Scholarship Classes

[marigold]

RDA offers scholarships to students who wish to be considered for them. Some students choose to take classes where they can be observed just for that purpose. Are descriptions of these scholarships given anywhere so that students would know what they are being considered for before joining a scholarship class?

[Momof3darlings]

Each region does things differently but in our region, at least when DD was still going, each AD could determine who from their studio would go to scholarship class and then each dancer filled out a form stating when they were available since scholarships awarded were expected to be accepted. There was a place on the same form with information about cash scholarships. Although there were guidelines on the cash scholarships, in general from our studios viewpoint those went to dancers who had outlined that they already planned to go to a specific SI for the summer. So therefore, the cash would have been awarded to help supplement the already accepted SI invitation. Our region's RDA festival is generally late though so dancers would have already had to committ to an SI if they planned to attend one at the time of RDA.

[Mobadt]

Our studio is similar to that of Momof3. Our AD specifically gives the opportunity to dancers she feels should go, since there is a limit to how many are allowed to attend the class from each company. Obviously not everyone from a company can attend! Like Momof3 said, sometimes it just doesn't work out that some dancers can go to the class because they have already selected their summer programs. However, I believe representatives who are giving scholarship awards can be from any summer program - for instance, say your dancer has committed to go to xyz summer intensive, and xyz summer intensive happens to be offering a scholarship at this years' RDA in your region. Then if your dancer is allowed to attend the class, they would mark on the form they are interested in receiving a scholarship from xyz summer intensive. That way, it sort of gives them another chance to obtain a scholarship from that SI. Yes, actual monetary awards would also apply to any summer program, but they are not always offered. This is the way I understand it to work. Does that make sense?

By the way, we don't generally find out who is offering scholarships at the festival until a few weeks before we go. I don't know how that differs in other regions, but I remember last year not knowing who was offering what until very close to the festival time, and the AD had a deadline to submit who she was allowing to attend.

[Jewels_08]

DD was selected to attend the scholarship class at this year's RDA Festival for our region. Is this just one class to be considered for the scholarship or is this an all day class she would be attending instead of the scheduled advanced classes she would ordinarily be taking?

[Mobadt]

I don't know if it varies by region, but in the Southeast region, it is an hour and a half ballet class. Trying to remember, but I think it's scheduled at a time where they don't miss any other classes. Don't hold me to that though...

[Kathleen Sinclair]

Each of the five regions in RDA have different approaches to scholarship classes/auditions and varying procedures to award scholarships and/or money.

 

The only scholarships that are equal among the regions are the amount the national organization gives each region for the RDA summer Choreography Conference. This year, the national organization is giving one full scholarship per region for an emerging choreographer to the conference.

 

If you have questions concerning scholarship classes/audition at your upcoming festivals, I suggest you ask your company director. They will know the procedure to follow or be able to get the information you need.

[cakers]

We just received the scholarship information for the Pacific Region, but I'm curious, because the AD didn't make it sound like the number of girls was limited. It sounded like any of the girls attending the festival who wanted to try for a scholarship could sign up. Since my DD has been accepted at PNB we are considering having her do the scholarship audition class for that one, BUT, the list we received seems to indicate that PNB has a $100 registration fee. None of the other scholarships listed have this, so I'm not sure what that's all about. I'm not sure I want to gamble $100 to see if she can get a scholarship. I'm thinking that if they didn't consider her good enough to offer her a scholarship with her acceptance, why would they consider her good enough to offer her a scholarship at RDA?

[Kathleen Sinclair]

cakers,

 

I took a look at the RDA/P scholarship criteria for PNB. To audition for the PNB scholarship, the dancer has to be already accepted to (and attending) the program. If this scholarship is awarded, it will cover tuition only; not the room and board or PNB’s $100 registration fee. It does not cost $100 to audition for PNB’s scholarship.

 

RDA/P charges $20 for a dancer to attend the audition class. And that money goes into the RDA/P scholarship pot that funds additional scholarships next season.

 

In the Pacific region, any RDA company dancer can attend the scholarship class/es. Some individual company directors may have their own rules governing their own dancers. In my company, dancers have to have a consultation with me before I accept their audition form and occasionally a situation warrants not allowing a dancer to audition.

 

To answer your last question: PNB has awarded a scholarship almost if not every year to a dancer for as long as they have been a part of this process.

[OaklandJody]

How do you get selected? What is it? I know nothing about these classes, and would like to learn.

[Coco]

Ms. Sinclair, I was able to find online a pdf with the schedule of events fees etc. While the registration deadline for the scholarship class was listed, I could not find who is eligible to take the class or the actual registration form. Do dancers have to be members of a member company to take the scholarship class? Thank you.

[Kathleen Sinclair]

Coco,

To attend an RDA festival a dancer must be a member of a RDA company. And only RDA company members can audition for scholarships at a regional festival.

[mamasokol]

I know this varies year to year but can anyone provide insight as to which programs have come in the past for the audition class for the SERBA festival?

[Mobadt]

The programs don't necessarily go to the audition class - they have representatives there to extend the offers, and that can vary as to who they are. I can tell you it has varied a bit in the past, but I can give you the ones I remember from past years - this of course is not a complete list, and it seems to vary from year to year:

Atlanta Ballet

Alabama Dance Theatre

Roswell Dance Theatre

Metropolitan Ballet Theatre

Orlando Ballet School

French Academie of Ballet

Glenda Brown Choreography

Inwood Dance Company

Joffrey Ballet School

Kirov Academy

Nashville Ballet School

Next Generation Ballet

North Carolina Dance Theatre

Southeast Alabama Dance Company

Washington Ballet (male only)

 

I am sure I am missing some, and the above are not always there every time, but to my memory they have been there more than once. The class also offers $500 scholarship money that you can audition for as well. Again, this varies from year to year as to how many monetary awards go out, and some schools offer more than one scholarship.

Hope that helps!

[pumpkinangel]

This will be dd's first time going to an RDA festival. Will she need to have photos for the scholarship class?

[chb]

We were told only a certain amount of the dancers from our studio could attend the scholarship class, so you may need to check and see if your dancer will be one of the ones chosen to go because I don't think they all can attend.