Boys & SI Scholarships

[dancepop]

I wonder if, particularly at those SI's that are affiliated with ballet companies (like e.g. Boston, SF, PNB, ABT, etc.), there are more of the scholarships offered to boys that are a bit older and more mature. This might be because the older boys are becoming prospects for being invited to join the Company in the relatively near future, or because the SI needs mature male dancers strong/tall enough to lift and otherwise partner the girls, or simply that it is not until a boy matures physically that the SI can accurately assess his potential, body type, and commitment. If so, then younger boys, or boys are perhaps less likely to get full scholarships then more mature young men. I'd love to hear from some parents of boys who have gone through the SI auditionsd over a period of years, and seen whether or not scholarship opportunities have tended to increase as their sons moved from young adolescents to more mature grown young men.

[5678Dance]

Very good question. I'm curious to know as well.

[Oreo]

Hello everyone. I was a former dancer and now have my own son. It wasn't until years after I retired that I finally saw the light. Boys I trained with as a teenager were offered scholrships even though I could dance rings around them. Come to find out years later...they tell me they were"flown, fed and housed" for years so they would attend Summer intensives at big schools like San Francisco and PNB. The fact of the matter is, there are a lot of schools and they need boys to partner all of those girls. Otherwise, how are you going to get them there??? Don't get me wrong, the competition now a days for male dancers is staggering. There are a ton of boys out there with beautiful legs and feet, with respectable work ethics to match, but they don't have it nearly as hard as the girls, they have many more opportunities , and yes, priority will be given to older dancers.

Edited January 29, 2013 by Oreo

[expat123]

There are scholarships out there for younger boys, too! I think that schools want to make sure that they can say they have at least one class of boys. A promising 12 year old dancer will likely remember the generosity of companies when they get older.

[andydancemom]

We would love a scholarship but don't mind paying if it is a good intensive. It is hard to know what the best intensive for a 13 year old would be if you have no experience! That is why am so glad to have all the advice you've shared. DS has partnered with DD as well as others in our studio. (They were Clara/Prince) But he needs more experience with partnering. He did some at ABT. Experience is everything. I would love a smaller intensive for him with more guys! Also, both kids are interested in finding a year round school...

Edited January 30, 2013 by andydancemom

[chel]

Many boys, younger, older, or otherwise do not get scholarships. While it may be a little easier for a boy to get funded than a girl, it is an honor for either gender. We attend a pre-pro school that has a good boys program. The training is wonderful, he has had access to a boys class since age 8, and DS loves having a cohort of same age peers. When a program is known to be boy friendly they can also choose to be selective regarding who gets scholarships.

[DobbinsND]

My DS attended the Nutmeg SI last year and loved it. He was 13 at the time and there were 13 boys in the program. There are men's classes, partnering, and the instructors were excellent. The classes were small enough to receive lots of personal attention (there were about 72 students in the July session, divided into three levels). He has been accepted again this summer on full scholarship and we are also planning to send him to their pre-professional year-round school in the Fall. From my own experience and talking to other parents whose children attend the school, it's a family-like atmosphere. They genuinely care about the kids there, so I am very comfortable sending DS there for year-round training.

[MiltonMom]

My son did Patel last summer for 2 weeks only since it was his first SI. He loved it!! Peter is such a great motivator and really makes the kids want to work hard. He got 100% scholarship there last year. Still trying to decide what we want to do for this summer. He has been offered scholarships for both Orlando and Patel. I'm just not sure about the 5 weeks! UGH