Ncsa

[Guest alliecat93]

I know there has been a lot of discussion on NCSA and I have read all of that, but I have another question. Is it as selective as say, SAB or Harid? Are they as strict on body type there? What would they expect a 15 1/2 year old to be able to do? I am a little below (but almost caught up to) the other dancers my age. I have worked very hard and have accomplished in 1 1/2 years what it takes many 10 or more years to achieve. I'm not saying that to brag, I just saying that I work REALLY hard and I've had several different teachers from well established schools (ie- teacher teaching SI audition) tell me that they were very impressed by me and that I have a lot of potential. Do you think I would stand a chance of getting in even though I might not be quite as good as everyone else but I have come a very long way in a short period of time? I intend on auditioning either way, I just wanted some input. Thanks!

[Guest ballerinababe88]

I want to know more about NCSA. Can you give me a link to the discussions about it. Thanks.

[Guest alliecat93]

Just do a search for NCSA or North Carolina School of the Arts and you should be able to find a lot of good information.

[Guest ballerinababe88]

how do you do a search?

[Guest alliecat93]

You just go to the bottom of the page and there will be a little gray box on the right where you type in what you want to search for.

 

 

Does no one have any experience with NCSA?!?!?!?!?!? I really would appreciate if someone would reply with helpful info. (I would appreciate if the moderators would allow parents with helpful info to post on this topic! )

[syr]

I am not sure if I am allowed to post here, but as you requested it I will, and moderators may remove if they wish. My daughter attended NCSA as a high school junior. I have posted elsewhere about NCSA, but will try to respond to your questions.

 

First off, I always believe - of course audition if you think the school may be right for you. One good thing about NCSA's audition is that you audition in front of several teachers and they meet afterwards to decide who to recommend for acceptance. While I'm sure all teachers look for some of the same things, surely they then vary somewhat on aesthetics of body type, style, musicality, potential. So I think it is to a student's advantage to be viewed by several, not just one.

 

On body type, at the orientation before the audition my daughter attended, they made a point of stating that while they are looking for students with bodies with professional potential, that they consider that they are training student for companies around the world, not just certain companies in the U.S. I definitely believe they have a wider "window" of body types than some other schools.

 

I am sure that as part of the application you must submit to get to the audition there are questions about years of study, and also recommendations. So it would seem that would be taken into account as they evaluate your potential.

 

My impression, also, is that their strongest students are as strong as students anywhere, but their range from weakest to strongest might be broader. However for you, coming up from behind, that might be great - you want to enter and keep improving. Once you are accepted, you are placed at a level, and have all those classes; the difference from someone in the same level who is stronger is in what you are cast for, and then how much rehearsal time you have. Those who are not in perfomances at the downtown theatre do workshop performances on campus. (But at none of these "pro" schools is it about equal educational opportunity in casting!)

 

Meanwhile, from my perspective, the academics on campus at NCSA were stronger than those at the school affiliated with Harid, and you can take four academic classes as part of your regular schedule. Being able to continue in a traditional academic setting is really great! This is a real strong point for NCSA.

 

My daughter's experience was very positive. She made a decision for her own particular reasons to continue with a program she attended in the summer following her junior year, rather than return. A small part of that decision was that her very closest friends had been graduating seniors. I think if she had come up with a class for the four years she would have stayed with it. One of her friends got in to Julliard, another a dance program that is part of NYU (I think). Let me know how you do with your audition! (or are you sending a video??)

 

Also - (if it appeals to you) - they have a very strong contemporary dance department. There is a small overlap in classes but they are really two quite different programs. If you end up finding that you have come to ballet too late (which may not at all be the case, all kinds of "exception" stories around - I have met and seen them) - you might consider looking into it (the contemporary program. Good luck.

[Guest alliecat93]

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell me all of this. It is very helpful to hear from someone who has been there rather than , "well, my best friend's sisters cousin's classmate went there." I really do understand about needing to find the right school. I was all set to attend another very prestigious school for this fall, but after a recent visit, I realized that I would be terribly misserable there. That's why I think it's good that I will be auditioning on campus and I can see what the school is somewhat like (I realize that summer and year round are different, but I can get a general idea.) Once again, thank you so much!