Julian returned to the School of American Ballet (SAB) only to learn that his MRI actually had shown a small tear in a tendon in his right ankle. I’m not really sure why the physical therapists here didn’t know about it, but the doctor in NYC only received information on the left ankle…twice…and didn’t notice. So, when Julian was told to he could return to dance, he actually should have been resting. Had he not danced for five or six weeks, he might have healed the tear. Instead, he danced and it never had a chance to heal.
Now, Julian is facing a tendon torn in such a way that it has split and become swollen and enlarged so it can’t move through the small area it has to move through. He is going to physical therapy in NYC, and dancing some. He isn’t doing large jumps or anything where he lands on just his right foot. He saves himself for auditions and for the upcoming big Workshop, the show that all the advanced men and the graduating class performs in.
If the tendon doesn’t heal, he may face what I’m told is a fairly minor surgery to repair the tear. He’ll be in a boot for four weeks and then have a four week recovery period with physical therapy and some dance. No summer intensive.
In the meantime, he is hoping it will heal with massage, acupuncture, laser stimulation, and some care about what he does. And he continues to dance and to audition for summer intensives–and soon for companies.
As for summer intensives, that’s been interesting. Although some of the other boys got large scholarships to Boston, Julian did not. He also got only a partial scholarship to Pacific Northwest Ballet. He did, however, get a full scholarship (even housing) to San Francisco Ballet, and his name will be placed on their training list. That does not mean that he is a shoe in for their training program. It means that if they like what they see while he is there, they will offer him a spot.
Now…we just need to get his ankle healthy enough to do a summer intensive. The good news is he’ll be close to home. He can go for all the great therapies that helped him while he was home — if he doesn’t need surgery.
This intensive is only four weeks long. So, if his ankle is healthy, maybe he’ll attend Complexions later in the summer again. We’ll have to wait and see.
Oh…I’m wondering if he’ll be able to audition for Juilliard. He has a piece choreographed, but he can’t really rehearse it right now because of his ankle.
So, that’s the news.
Don’t forget to get your copy of The Summer Intensive Handbook! Click on the cover on the right…
Not long ago I was asked to help promote a documentary film on The Joffrey Ballet that will be released in January. I have a soft spot for The Joffrey, since one of Julian’s YAGP partners, Jeraldine Mendoza, landed a job with this ballet company, so I was quick to respond that I would, indeed, love to help promote the film. However, I asked if there was any way I could get an interview with someone—someone meaning a male dancer, artistic director or choreographer involved with The Joffrey or the film. Well, I struck gold—twice. Both Willy Shives, The Joffrey Ballet dance master, and Adam Sklute, a former Joffrey dancer and Joffrey assistant ballet master/associate artistic director and current artistic director of Ballet West, agreed to answer my questions.
I’m so happy today to offer the superb information on becoming a professional dancer, choosing a style of dance and a dance company, and dancing with The Joffrey ballet offered by Willy and Adam as well as the information on The Joffrey documentary, which you won’t want to miss. You can watch the trailer and read all about the film and the history of the company below. Reading what these two men have to say will make you all the more interested in this unique ballet company.
Let me start by telling you a little bit about these two former Joffrey dancers. Willy Shives began his dance training in his native south Texas before receiving his formal training with the School of American Ballet (where Julian currently is studying) and the Harkness Ballet School on full scholarship in New York. He joined the Joffrey Ballet in 1999 at the invitation of founder and artistic director Gerald Arpino and remained a dancer with the company until 2008, when he assumed the ballet master role.
Adam Sklute enjoyed a 25-year career as a dancer with The Joffrey Ballet, which began as one of the last two dancers hired by Robert Joffrey. He also served as assistant ballet master/associate artistic director with the company before being named artistic director of Ballet West in March 2007. A native of Berkeley, California, Sklute trained at the Oakland and San Francisco Ballet schools and became a member of The Joffrey II company with only three years of formal training.
Now, on to the questions I asked them. You can find the two men’s answers indicated by their initials.
I’ve often heard it said that in ballet, men are just the barre for the women. They make them look good. However, I understand that Joffrey co-founder Gerald Arpino felt it was important to choreograph artistically for men as well as for women. He did several ballets that really showcased the men, rather than looking at them merely as partners to women on stage. What advice would you give young male dancers as they explore the world of dance, different companies and different styles of ballet and seek out a way to express themselves without feeling just like a barre?
AS: I think in this day and age male dancers are taking more and more of the center stage. Both Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino championed the male in ballet, but certainly superstars like Mikhail Barishnikov and Rudolph Nureyev helped bring that change about. Nowadays a male ballet dancer can find fulfilling work anywhere around the world. Ballet has changed a lot over the past few decades.
My son recently decided to attend the School of American Ballet. He previously was interested in contemporary ballet and also attended American Ballet Theatre. When young boys explore different types of choreography and styles of ballet, how can they know what is best for their own ability, strengths and weaknesses, etc.?
AS: If a young boy is interested in ballet then he must start with good strong classical training. That is the base, and from there he can go in any direction he wishes. A dancer who has had good early classically training can branch out into any style.
Can you give them a few tips to help them figure out where to land when it comes to choosing a style or a company?
AS: First off, it’s what moves you, what inspires you that should dictate what direction you chose to follow. I think making a good assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses in a healthy way also will help determine that. One’s physical facility is very important for classical ballet (feet, proportions, turn-out, etc.), more so than contemporary or modern dance. So, that may help guild your choice as well.
What three or four tips would you offer young male dancers on how to succeed as a professional male dancer?
AS: “The three Ds”: Desire! Drive! Discipline! One can have all the talent in the world, but if you do not have the discipline to work, the drive to succeed and the desire to create your art it won’t matter. I started dancing very late, and because I was driven, disciplined and had a great desire to dance I became a professional very shortly after and had a wonderful performing career and a life in my beloved art form of ballet. If I can do it, anyone can do it.
WS: Make sure have a very strong background in ballet technique. This will be the strong point in any style of dance. Take as many jazz and contemporary classes as possible, so you have a good feeling of movement and how to be grounded in your legs.
Most dance companies want dancers that can do it all. So being that all-around dancer will get you a long way.
As a male dancer you are expected to do all the big jumps and multiple turns, but when it comes to adagio, this is where we are lacking.
Also:
Keep you body strong. Swimming is the best thing for your over all body strength and flexibility.
Make sure that your adagio is as good as the women or better. It only makes you a better rounded dancer.
Most of all be very, very—and I stress very—consistence with your work. Ballet class every day and cross training, like swimming, to keep you in top shape.
Musicality—listen to all types of music. Being very musical is a big part of really being a great dancer.
What makes The Joffrey different from other ballet companies, and does a young ballet dancer looking at companies need to discern the difference between one an another—and prepare differently to audition for them.
WS: The Joffrey Ballet takes dancers that have soul. The dancers really believe in what they are doing. The company is an all-star dance company. You might be doing corps work one night and then the lead the next. This is how The Joffrey Ballet has always worked. It makes for strong dancers that appreciate their art.
When auditioning for a dance company, do a background check on the company. See what ballets they have done, see what ballets they are going to do. What kind of technique is expected? What is the vision of the artistic director?
Companies now are not just hiring male dancers because they need a male dancer but [because they need] a male dancer that can really move, has strong ballet technique, is very musical, and has great partnering skills.
Be honest with yourself. If you don’t have the double tours from 5th to 5th or the flexibility, don’t look at companies that have a strict classical base rep. Modern and contemporary dance is the most full feeling of the dance art forms, but there is nothing like the challenge of classical ballet. You really have to love what you are doing and be passionate about your work so you can do whatever it takes to be the best that you can be.
Having heard what these experts have to say, you’ll definitely want to check out Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, the first film to chronicle the legendary Joffrey Ballet. It is set to premiere in New York City in January 2012 (location TBA). The world premiere simulcast of the film that will happen throughout the United States on January 28. The link below gives a listing of the cities in which you can watch it to date check the site for updated info):
The feature length documentary takes a look at this groundbreaking cultural treasure, known as the first truly American dance company. Narrated by Tony® and Emmy® Award winner Mandy Patinkin and directed by Bob Hercules (Bill T. Jones: A Good Man), the film documents how the Joffrey revolutionized American ballet by daringly combining modern dance with traditional ballet, and setting it to pop and rock music scores. Following the North American premiere in late January, the film will embark on a theatrical tour to select cities in the U.S. Released through Hybrid Cinema, the documentary is expected to have a DVD release in the first quarter of 2012 as well. For more information, please visit www.joffreymovie.com.
Here’s the trailer:
If you don’t know much about the Joffrey Ballet, here is a bit of historical information. Co-founded in 1956 by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey and dancer Gerald Arpino, who would become their principal choreographer, The Joffrey Ballet began as a DIY dance company of six dancers touring the United States in a borrowed station wagon. What started as a childhood dream quickly grew into one of the world’s most exciting and prominent ballets companies. Together, Joffrey and Arpino transformed the face of dance by merging classical ballet technique with bold new perspectives for edgy new ballets that challenged conventions. Aggressive touring took the Company from school auditoriums across America’s Heartland, to the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy’s invitation, and on to Russia for a month-long tour during the height of the Cold War, and beyond. They also garnered extensive media attention for their daring originality, which included appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show, the cover of Time magazine, and in major motion pictures such as Save the Last Dance and Robert Altman’s The Company (which is based on the Joffrey).
Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance weaves a wealth of rare archival footage and photographs along with interviews featuring former and current Joffrey star dancers, showing the full history of the Company from its founding in 1956 to the present. It describes how the Joffrey repeatedly resurrected itself after devastating financial and artistic setbacks and introduced cutting-edge choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Laura Dean and Margo Sappington to larger audiences.
The film features rare excerpts from many seminal Joffrey works including Astarte, Trinity and Billboards, as well as breakthrough collaborations with choreographers Twyla Tharp (Deuce Coupe), Kurt Jooss (The Green Table) and Leonide Massine (Parade). It also features Kevin McKenzie, Helgi Tomasson, Lar Lubovitch, Ashley C. Wheater, Gary Chryst, Trinette Singleton, Anna Kisselgoff, Adam Sklute, Christian Holder, Dermot Burke, Paul Sutherland, Francoise Martinet, Brunilda Ruiz, Jonathan Watts, Diane Consoer, Sasha Anawalt, and Hedy Weiss.
Julian’s YAGP partner, Jeraldine, is enjoying her first professional job at The Joffrey. She’s had both large and small, corps and lead, roles, just as Willy mentioned, which makes dancing for The Joffrey a very attractive choice for many dancers looking for that first job. Plus, as you can see from the trailer, the repertoire is quite varied interesting.
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Recently one of my readers asked me to address an important issue: How to get her son enrolled in a public school, such as Profession Performing Arts School (PPAS), in New York City. This might seem like a simple task, and it can be if your son attends a residential ballet program. However, if your son arrives at a ballet school in New York from out of state and does not live in a dorm run by a ballet program, getting in can be a bit tricky.
Most of the kids who attend the School of American Ballet (SAB), or even American Ballet Theatre (ABT), from out of state (or out of the country) either attend PPAS or a private school, such as Professional Children’s School (PCS). The latter costs in the neighborhood of $30,000 per year—on top of the steep fees for SAB (around $21,000 per year). Since most parents can’t afford both PCS and SAB, unless their child gets a scholarship from one or the other (or both), the majority of SAB kids attend PPAS.
My blog reader told me she read on the on the PPAS website that an application and audition are required and non-residents must pay tuition. I, myself, had never seen this statement. She asked me: “Did Julian have to apply and audition, or is there an agreement between PPAS and SAB so they don’t have to audition?” She also wanted to know if we paid any fees. Here’s the answer to her questions and the low down as I understand it.
If your son gets accepted into a ballet or dance program in New York City (or probably any state in which you are not resident) and he is not living in a residential program (in a dorm provided by the ballet school), to enroll him in a public school you must become a resident. This entails actually setting up residence—renting or buying a house or apartment—and proving residency (showing electric, gas or phone bills, etc., to school officials). You typically have to go to the Department of Education, or something like that, and fill out forms, prove residency, and pay some sort of fees. How much these fees are, I don’t know.
It is true that typically you must audition for PPAS and be accepted, and this usually is true even if you have been accepted to SAB but aren’t living in the dorms. That said, when we thought Julian was not going to be living in the dorms, the parent liaison at PPAS was going to see if this rule would be waived for him. She reasoned that he would not have needed an audition had he been living in the dorms. I would assume the same could be done for other boys.
Given that Julian ended up in the residential program at SAB, we actually had to do none of these things. SAB has several people who are responsible for Student Life, and one in particular who handles academic issues. She takes all the “new kids” down to the Department of Education on one particular day prior to school starting and enrolls them. Each child does not need to prove residency; the SAB representative does that for them by proving they are enrolled at SAB and living in the dorm. The dorm becomes their New York address. If any fees were paid for Julian, SAB handled this. I knew nothing about it. I provided his birth certificate, immunization records, etc. That was it. Easy schmeasy.
And Julian did not need to audition for PPAS. The fact that he had gotten into SAB was all the proof necessary to get into PPAS because he was in the SAB residential program. Basically, SAB vouched for him.
I’ve known boys who attended ABT and had to find housing because ABT does not have a residential program. Some have even lived in New Jersey, causing a whole different problem–they couldn’t go to school in New York City (or had to opt for a private school, I think). This meant their parents had to make sure they could prove residency, then had to enroll them in school, set up auditions for entry into a performing arts school, etc. Thus, attending ABT has its own set of problems. As a residential program, SAB is much more attractive for because you pretty much know all the school issues get handled for you.
To be honest, when we thought Julian did not have a spot in the dorm at SAB, I was pretty stressed out about all of this school stuff; it’s just so much more difficult to do on your own. We also didn’t think there was room at PPAS for him in the senior class… We think his name had been entered at PPAS by SAB before we put it in, and that he actually already had a spot in the senior class because of this. Having a spot at SAB surely helped all around.
I’m sorry I can’t offer any information on the actual fees involved. I suggest calling Terry Gindi at PPAS. She’s a wonderful resource and the parent liaison with SAB (and in general). She’d be happy to tell you if there are fees and what they are so you can start saving. In any case, they won’t be 30 grand like at CPS.
I will tell you that PPAS is a highly competitive school to get into. Many parents in New York City want to get their children in and attempt to do so in the early grades. The building is quite old and houses a middle school as well as the high school. Don’t expect to be impressed by the building itself or its resources in general. That said, the staff knows its stuff when it comes to dealing with artsy kids. They are who you want when your son decides to apply to colleges, study for Regents tests (which he will need to take and pass to graduate) or simply needs help with course work. And they know all about dealing with the kids at SAB.
Julian is not spending much time at the school per say—except for Regents tutoring. His classes are all offered at SAB. But the school has bent over backwards to make sure he gets what he needs to graduate—and to accommodate his sometimes stressed out Mom in California.
Please feel free to send me your questions! I’ll try to answer them just like I did this one!
It’s that time of year again…time to audition for summer dance intensives. I feel quite removed from the process this year because Julian will be handling it by himself in New York. He’s made his own decisions about which intensives he wants to attend, and he will sign up and audition on his own as well. He will do all of this from New York, since all of the major schools hold their auditions at the School of American Ballet (SAB).
Now, as I write this I’m thinking… “Hmmm. Wonder if there’s a deadline? Wonder if he needs to actually send in a registration form and fee? Maybe we need to do all of this together when he gets home.” Yes, the likelihood is that I will help him at least get registered for the auditions if they are not open auditions–or if SAB doesn’t have some arrangement with these schools.
Julian plans to audition for Pacific Northwest, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet. He is not allowed to attend the SAB summer intensive again now that he is in the school. (I mentioned a bit more about Julian’s choices in this post.) And he no longer has a desire to go back to American Ballet Theatre (ABT).
For those of you who have no idea where to start, who are still looking or who would like some help, last year I put together The Summer Dance Intensive Handbook. I know that choosing the right summer dance program and preparing for it can prove a stressful experience for parents and dancers. So, I took all my experience and the interviews I’ve done that relate to the topic and compiled them all into this handbook ,which offers practical advice for parents and dancers so they make the right choice, prepare appropriately, conduct themselves well, stay healthy, and learn as much as possible while enjoying themselves as well.
You can purchase The Handbook for the Kindle at Amazon.com or as a PDF or for any other ereader at Smashwords.com.
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Attending a summer dance intensive was the best thing Julian ever did to advance his dancing and change his attitude about dance. After his first summer at ABT, he became much more serious and motivated. I highly recommend boys attend one. Plus, it may be the first time they get to be in class with 15-30 other boys their age. That, in and of itself, is worth the experience. The camaraderie and friendly competition between the boys can’t be recreated anywhere else (except maybe in the year-long programs). It pushes them along much faster than anything else. In fact, I’d attribute Julian’s advancement over the summer to being in the boys’ classes more than anything else.
There are lot’s of great summer dance intensives for boys. I highly recommend those affiliated with ballet companies, if your son is focused on ballet. If not, choose a regional program that offers many styles. I’ve not mentioned it before, but Debbie Allen has a high-quality program we always hoped to have Julian attend down in Los Angeles, and it covers all styles (hip hop, jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary)–and has top notch ballet instructors as well. If your son is into tap, follow the tap festivals around all summer. These can be a great learning experience with some of the top tappers around. Julian used to love going to the San Francisco Tap Festival and we had hoped to make it to the LA Festival but never did.
Dance abounds all summer. Just because your regular dance school may be closed, don’t let that stop your son from dancing. See it as an opportunity to take his dancing to the next level by enrolling him in a summer dance intensive–even if it means taking the leap and letting him go away from home for a few weeks.
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The School of American Ballet (SAB) students receive guidance about summer intensives and company auditions just before Thanksgiving break. The boys are brought in to see Jock Soto, the head of the men’s division, and he asks them what summer programs they might be interested in attending. He then advises them on their choices. He also tells them if they are ready to begin auditioning for professional positions and if they can return to the school the following year. Some of this depends upon age; some depends upon skill level.
Numerous ballet companies from around the nation (and possibly from Europe…I’m not sure) conduct their auditions right there at SAB starting in the New Year. Most companies with summer intensives hold their auditions at SAB as well.
As for next year, Julian’s age puts him in an odd category. He turns 18 this summer. If he were already 18—or was 18 for part of this school year, he might be deemed too old to come back for another year. Because he will have just turned 18, he can return for one more year—and that’s what Jock told him. He could return if he wanted to do so—and they would be happy to have him. However, he also was told to go ahead and start auditioning for ballet companies. He’s ready.
Jock also asked Julian what type of companies he might like to dance for, and Julian replied, “Large ones.” (Duh.) So, his choice of what to do next year will be dependent upon his offers, if any come. And, of course, he hopes New York City Ballet might make him one—but that could take another year at SAB, if it happens at all.
In the meantime, he is also filling out college applications. Some of you may disagree with the idea of having your son implement a “Plan B.” I understand this totally—and I’ve even played devil’s advocate for the “Only Plan A” route. As parents, my husband and I have decided to stick with our initial feeling that we want Julian to have all his options open at the end of the year.
As for summer intensives, he’ll be auditioning for summer intensives at Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet—among others. Pacific Northwest Ballet is his first choice. Jock said to go wherever he was given the best scholarship. I’ve done a little research and found that Pacific Northwest and Boston are chaperoned and provide housing. Whoo-hoo! As I write this, though, I’m feeling stressed about the idea of him going to a new city all alone. Of course, San Francisco is just an hour and a half from our home.
By the way, it is the season for summer intensive auditions. If you haven’t seen it already, The Summer Intensive Handbook is now available for the Kindle at Amazon.com as well as in most other digital formats at Smashwords.com. You might find it helpful when choosing an intensive for your son or preparing him for one. (Here’s a special coupon code for 15% of the $7.99 price –just for My Son Can Dance blog readers good at Smashwords.com: Coupon Code: QK67P Expires: December 28, 2011.)
While in New York before Thanksgiving I got to observe Julian’s ballet class again, but this was an exception to the rule since parents only get to observe every other month. We don’t normally come to NYC so often—awfully far to go for us folk in CA, so SAB agreed to let us observe after just a month, but now we are banned until March. I’ll be in NYC in January, but I won’t have time to watch class anyway. I’m sure we won’t have a reason to be back again until at least March.
Anyway, Julian looked really good. I think he’s improving by leaps and bounds, and I don’t see a whole lot of difference between him and some of the boys who have been there a long time. I know I don’t see the little technique differences, though—and I’m his mom! I’m biased. He says he still has a way to go to catch up.
I enjoy the fact that some of the core members, soloists and principle dancers take class with the boys—and some of the ballerinas in the company, too. They all show up for the advanced men’s class! They say it’s the hardest one around. It’s fun to watch these beautiful dancers try to do the really difficult combinations Jock throws at the boys and to seem all of them—professionals and students alike—struggle with them. Of course, the company members struggle with them less and get them right more often. But I can compare Julian to these dancers as well as to the other boys, which is really a unique opportunity.
Julian seems to be doing really well in partnering—from what he tells me. I didn’t watch a class this time. He is trying to do some of the partnering moves one handed! And he has gained a regular partner who is a company member—after having no partner at all. (Company members come to partnering class during off season.) Some of the girls are now asking to partner Julian as well. So no more being a wallflower for him.
We are still struggling with preparation for Regents tests, though. Really too bad he has to take them to graduate high school when he already passed the California Exit Exam. I finally called the school and made arrangements for tutoring and some sort of monitoring of his studying—or lack thereof. SAB has gotten involved as well, much to Julian’s dismay. Well, what can I say. He has to pass to graduate, and he has three test to take (and one mock test). After January—if and when he has passed them—he can relax knowing he’s fulfilled his requirements. Then he just needs to finish his two humanities courses, and he’s doing okay in those. His report card was good—should be with just two darn courses. (Could have been a tad better given the fact that he has so few classes…)
He comes home in three weeks for the first time since he left in the fall! We’ll see how that goes. His “requested” plans for the vacation—and some of the summer—are worth another post.
We returned from Regional Dance America (RDA) in Los Vegas a week ago. We haven’t had a break. My husband, Ron, flew in from Germany the day before we left and flew out to Missouri to care for his mother a day after we returned. Julian had rehearsals up until the evening before we left and had just one day off before he began full days of rehearsals again for the spring City Ballet School show, Peter and the Wolf and Don Q plus Rossini’s Madness, a Yuri Zhukov creation. I did, however, promise to tell you all about RDA.
On one hand, RDA is just another convention. We’ve been to a lot of conventions in our day. On the other hand, RDA is a very special convention; it’s totally focused on ballet and ballet at a fairly high level, although there are two levels of classes. That said, there are some mime, massage , and modern classe–which ballet dancers need, too. And there are seminars on such things as career transitions, managing dance and school, and preparing for college. Additionally, there were college auditions and summer intensive scholarship auditions. Also there were performances every night–emerging choreographers (student choreography) and regular choreography from each school (both classical and contemporary). These were judged and on the last night awards were given at a banquet.
The student choreography and college and summer intensive auditions, I felt, set this convention apart from others. (Oh…and the fact that they put down nice floors for the kids to dance on rather than just rugs in conference rooms.) It was great for Julian to be able to showcase his second piece of choreography before so many people, including the artistic directors of all the members of the RDA Western Region–and, for example, the artistic director of Kansas City Ballet. He also did the college auditions despite the fact that he is torn about going to college or going straight into a company. These were broken into a morning modern audition and an afternoon ballet audition.
Here are the results of his three days, one performance and college auditions: His emerging choreography did not win anything–although his teachers assure us his piece was the second strongest of the bunch. (I’m of the mind that it had the most interesting choreographic elements but needed more polish.) Yuri’s piece had the place of honor as the very last one on the last night; it received a standing ovation–the only standing ovation of three nights–but it did not win anything. (I’d call that successful anyway.) Julian got accepted into University of California Long Beach (even after the rep told him it wasn’t the right school for him), Butler University and the University of Oklahoma with a scholarship, and he was invited to audition for Juilliard. Plus, after his performance in Rossini’s Madness he was asked to contact someone (not naming names…) who offered to pass his name along to a famous choreographer (also not naming names). (So, I’d say he won in many ways.)
In the process of talking to the college reps (and me attending the seminars), we all got to hear something we had not heard before: ballet companies are getting tired of bringing in young dancers right out of high school as trainees and apprentices. Many of these dancers don’t realize how much work is involved and after six months say, “Wow, I had a bright moment back there when I was really enjoying performing and dancing and thought this was my passion…but not now! This is too hard!” And then they quit. Companies are starting to look for more mature dancers–ones coming out of colleges that have given them more technique and performing experiences and who are ready and willing to do the hard work.
This is a different message than “become a trainee or apprentice right out of high school and work your way up to a corps member.” Or even “go into a ballet school run by the company of your choice and hope you then can become a trainee or get into their second company and work your way up to the corps.” Julian’s looking at those applications… And Ron and I are salivating over an $8,000+ scholarship at a school that costs only a little more than $17,000 per year. That’s a far cry from Juilliard at $50,o00 a year with no academics of which to speak–but it does have that name (but isn’t so ballet oriented). Supposedly UO has beefed up it’s men’s ballet program and is hoping to feed men into big ballet companies–ABT, Boston, Joffrey, and the like. The director there used to dance at Houston Ballet, so he has a nice relationship with them. We’ll watch and see what happens with the graduating class of boys…That will help make up Julian’s mind, but he still wants to see what happens next year if he goes to YAGP. Plus, there’s next year’s RDA to consider; anything could happen there as well.
By the way, there were men’s classes and a partnering demo. Julian was able to ask about a particular lift he was having trouble with, and that was nice. The learning that goes on is a great reason to go to RDA; I thought the teachers were phenomenal (a few in particular, like one modern teacher). Julian enjoyed the classes as well.
However, Julian did get injured the first evening during a rehearsal–a lift gone bad. Since his shoulder was not in perfect shape (he knocked out a rib and possible his collar bone a little bit–a trip to the chiropractor when we got home fixed it and an osteopath at RDA fixed him up until then), he had to only do the college auditions on Tuesday and no other classes. He felt better on Wednesday, but because he was performing that night, he did not take the men’s class, which he was very disappointed about. (So was I…)
So, why go to RDA? It’s another great place to showcase your son’s talent and to land a summer intensive scholarship or to audition for college! Julian does not have to audition for Butler or UC Long Beach. We are a bit confused about UO–there was talk of an audition still though we are not sure why.
Anyway, if your son is interested in ballet and is dancing at a good ballet school, find out if the school has joined RDA. It might be worth their while to do so–and to go to the convention. Next year the convention is in Montreal and all five regions will converge at once. It’s supposed to be a REALLY AWESOME chance to for your sons to get seen. Julian is really looking forward to it.
Last…if you didn’t notice, I added a Video page. Not all the videos are good ones. I’ll be adding more little by little.
Four summer intensives down, three results in: one merit scholarship (SAB), two full scholarships (ABT and SFB). Still waiting on Juilliard; we have only been told he is still in the running.
Ballet training pays off, guys…that’s all I can say.
Oh, and I go to see Julian’s emerging choreography piece for RDA performed…very nice, if I do say so myself!
Okay. I’ll shut up now. YAGP in two weeks. Should be humbling since they just switched their pax; don’t ask… However, his partner just got a job with the Joffrey.
Many of you know that last summer Julian came back from New York City and his time at American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive, as well as at Complexions Contemporary Ballet summer intensive, with instructions to spend a year (or two) working on his ballet technique. That’s why he left his pre-professional contemporary ballet program for a strict and serious classical ballet program. Well, I’m happy to say that it seems his training appears to be paying off.
While we have never managed to get more than a 50 percent scholarship from American Ballet Theatre, last weekend Julian auditioned for the School of American Ballet summer intensive–one of four summer programs for which he’ll audition in the next four weeks, and he was told on the spot that he had earned himself a merit scholarship. That means all expenses paid! The School of American Ballet houses it’s summer intensive dancers in the Juilliard dormitories, so that means housing and meals are handled, as far as I know. We’d only be financially responsible for an airline ticket. Whoo hoo!
No, let me qualify this by saying that Julian also will be auditioning for American Ballet Theatre, Juilliard, and San Francisco Ballet. He also will go to New York one way or another to attend the Complexions intensive, since he was personally asked back by Dwight Rhoden. We will, indeed, have to pay for those three or four weeks, but he has been “gifted” the level two intensive there while he attends level three. That allows him to take classes most of the day.
Anyway, the point is this: When your child (or you) are told to go home and get technical training, do it. It will pay off. Be sure to choose a studio that will give you the training you desire, though. Not every studio offers high-level ballet technique. That’s why Julian was forced to make a change in where he trained or studied.
These can be hard decisions for young boys. They won’t regret them. I’m here to tell you so. I’m sure Julian would say the same–especially after Sunday’s audition.
One of the issues we’ve been struggling with lately has been whether or not Julian will go to college. We’ve always assumed he would, but in the back of all of our minds we knew a chance existed that he might simple end up dancing. As they say, dancers dance. (Expect to see more posts on this particular topic.)
When Julian left TDC, a pre-professional contemporary dance company, for City Ballet School this year, his dance teachers at TDC voiced a concern that by entering into the world of serious ballet dance he would be pushed right into a ballet company after high school; they felt strongly he would benefit by attending a dance program prior to beginning his dance career. We have found that most of the girls in the ballet program plan to go right into a ballet company, and the teachers the focus of the school revolves around turning out professional-level ballet dancers.
As a result, Julian is beginning to wonder what he will do if he were to be offered a spot in a ballet company trainee program of a spot in a company. This becomes a higher likelihood now that he will be competing in the Youth American Grand Prix. (I know I said he wouldn’t be, but things have changed.)
As parents, we tend to feel three or four years in a dance program at some college or university would prove a good thing for Julian. Of course, he has never been too focused upon academics. He prefers just to dance. Dancing for a year or two and then going to college seems out of the question, since a dancer’s career is short enough; he’d then enter the work world later than most dancers who go to college first. That said, he’ll be a young college student—just barely 18, and my daughter (also a summer baby) had a difficult time adjusting to college life for that reason.
So, one of the lines of questioning I took with dancer and choreographer Joey Dowling revolved around education for male dancers. We covered not only college but the other bits of education dancers need to succeed—singing, acting, etc. In this third part of my series of posts based on my interview with her you get to read what she had to say on this topic.
(If you want to know more about Joey, please read her bio in post #1. You can read post #2 here.) These posts dealt more with transitioning out of dance and choreography.
Do male dancers need to go to college (or should they), and, if so, should they be taking something other than just dance, for example, business courses?
I think it is different for every person. My first instinct is that, yes, they should go to college. If you graduate from a performing arts or a regular college and you wait until you were 21 to start your dance career instead of 18, you gain so much maturity in those three or four years.
A lot of kids who move to Los Angeles at 18 get lost in the crowd. They don’t have a disciplinary kind of schedule.
Although I think it’s a good idea for men to go to college, there are certain people who don’t want it or need it. I’ve watched certain people move at 18 and start working right away and they are very solid and grounded. They know what they want and how to get there.
Tony Testa is a great example of that. He moved to New York at 18 and was so determined and dedicated and committed. At 23 has just finished choreographing Kylie Minogue’s tour.
Then you get others his age who might be kind of lazy. They might be dancing behind Usher for a few shows and never do much more or try to advance themselves. They move to LA and they go to auditions once or twice a week and hang out with their friends. College really helps people direct themselves to what they want or if someone doesn’t need that and creates that for themselves they could opt not to attend.
Someone like Tony has danced and performed with several people, and he’s already choreographing and wants to direct. He knows exactly what he wants. He studies every day and reads book on directing and cinematography and enrolls himself in classes on film making. People like him know exactly what they want and how to get there. He is kind of schooling himself. It’s catered to what he wants.
Is it worthwhile for young men to consider some of the good dance programs like NYU, Fordham and Juilliard?
These are great programs, but it also depends on money. There are so many kids whose parents can’t afford that, but they have the talent or the drive. So they move to LA or New York and they start working right away.
For a male dancer wanting to make it on Broadway, what are the most important skills to have?
A lot of personality—the guys that have a lot of personality end up getting a lot of Broadway shows.
Obviously acting capabilities are fantastic. What dancers don’t know is that the chorus usually has 6-7 men and 6-7 women on average. In those 6-7 there are almost always about two ensemble roles that cover a lead or supporting role. When you are casting a Broadway show, most of the ensemble members have to sing and act as just as well as they dance because they are covering a role. So it is so important for them to be able to sing and act because you are not just going there and being an ensemble member; you are going there so they possibly have a cover for a lead.
One of the biggest mistakes I see is that male dancers go into auditions, but they are fantastic dancers but can’t even hold a note or can’t act their way out of a paper bag. It they had just a little experience developed as far as acting and could sing a song that wasn’t that hard, and had some confidence and personality they’d end up in a Broadway show.
This happened to me. I’d never sung, and I’d never taken an acting class. It was like starting from square one. I could school 500 women in a dance call and be the best dancer in the room, but the minute we went to singing and acting I was at the bottom of the list because I had no experience in it.
I then had to spend a ton on singing and acting lessons. I probably spent $15,000 on singing lessons over the course of 10 years when I could have done it in my home town once a week while I was in high school. Then I would have come to New York and, bam, I would have been in a Broadway show. It took me being frustrated and crying when I got home from auditions because I sucked at singing. It was horrible.
So a male dancer wanting to perform on Broadway must be a triple threat?
Absolutely, hands down, that’s the number one thing.
I didn’t realize I’d let so much time pass since my last post. Time flies when you’re having fun…not. Julian and I got back from New York, and I entered into a harried three and a half weeks of getting him to the TDC summer intensive, preparing for my daughter’s 18th birthday party and to go off to New York University just three weeks later. In the midst of all of that, there was an immense amount of college shopping to accomplish, doctor’s appointments to make and keep, and my work to get done. There was also the emotional upheaval of my daughter leaving behind a boyfriend. Then I had to get on an airplane and fly back to New York and get her settled into school and fly back just four days later, which was emotionally draining for me as well.
In the midst of all of that, my husband and I also were trying to help Julian figure out what he was going to do dance-wise this school year. Originally, we had thought he would go back to TDC, a program we love and totally support for the great pre-professional classical, modern and contemporary training it offers (plus some jazz, tap, and hip hop). However, the feedback Julian received in New York seemed to be pointing to him needing to spend at least a year on classical ballet training. So, amidst everything else, we had many conversations with people at TDC and also went for an audition at City Ballet.
In the end, we opted for City Ballet, a Vaganova-based program, in San Francisco, run by a Russia-born dancer, Galina Alexandrova. I’m sure Julian will have days when he regrets this choice–he surely will not be coddled here nor will his moods or whims be allowed or tolerated, but he will come out with the clean technique everyone says he needs to achieve at this point in his dance career. He will be taught be Alexandrova, Lupe Calzadilla, and Yuri Zhukov.
Here’s why we opted to change dance programs and dance focus:
First, Julian auditioned for the JKO School, ABT’s all-year ballet school. He was turned down. When I asked for an explanation, Franco Devita explained that for his age Julian’s technique was not as clean as he would like to see it. He didn’t feel comfortable moving him across the country (and possibly his whole family) in case working with Julian didn’t work out for some reason. He said sometimes he brings in boys to the school and then they don’t take correction well, they don’t get along with him or him with them, etc. Julian and I have heard of several such cases where the boys dropped out mid year–or were asked to leave. He told Julian to go home and clean up his technique and come back and audition again. If he had accomplished the goal, he would be accepted into the school even though he would be a senior at that point. (We know a boy who did this–in fact, he went to City Ballet for just six months to clean up his technique–and was accept into JKO with a full scholarship for this comping school year; he is a senior.)
So, we took DeVita’s advice to heart. He said no matter if Julian stayed at TDC and got additional ballet instruction or joined a full ballet program, cleaning up his technique needed to be the focus. We didn’t think we could accomplish this with just a little bit of extra ballet–at least not in the way we had been doing it in the past. Obviously, that had not been working since Julian’s technique is not as clean as the other “ballet boys,” those in full ballet programs all year long.
Mind you, DeVita’s words of wisdom came from a man who sees a boy graduating from high school and entering a ballet company immediately. He is not thinking of the boys leaving JKO School an entering college. Julian is still thinking of going to college. In his mind, Julian’s level of technique must be more advanced at his age to be be ready for a company in another two years.
Second, at the end of the Complexions intensive, Dwight Rhoden told Julian he wanted to work with him next summer at the barre, and offered him two intensive sessions for the price of one to accomplish this. Desmond Richardson mentioned that he needed to clean up his upper body technique (his arms, which I’ve always called “noodle arms”). I asked Rhoden what Julian should be doing this year–stay at TDC and supplement with more ballet or join a ballet school, and his response was firm: “Join a ballet school so he can work on cleaning up his technique.” He felt certain that one or two years of work on technique would put Julian in good stead to do whatever he wanted in the dance world. He has the ability to move, everyone agreed, and he has the training in contemporary from TDC. We took these words to heart as well–even more so, since they were not coming from anyone trying to enroll Julian in their school or get money out of him in any way. In fact, Rhoden offered to mentor Julian, answering questions and concerns via email.
Third, after Julian worked with Wilhelm Burmann at Steps on Broadway, I asked Burmann what he thought. He had no investment in Julian whatsoever. He said he needed to enter a ballet program for all the same reasons. He said he had an ability to move and to put movements together, but he needed to clean up his technique. He suggested a full ballet program.
Fourth, Julian wants to know that he can get work in a classical ballet company or in a contemporary ballet company–or on Broadway or anywhere. He knows classical ballet training lies at the core of achieving that goal. Additionally, he loves ballet. After this summer, his love and desire to pursue ballet had increased tremendously. For at least two years–maybe because of the influence of being at the ABT Summer Intensive with all those “ballet boys”–Julian has been torn between doing contemporary ballet, which he adores, and doing classical ballet, which he also adores, full time. He is not sure which he would like to pursue…but he knows he must have the classical technique, and this was driven home to him by every teacher he had this summer.
With all of that and the fact that Julian had a sincere interest in pursuing ballet at this point in his young life, we went looking for a ballet program. We did not want to go back to Ballet San Jose; been there, done that. San Francisco Ballet School is quite large, and from what we had been told by many people, Julian would likely get lost there and not get the individual attention he needed. Without that, this year of ballet would be a loss. Also San Francisco Ballet might put him in Level 7 (something we will never know for sure), which would preclude him going to school because of the early start time of this level. As parents, were were unwilling to have Julian do high school on line, and Julian didn’t want that either. We also heard from some former San Francisco Ballet School Students that the teachers there quit often, making the teaching a bit inconsistent.
The only other choice was City Ballet. Given that a friend of Julian’s and fellow ABT Summer Intensive student had gone to city for 6 months to get his technique cleaned up in order to get accepted into JKO School, and had achieved this goal, we thought this a good option. We heard good things from another ABT Summer Intensive attendee, also a boy. They both raved about working with Yuri Zhukov as well, and Julian wanted to train with a strong male ballet teacher. Zhukov is a phenomenal ballet dancer and a choreographer with a contemporary company of his own. With so few boys typically in the program, we were told the boys basically get private or semi-private lessons with Zhukov on a regular, if not daily, basis. Additionally, they sometimes get to work with Yuri Possokhov, another phenomenal male classical ballet dancer and choreographer. Plus, the school has a strong YAGP program, something that interested Julian. It also offered more hours of ballet class–plus contemporary (yay!) because Zhukov has his own contemporary company–than the other area schools.
Julian auditioned and liked it. He found the class very difficult and the level of dancers high. He watched two YAGP pax partners rehears and was impressed as well–especially since they included the coda in their performance….the same pax he and his partner had rehearsed minus the coda last year. He liked the fact that he would have male ballet teachers.
Julian was given a 100 percent scholarship for the pre-professional level. Whoo hoo! Now that’s a school that appreciates it’s boys. We have not been given that anywhere else–just 50 percent at Ballet San Jose. (I did say that JKO School offers that to some boys.) That makes it possible for us to afford the YAGP training, which will not be cheap. The contemporary choreography alone with Zhukov is very expensive, and the hourly rate for coaching is high for all the teachers as well. This work will help Julian’s technique tremendously, though. We have been told he will work primarily with Zhukov and possible also with Possokhov–which would be phenomenal. We’ll see if that pans out.
At the moment, Julian is the only boy in the program. A little surprising…but not really. Another boy is auditioning the first week of classes.
By the way, City Ballet does a Nutcracker and has a spring performance with contemporary as well as classical works. Julian is sorry not to do the choreography track at TDC. I am going to mention this to someone at City and see if Zhukov, who will be working with him closely anyway, would allow him to do some choreography at some point.
That’s why and how we got to our choice.
So, new school year, new focus, new dance program. And Julian seems ready and eager to hunker down and continue working hard like he did in New York. I actually think that’s why he chose this program–so he’d continue being pushed. More on that soon…and several blog posts from dancer and choreographer Joey Dowling!
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