YAY! Found a local intensive that accepts adults!

[Serendipity]

I'm so pleased! It's for 3 weeks and is about 5 hours (plus an hour for lunch) - includes ballet, pointe, one session of pas de deux at the intermediate level (2 at the advanced but I'm not going into that one!), physical exercise for dancers and repertoire.

 

There are two levels that start at two different times - one's intermediate and the other's advanced. Ours is the earlier one but not earlier than 10:30 so I can actually SLEEP. It's a bit of a hike - about a 45 min drive but for three weeks just before Richmond might well be worth it.

 

If my regular school doesn't have the intensive this year, or I am unsure of the teacher (not sure who's teaching and am not willing to take chances this year), then I'll do the 3 week one at this other school. The cost is actually about the same - the intensive at my regular school for me is 2 hours a day for 6 weeks (I don't do the rest of the curriculum, just ballet). The one at the other school is 3 weeks but 5 hours a day and much more comprehensive.

 

Since our current school finishes late in June, the intensive for the new one starts in mid-July and ends at the end of July, and Richmond starts (hopefully for me!) the first week of August, it really works time-wise. I only would want a few classes between the end of term and the start of the intensive. I might ask my teacher for a twice a week private lesson for that, plus gym. We shall see.

 

It's so rare to find a school that will allow adults into their intensives. I'm so excited!! :-)

 

S.

[Bailerina]

That's so exciting. Congrats!

[insidesoloist]

Oh, hurrah! That's wonderful! I love that you get pas de deux and a pe class (hopefully that's something pilates-like, a stretch and strengthen kind of deal!).

[Serendipity]

You all are going to laugh....my local school (the one I go to with the fab teachers) is offering its own intensive again this year with one of my favorite teachers, so I'm going there, instead. It's not as many hours (or as much money), not much of a drive at all (only a minute down the road) and leaves me time in the day to take a nap afterwards.

 

With my body the way it is (aged), I'm glad I can take this one. It's also longer - 5 weeks instead of 3 - so no real down time between regular classes and this one. Currently I do about 10 hours a week of dance (mostly ballet). This one will be 8 hours a week - a daily, 2-hour class that includes conditioning and some pointe work.

 

It's not the same, I know, but for me, I think it's a better option. And I'll still be in condition for Richmond. I did fewer classes last year and managed. I hope this year I'll be able to do more than just manage at Richmond.

 

Still, it's nice to know there are some open-minded studios out there. :-)

 

S.

[xSugarplum]

Just out curiosity...is it a summer intensive for everyone or is it adult only? If it's adult only then it would make sense because most studios don't seem to offer daily adult classes (though mine does), but if it's also for younger kids it wouldn't make much sense to call 1 class a day a "summer intensive", that is kind of false advertising, isn't it? I take 3 classes of 1 1/2 hours each per day 6 days a week, so going to an intensive like that would seem more like "summer vacation" to me. I just don't like how studios use the term "intensive" so liberally...what is intensive about a schedule lower than what one should be doing every day?

 

Of course, I am not trying to snub the program, I'm glad you have something near your house that you can attend. I'm only wondering if that is what they would expect their younger kids to do as well, because that seems off to me for a summer intensive schedule.

[Serendipity]

It's not "adult only" and officially it's not for "everyone." But when I enquired at the various places in my local area, this one said they would have no problem with an adult joining. They said they often get professionals in their regular classes and joining their SI to keep in shape.

 

Even after I explained that I would not be able to cope with a professional level class, they were still quite open to having me. I would like to go, and am quite torn between doing a week with them and the rest of the time at my current studio. As an adult with other priorities besides dancing (which is a high priority for me right now!), I would like to keep my days more open than THAT SI would allow. It's an hour's drive each way, plus 5 hours there.

 

The one I'm taking is more varied. It's a DANCE intensive, not a ballet intensive. I'm only taking the ballet component, which is two hours. The way this teacher runs things, it truly is quite intensive! It's amazing the progress students make with her even in just those two hours. They have two levels - an upper and a lower. Mostly the younger folk take the lower, but it really depends on skill.

 

Experience teaches, XSugarplum. In this studio, students are there for more recreational purpose, although they do get excellent ballet training (which is quite impressive considering the type of studio it is). They have the right to call it intensive since that is what it is - daily, certain number of hours. And I must point out that often it is not the number of hours but the quality of the teaching that is important.

 

When I was a child, back in the dark ages, our intensives consisted of a variety of classes, not just ballet, in order to make one a "well-rounded" dancer. I had ballet, tap, jazz, modern, character and dance history in some of the ones I attended (ballet being the most important to me, of course - although character ran a close second! LOL!).

[xSugarplum]

Oh! Well if there are other forms of dance too, then that's fine! Our summer programs when I was little had a mix as well. I thought the entire program was just 2 hours a day. When I was about 13 or so, my summer intensive was 2 hours of ballet, 1 hour of pointe, and then 1 hour of jazz, 1 hour elective (Salsa, African, Modern..) and then 3 hours of rehearsals or so. It was a very full day, but in the end only had 3 hours of ballet class, so to speak. I think so long as you have other classes too doing the one closer to your home is probably a good thing if you have other things going on that summer, and you're planning on going to another intensive, too! I think I'd do the hour drive, myself, but then again I usually don't have much going on in the summer outside of ballet. :X

 

Enjoy the intensive!

[tantalus]

What's the name of the dance school & where is it?

[niupartyangel]

I was looking at the Joffrey Chicago dance school's website (BTW people, I took my second class last Friday and I am really really loving it) and there was info on their summer intensives...I was just reading out of curiousity since obviously I don't harbor dreams of becoming a pro but in the bottom it said that they will also have a summer dance camps for open adult ballet, modern, tap etc the schedule is still TBA but at least they put it up there that it is forthcoming. Not sure what the format would be, I'm thinking it could be a week long dance camp, coz they have such for 7-11 and 12-16 year olds who want to try dance for the first time (so not necessarily the serious, aspiring pros). I think it would be fun to have something similar to adults, since being adults most studios don't seem to think that we want such opportunities as well. If it is a week long affair or two, I will most likely take a 1 or 2 week vacation from work since I do work full time...but i would be super interested to try it out...never had such an opportunity as a kid. has anyone had anything like this and had a full time job?

Edited February 17, 2009 by niupartyangel

[bluebillie]

Serendipity~

 

I'm also curious about your original post on the instensive. I'm trying to figure out where it is since you said it was about an hour away... I'm thinking Boca? Or is it south of us? I'm dancing in a ballet in June, but will be back down south in July again.

[Serendipity]

This one's in Pompano. For me, it's about an hour away from where I am.

[bluebillie]

Oh yes, Pompano is pretty far away from me too.... sigh...