those connections will be useless.  It's important to keep in touch, create followers out of your networking and keep posting relative content to your sites to ensure you are always on the radar for these connections and they are always in the loop as to what you are doing and achieving.  If this doesn't come natural for you, establish a schedule with calendar reminders to follow up with people at least every 4-6 months, perhaps more frequently depending on how close you are to start pursuing a professional contract/ apprenticeship.

Resume Links:
Ballet Resume Construction, Part 1: Paper Resume Content
Ballet Resume Construction, Part 2: Photography
Ballet Resume Construction, Part 3: Digital Portfolio
Ballet Resume Construction, Part 4: Social Media

Ballet Resume Construction, Part 1: Paper Resume Content

When the time comes to begin auditioning for dance jobs and company apprentice and corps positions, a proper and complete ballet resume can be an asset.  It is also wise to have one put together for audition season for prestigious Summer Intensives and/ or to have one together prior to attending your Summer Intensive Program since these are typically your first steps to getting professional company exposure and visibility. 

In addition, today it’s much easier to make an accompanying digital resume and utilize social media networks to expedite your job offer and reach company artistic directors far and wide, even without them visiting your city for a formal audition process.  Here, learn the fundamentals to creating a winning paper resume to provide with submission forms:

The paper resume is still a necessity, even in today's hyper e-world.  At an audition, you would still provide a copy with an application, or have copies in any other circumstance where you will have exposure to professional companies.  For many people, resumes can be tough, because it's not socially acceptable to brag about oneself and your accomplishments.  However, this is the one and only objective of a resume.  It's to sell yourself, to market yourself, so if you feel awkward or uncomfortable with presenting everything possible in that sales pitch, be sure to ask for help or seek professional consultation.

The header of your resume should include your body stats and your physical attributes, i.e., your height, weight, hair color, eye color and skin color.  While this may seem outdated in today’s world or even a bit politically incorrect, it is a critical component to applying to a company that will be the right fit for you, as well as provide you with the most opportunities.  Many companies still like all of their corps dancers to be a similar height and build. This aids with the aesthetic value to choreography for synchronization. While on the flip side, many other companies today want to show a lot of diversity and promote that diversity to their patrons. While still a major third factor is that the company's up and coming male dancers can only accommodate a certain height for successful partnership roles.  No one should see this information inclusion as some archaic attempt at discrimination, but simply a part of a necessary selection process that will afford you the best fit and the most growth and opportunity in your career.  Take my word for it, you don't want to be put in a company where all the males are a foot shorter than you or where you are an inadvertent eye sore in the corps.  This is not the way to making your career.  It's very similar to the plain and simple fact that models must provide this information in their portfolios as well.

Next include any professional experience you have had, including seasonal performances with a professional company.  For example, The Nutcracker, should be a fairly popular staple that most pre-professionals have participated in at some point, or more likely, multiple times.  If it has been multiple times, include all of those performances and your varying roles from year to year (the idea being of course that as you matured as a dancer, you were placed in better roles.)  But even beginner roles earlier in your career/ training count if this is part of a "professional production."  Many of the larger companies also allow for open auditions and participation from other dancers in the community for Spring performances.  If you have not taken advantage of these opportunities, make sure you remedy that as soon as possible. Check the companies' websites and see when auditions for professional productions are available.  Even if your home school/ studio does multiple productions already, it's always good to participate in other companies' productions to show you have variety in your background and can dance under other people's direction and style.

When you have participated in these productions, be sure to include the Artistic Director and Choreographer(s) of any production you participated in and your role.  If you assisted with anything beyond a dancing role, such as with tech or backstage management, include this as well.  

Next, include Summer Intensive Programs, Master Classes Instructors and the long-term coaches you have studied under.  This is where name dropping becomes an asset.  The ballet world can be pretty small and it's part of your investment in attending Summer Intensive Programs, Master Classes and attending professional training schools/ studios to be able to refer to the "ballet family" that has raised and trained you.  Even if you only had one class with one of the greats, include it (hopefully the class made a drastic impression on you and your technique or thought process, but either way, that's why you paid the big bucks to take from them).

Then make a list of all classical repertoire and variations you have personally danced, have performed and/ or have used in competitions.  If you have been in competitions, include the name, the year, the variation you performed and your placement.  If you did not place high, include the number of people you were up against.  For example, if you placed third in a category of over a hundred dancers, it’s still impressive for an apprenticeship or in some cases, a corps position, given an esteemed national or world-wide competition.  Each year, as you select your working repertoire, be sure to include a variety of roles and characters to show your performing diversity.

Last include any choreography and teaching experience. You want to be careful about how you present this information though.  It can work for you or it can work against you.  For example, including that you taught a summer pre-ballet class for young kids to help off-set costs of your costumes or pointe shoes, is a good thing to include.  However, including choreography experience without a demo to include, may come across as a resume filler and superfluous without the visual example to go with it.  

This part of your paper content resume should be included as the front page of your resume while the photography should be on the back side of your resume.  Ballet remains an area where a 1-page resume is still the smartest approach.  The additional features will come through in your digital and social media demonstrations.  You want to be sure that your resume material all collaborates towards a contract for hire, no matter how early in your career you begin this project.