How behind am I?

[Guest piroella]

Now I am new to this board, my best friend talked about it so much until I finally joined in. We go to different dance schools in the same area. Hers is probably a stricter ballet base where mine is much more laid back. But I can't help but wonder after reading these boards if we are not both way behind. Neither of us has attended a "summer intensive" etc. I have attended my schools summer dance camp and at only 2 weeks it is far from what these other girls are talking about. My friends camp is 3 weeks and longer hours but it still does not attract the masses, crossing state lines. What does that say of our chances to ever move beyond where we are? How mandatory are these types of programs? Sorry if this seems too silly of a question but I am just not all that familiar with this area. Thanks!

[qtpiedanzer01]

how old are you? if your young then you shouldn't really worry about going away. but i feel like i make half a years progress in one summer intensive. thats where most of my improvement comes from.

[Victoria Leigh]

Hello piroella, welcome to the Young Dancers' forum here on Ballet Talk for Dancers!

 

How far behind you are would depend on the quality and quantity of your training in relation to your age, and also your own natural facility for ballet. We cannot tell that without seeing you, of course. One of the best ways to find out is to audition for as many SI programs as you can, see where you get accepted and what levels you achieve in these programs.

 

Most serious ballet students will begin attending SI programs of at least 5 weeks, some 6 weeks, by the age of 14 or so. Some younger students attend shorter programs. If your own school does not have this kind of program, then you need to go away. Going away has lots of advantages and can be a fun and rewarding experience too. Because of devoting the time totally to dance, with no school to deal with, the intensity of the programs can provide the opportunity to improve a great deal in a short time. You also meet people from all over the country, and even other countries, you work with different teachers and will have lots of different kinds of classes, and, most importantly, you dance through much more of the summer!