Guest ballet princess Posted June 1, 2003 Report Share Posted June 1, 2003 Does anyone have any first hand knowledge of CPYB (Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet)? I heard its wonderful and I was looking for someones experience with the school. Thanks to anyone who can reply! Cathy Quote Link to comment
CalMia Posted June 1, 2003 Report Share Posted June 1, 2003 Cathy, I went to CPYB for 7 years of my ballet training, and I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. I know you basically want to hear about my experience with the school, but it's quite difficult to sum up 7 years and how it has helped my career. Hopefully I can be of some assistance to you. Quote Link to comment
Guest ballet princess Posted June 1, 2003 Report Share Posted June 1, 2003 Well, I guess to start, can you tell me what the audition is like? (please tell me how old you were when you auditioned, I am 14 and will most likely audition for September. ) How many hours a week did you dance when you first attended the school, and how many did you dance before graduating from the school? Are there performance oppurtunities for young dancers? What kind of classes did you take (was it strictly classical ballet? were there jazz classes occasionaly, guest teachers, etc etc.) Thats it for now. I dont want to over load you with questions! Quote Link to comment
CalMia Posted June 1, 2003 Report Share Posted June 1, 2003 ok, I can't really answer your audition question, because I was 7 when I first started going there, and the schoolwas much smaller then, they didn't really do auditions. Hmm, hours, well when I was 7 i went for about 6 classes a week, strictly ballet. By the time I was 11 and en pointe I was going 7 days a week, 15 classes. When I became an advanced student I was going 6 days a week, but still 15 classes. As I understand there are many more performance oppertunities now then when i was there. At your age, and depending on your level, It's most likely that you would be involved in the performances. When i was at CPYB it was STRICTLY ballet. I think we may have gotten 4 jazz classes in my entire time there. things may be different now.However we did get a nice amount of guest teachers, and several Choreographers in every year. It was a wonderful experience, and really prepared me for Professional life a sa ballet dancer. Quote Link to comment
Guest Little Swan Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 I was wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to take classes at CPYB for just a few weeks? I have 3 weeks off before my summer program with absolutely no dancing available, and thought the 2hr drive might be worth it if this was possible. Also, although I would have to work on my parents because of the 2 hour drive each way, I am interested in their year-round program. I will be 17 in August and a senior in high school, and was wondering if anyone has opinions as to whether or not CPYB would be an appropriate choice at my age. Thanks! Quote Link to comment
balletqueen3450 Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 Hey, I went to cpyb last summer and I really enjoyed it. The classes are great and I improved SO much. I would definately recommend it. To littleswan- I dont know if thats the best idea because of your age. Cpyb is a great school but most new students who have never attended the summer program will be place very low. I wouldnt know personally as I have never attended the year just the S.I. , because of your age i dont know if that would be the best idea if your interesting in getting into a company. I mean i have never seen you dance obviously or anything like that so what im saying could mean absolutely nothing. But if it were me I would try auditioning for schools that have companies attached or even companies themselves. I've heard that Ballet Austin offers a lot of apprenticeships. Of course, this is all assuming that you want to be a professional. If you do go to cpyb its a really great school! have fun! Quote Link to comment
Guest ballerinababe88 Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 can you board at the the year round part of CPYB? I live in a small town, and am looking to go away my 10th grade year to a serious ballet school, where you can board. Would CPYB be a good option? Does anyone have any other suggestions? Quote Link to comment
balletqueen3450 Posted June 3, 2003 Report Share Posted June 3, 2003 You can board with a host family. Meaning you would live with another family but there is no dorm or anything like that. I really cant answer your question with 100% because i've never seen you dance. Cpyb is one of many great options. It just depends on what your looking for if you were more specific in what kind of scheduale/dance school you want. Quote Link to comment
Guest ballerinababe88 Posted June 4, 2003 Report Share Posted June 4, 2003 thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment
Guest deafcat Posted June 5, 2003 Report Share Posted June 5, 2003 Many, many dancers from our regional company have gone to CPYB in the summer and loved it. Our directors are very picky about summer intensives, but CPYB has been a good experience for a lot of our dancers - male and female. Quote Link to comment
Guest Miss Posted June 6, 2003 Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 Originally posted by Little Swan I was wondering if anyone knows if it is possible to take classes at CPYB for just a few weeks? Yes you can, but you must pay for the entire 5 weeks. Miss I am WAY Beyond my teens:) Quote Link to comment
Guest Little Swan Posted June 6, 2003 Report Share Posted June 6, 2003 Actually I meant a few weeks during the year right before the summer program? Quote Link to comment
Dolphingirl Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 I don't know about a few weeks, but I know that my roommate when I was there for the summer a few years ago had come down and taken a trial class or two. So nothing more than enough to help make a decision about going there for the summer. You'd probably have to call them to find out, and you would certainly have to pay, but they might let you. If anyone has any more questions about the summer program, I might be able to help answer them. I didn't have a very good experience there, but I can still answer a lot of questions. Dolphingirl Quote Link to comment
Guest ballet princess Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 Thanks to everyone who replied! Dolphingirl- what didn't you like about the summer program? Was the level placement bad? Quote Link to comment
Dolphingirl Posted June 7, 2003 Report Share Posted June 7, 2003 No...the level itself was good for me. The other kids who were in the level were older than me, and I only had a few friends. I also really disliked many of my teachers. The ones that I liked, I'd only have for one or two classes, and the ones I didn't like I'd have two or three times a week, for all the weeks. You end up having about 20 teachers during 5 weeks, and they all do things differently. There were some things I found hard to correct because one teacher would tell me to do it one way and then that afternoon, I'd be told that that was wrong and I should do it this way, and the next day I'd be told to do it a third way...plus some teachers pushed me into doing things that were unsafe for my body, like turning out way past my limit or lifting my leg well over 90 degrees without pitching forward at all...in the first class on the first day of the program! I also just got very bored, there's really not much to do in Carlisle, and I got homesick. I've given more detailed descriptions before, of lots of things. If you search under CPYB and/or Dolphingirl, you'll come up with tons and tons...I've posted a lot and other people have. You will definitely get both sides of many arguments. Basically my feeling is that it definitely wasn't the right school for me, especially because my goal is not and has never really been to be in a top-notch company. But it is a good school for people who want what CPYB has to offer, and you just have to decide whether it has what you want. Dolphingirl Quote Link to comment
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