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A Commendation To Dancin’ Boy Moms Everywhere

Sunday, May 13th, 2012

Thiwww.zazzle.coms Mother’s Day I’d like to commend all my readers who are the mothers of dancin’ boys for doing what you do–all of it. It’s a tough job, but someone’s got to do it. While some Dad’s help, even do a lot, as much or more (like my husband), not all of them do. And even if they do, you’re still the dancin’ boy’s mom. And today is Mother’s Day.

I am celebrating Mother’s Day but not engaging in any mothering activities at all. None. Nada. Bubkes.

Well, I did speak to both my kids, who did remember to call me on this auspicious occasion. (Yay. They get a some points.) And Julian did relate some audition information to his father via the speaker option on my phone, since he just returned from Germany last night and hadn’t spoken to him for a while. Oh, and I did relate some audition information about Julian to my sister…and my friends, who were all together sans me :~( , called and asked me questions about Julian…but other than that I’m not doing anything related to being a parent. Oh, well, I’m not doing anything at all or thinking about them after I finish this post. (I swear.)

So, I chose the artwork above (from www.zazzle.com) because dancin’ boy’s moms reach for the starts constantly not for themselves but for their sons. They see their sons as rising stars, and, indeed they are. And we function as their managers, trying to make sure they become stars–professional dancers in their own right.

My son, Julian, is, oh, so close. He and I can almost feel the lights, smell the warm bodies in the seats, hear the applause…

But he isn’t quite there yet. We thought he might be by now, that he’d have a contract in hand. (And maybe you’ve been waiting for the big announcement.) But no. Not yet. (Lot’s of expletives here…) We have been through several weeks of living hell as he tries to complete his audition process. It should have been over last week, but due to some “miscommunications” that really sent us into the fire, we are still stuck waiting–a bit more peacefully, though–until early or mid-week until he can make a decision. He fit one more audition into last week, and that was awesome. (I’ll have so much to share when I can.) But we are exhausted. We’ve had angry words spoken, tearful phone calls as we expressed our fears of losing one contract while waiting for another offer to come in, lots of advice passed along, nasty words texted to me as I was told to…(can’t share that here), many conversations about different options, excited discussions, frustrated emails, and much encouragement shared.

In the midst of all of this, there was the computer that crashed right before Julian had to turn in a paper required for graduation, and the text that said, “I fail. I won’t be graduating.” And then came the long emails I wrote to the teacher…and to SAB asking for validation that he had, indeed, written the paper and had a computer crash (no dog-ate-my-homework story). And the stress of waiting for answers–the fear that he’d be repeating his last year. (But he isn’t, as long as he passed the paper and the rest of his work.)

And there was the last-minute trip home for a company class that yielded no answers. That provided an answer in and of itself.

Stress, stress, stress, stress. Emotions always on the brink of exploding…in a positive or negative way.

And my daughter, the lovely, independent and usually not-needy-at-all costume design student just now becoming a Junior at NYU, has a knack for calling or texting in the midst of the turmoil so I can’t quite totally focus on her accomplishments or  issues despite my best efforts. “Mom, what do you think of this apartment?” “Mom, the check to secure my apartment bounced; I don’t think my checks are linked to my account anymore.” “Mom, my end-of the year project went really well!” (She texted a photo of that project to me that I’d missed and not replied to for several hours because I was writing emails to try and get information on a possible European offer for Julian…Bad Mom.)

One day I stood in the shower and simply surrendered. Things just working out. I couldn’t “fix” any of it. Something “Higher” had to do the work. My son wanted me to bud out. My daughter actually seemed to be handling most things on her own. Time to let go. Time to give it up. Even my dancin’ boy is about at the point (especially now that he’s got his wonder ADD drugs) where he wants (and seems to have more ability) to take control of his own life. And this decision about his career is more his to make than mine (or his Dad’s). Plus, I’m a firm believer that everything works out as it is supposed to. He’ll land where he should professionally. So…time to stop doing so much damn (active) parenting.

Well, we never really stop parenting, do we? But it’s a nice thought. And we do need to let go and let them spread their wings and fly…or…well…dance. And my dancin’ boy is just about ready to do that. Amazing.

So, today, dear dancin’ boy moms, take a break. If you can, don’t:

  • drive your sons
  • encourage your sons
  • hound your sons
  • help your sons
  • advise your sons
  • clean up after your sons
  • cook for your sons
  • watch your sons dance
  • watch videos of your sons dancing
  • help your sons with their homework
  • remind your sons to do anything
  • washing your son’s clothes
  • washing your son’s dance clothes
  • take your son’s to dance class
  • pick up those yucky sweaty dance clothes off the floor
  • clean out your son’s smelly dance bag
  • do anything related to parenting your dancin’ boy if you can help it

Instead, do this: Dance.

Right? Why don’t we dance? Put on some music and shake your booty. Enjoy. Happy Mother’s Day.

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Posted in auditions, Choosing a dance company, Mother's | 6 Comments »

How Young Ballet Dancers Land Company Jobs

Sunday, May 6th, 2012

If you’ve been wondering why I’ve been quiet lately, here’s why: Mum’s the word. I can’t really talk about what’s been going on with Julian–not yet. Why? He’s been auditioning for ballet companies and getting…well…recruited.

Yes, it seems a bit like having a young baseball, basketball, football, or soccer player who is being recruited by a variety of professional teams before he can even consider college. Of course, in Julian’s case, college dropped off the table a while ago. But he’s had days when he couldn’t even study for a test because he kept getting calls form artistic directors.

Now, let me just say that the audition season at the School of American Ballet is a bit longer than it is for the average ballet boy who goes out to auditions. In fact, all the auditions were over and artistic directors simply kept on showing up to watch the Advanced Men’s Division at SAB take class–and then to make offers.

The last have come and gone now, though. And just about all the boys in the Advanced Mens’ Division 17 or older are spoken for. Unless, that is, they have been told they might have an apprenticeship at New York City Ballet. These few boys (and girls) are anxiously waiting to hear if this dream will come true; it seems contracts are not handed out–or not firm offer made–until just before or after Workshop. Those performances are June 3 and 5–long after everyone else has accepted a position.

A few companies are waiting on these kids, hoping against hope that they won’t get a NYCB apprenticeship. A few of these boys might be left with no job if they’ve turned everything else down or artistic directors got tired of waiting and the NYCB apprenticeship doesn’t come through. Peter Martins is the only one who waits until June to decide, keeping many young boys and other artistic directors waiting on his final decision.

Lest you think Julian is one of the boys waiting on Martin’s decision, I will tell you this: He is not. When he first received an offer and he also had his summer intensive scholarship at San Francisco Ballet, where he is supposed to be on the “watch list” for a trainee position, word was sent to Martins. This is normal procedure, so he can say whether or not he wants this boy to hold off for a likely NYCB apprentice position. The message came back that the apprentice spots were spoken for already, and that Julian was “a beautiful dancer who should be dancing. If he has an offer, he should accept it and go dance.”

Julian was very disappointed, as was I. NYCB was his dream job.

(Knowing what you now know, you might surmise that he is, therefore, still making some sort of…um…decision.) Again, mum’s the word.

I can tell you that having a son at SAB is an advantage when it comes to auditioning for companies. There are simply more opportunities–or ones you don’t have to seek out.

As for how many jobs there are, I can tell you that everyone, including the teachers and school director at SAB, agree there are less jobs this year than ever. I guess the economy has taken it’s toll on the ballet industry as well. So, the older boys were all told to audition and to take jobs if they could get them. In fact, even those boys who originally were told they could return next year–like Julian and at least two other boys turning 18 over the summer–have all been told not that they cannot come back. They have all received at least one job offer.

That pretty much cleaned out the older group of boys from the program. (Lots of spots open for next year…)

If you are wondering how young boys land a ballet job, you go to an open audition. Some are held in places like at San Francisco Ballet School, Alvin Ailey or SAB, or at some other large ballet school or dance facility. These are “cattle calls” in some cases; there are lots of boys and girls and it can be harder to get noticed.

If there are no large open auditions, you arrange to take company class as an audition. This means you show up at the ballet company at an arranged date and take class with the company; the artistic director watches and decides.

Contracts are given out each year. Dancers in each company have the option to renew or not to renew. Companies are restricted to some extent as to how many dancers they have, so without attrition, there may not be any spots for new corps dancers. At NYCB, some apprentices were let go this year, for example, and not promoted into the corps. New apprentices will come on. But if there are no corps spots open, no one gets promoted.

That’s it for now. We have lots of stress and drama going on, but it’s all good, and we are all trying to trust that it will all work out for the best. I always do. Julian has always landed in the right place at the right time. I’m sure this first job will be no different.

I should have news within a week…

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Posted in auditions, Ballet, Choosing a dance company, company class | 1 Comment »

High School Graduation and SAB Workshop Approaching

Saturday, March 31st, 2012

The end of the year is fast approaching. When it comes to dance, everything seems to be moving along well for Julian. His foot seems to have healed up, although I’m not there to speak to anyone. The physical therapist says after spring break he need only come back once a week, and he has been cleared to dance full out for Workshop rehearsals, which have started. It does not appear he will need surgery, although we’ll see how his ankle holds up during the stress of Workshop, the final performance.

Julian managed to land a spot in the first cast of one of the two pieces that will be performed at Workshop, Les Petits Riens, which has just eight dancers in it. (There are two casts; cast one performs two times.) He felt this was quite an accomplishment. And he’s in the corps of the other piece, Cortege Hongrois, but has a small solo. Peter Martins is coming to some of the rehearsals to watch, so that’s a big deal.

Workshop, in general, is a big deal. There are representatives from most of the ballet companies from around the nation and Europe there to watch, and I believe The New York Times reports on it as well. Last year two of the new NYCB apprentices were mentioned in the paper by name.

As for all those ballet company auditions, it seems most of the boys have heard from the companies; Julian has not. So, maybe they thought he was too young…or not good enough yet. I don’t know. There are one or two that have not made decisions yet, such as Kansas City and Boston; Boston came and viewed the kids in class so they wouldn’t have to come back from spring break early–or so I”m assuming, since the actual audition is the weekend before they return. Pennsylvania was this weekend. So, I suppose he might still land something.

I’m not too eager at this point for him to take a job with a company, although going back to SAB means spending a whole lot of money and no academic education. I think at 17 going on 18 he could use one more year to mature, to put it nicely.

We are still struggling to get him through high school. Yes, same ol’ same ol’. Grades. Turning in school work on time. And he only has two classes.

I don’t know what to say. I’d like to blame it on the ballet world and say that there is no focus on college or grades or school. That’s what we were warned about at TDC when we said we were going to take Julian out of the contemporary ballet program and put him into a classical ballet program. They said no one would focus on anything but having him go straight to work in a company. And they were right. No one expects him to go to college.

But I don’t think I can put all the blame on classical ballet. And I definitely can’t blame SAB. They have bent over backwards to help us help him get his work done and succeed in school. They have spoken to the teacher. Checked on assignments. Pursued options like enforced study halls and grounding. But no one can make a kid do his work or do it well.

I do think that when a boy like Julian who has not had a good school experience in the past and isn’t motivated by school or to do school in general gets into an environment like SAB or even a strict ballet program, the lure of just going into a company makes school seem unimportant. That’s pretty sad.

The other kids, however, don’t seem to have the same problem as Julian, so I wouldn’t say that every child will respond as he has. You’d have to know your child to know how much structure they need, how motivated they are, etc. The lack of structure did not work for Julian. Many kids who are overachievers at their sport or activity are overachievers in school. I know that many of the SAB students are also straight A students. Just not mine. He’ll just eek out a high school degree, I’m sad to say. I’m not sure he even really want to take college courses at this point. He says he does.

All very sad for me. I’ve been a bit heartbroken over the whole situation–especially after speaking to the head of student life and hearing how she has been struggling with him and the situation.I would love for him to at least take a few classes next year and have a college experience of some type…

I considered not writing about this, but I know you all like the fact that I share the good and the bad with you. And some of you may have sons who are on the cusp of being able to go out into the work world, like Julian (he’s a summer baby), or do not enjoy school. If so, you may be interested in my struggles on the academic front with Julian, especially now that he is at SAB–or finishing up his last half a year of high school at SAB.

I will just add that not going to college is not the only option for classical ballet dancers. A friend of my brother-in-law wrote to me the other day and told me that her son is at Indiana and loves it. He dances a ton of hours per day and is taking academic classes. Plus, a lot of kids from Indiana seem to end up at Boston Ballet, according to her. So, it seems at least one large ballet company likes the fact that the kids go off to college and get education and training. I heard the same thing from a representative from Oklahoma University, who said their students–in particular their boys, were getting placed into companies, and the ballet program had a relationship with Houston Ballet.

I don’t believe in forcing my child to go to college. I already did that once actually; we forced my stepson to go to college when he didn’t really want to. He almost flunked out for two years. (He went back to school in his late 20s and got straight As, then got a scholarship to graduate school.) I won’t repeat that mistake. Julian will have used all his college money to go to SAB for two years, if he is allowed to stay in the dorm a second year–and if he goes back again. So, college will be all loans if he chooses to go later. I would have loved for him to go into a program like Indian.

Whatever, as the kids like to say. At this point, my expectations are quite low. I’m just hoping for that high school diploma. And I’m hoping for good news after Workshop. Maybe…just maybe…NYCB will want him. That would be his dream come true.

He’ll be home this coming week. It will be great to see him, if he isn’t too angry about all the school related issues. We’ll take him up to City Ballet School to dance.

That’s it for now. Happy Passover and Easter to all of you–a bit early. Enjoy your spring breaks.

 

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Posted in Attitude, auditions, Ballet, College, college dance programs, dance injuries, foot problems, grades, Raising a Male Dancer | 7 Comments »

Summer Intensive Auditions End, REAL Auditions Start

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

A lot has happened since my last post…I’ve just been too busy to write. I apologize. I’ve got a non-dance related book coming out in a few months, and getting ready for that launch has been taking up all my time.

Anyhoo. Since I wrote last Julian has been struggling with his tendon tear. He has gone to PT twice a week, and that has been helping. Initially, it didn’t seem to do much, but then something kicked in and the tendon appeared to start healing. Tendons don’t get a lot of blood flow, so their healing process is a bit iffy in general.

Julian went from not doing much on that right foot to doing more–releves, some turns, but still nothing that wasn’t two footed. He had been taking class all along, but he was sitting out during the latter part of class. He began to do more.

Additionally, he was “saving” himself for summer intensive auditions. So, he would only do what was necessary in class. Then he’d go full out in auditions. He skipped a few summer intensive auditions, like Houston, after he got the great deal from San Francisco Ballet. Basically, he decided that was where he’d go this summer–unless he ends up needing surgery.

At this point in time, summer intensive auditions are over. However, auditions for companies have begun. Although Julian is a bit young–he turns 18 this summer, he’s been told to audition. He’d like to return to SAB next year and try for a spot as an apprentice at NYCB. However, it seems there are less and less spots in companies, especially given the economy. The boys have been told to take a job–even a trainee position–if they are offered one–including Julian.

He might have some tough decisions to make by June or so.

In the meantime, he dances full out in company auditions, and does what is necessary in class. He pushed himself recently while being auditioned for choreographic institute numbers. And then he regretted it. Not only that…the faculty at SAB decided not to allow him to participate in the choreographic institute numbers because of his ankle, preferring to “save” him for Workshop, the end of the year performance. This one is attended by representatives from ballet companies from around the nation and from Europe, from what I understand (a bit like when recruiters come to watch athletes at sporting events). This hit Julian really hard, since it came on the heels of being cut out of the Winter Ball choreography because of his ankle as well.

We called SAB to ask about the latter decision (choreographic institute) and were told the school is not focused on performance opportunities. The only thing that really matters is that Julian perform 100% in class and in Workshop. Okay then.

He was very upset but got over it. I guess it’s all a lesson in learning to take care of his body better. Don’t push past your limits. Listen to what your body is telling you. Go to the chiropractor, for massage, to the PT, etc. Warm up!

We’ll see what happens with Workshop. They get their roles next week, I think.

As for college auditions (I throw my hands in the air), forget about a Plan B–at least a Plan B for failure or for not dancing right away. We had to call Juilliard and discuss his injury; Julian couldn’t rehearse his solo even once after choreographing it. In the end, two days before the audition he went to speak to the rep at Juilliard who invited him to audition and discussed it personally with her. They both agreed he shouldn’t risk hurting himself and that he had no chance really of getting admitted without a solo. So…no Juilliard audition. (I wipe away a tear…)

We haven’t heard from Indiana, but he won’t be able to audition anyway. We haven’t heard from Oklahoma; he’s into that dance program already. He’s on the waiting list at Butler–guess why? His grades last quarter were less than stellar, so we’ll see what the other schools say.

Well, he doesn’t want to go to college anyway, at least not full time. He just wants to take classes while he dances professionally. So, I have a new Plan B–Plan B for success. He simply must get a job in a company, succeed at dance and become a choreographer along the way. If he also gets a college degree along the way and learns to be a body worker (Plan C), super.

As for the surgery…we won’t know about that until June. He was even told by one of the SAB school representatives that he should simply dance full out for Workshop and then have the surgery afterward if need be–if the tendon gets worse. In other words, take a risk to show all those reps from companies (and Peter Martins of NYCB) what he has. Then go have the second MRI and handle the consequences.

My response? Go check in with the doctor. Then go dance your heart out. Focus on Plan B for Success.

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Posted in auditions, choreography, College, dance injuries, foot problems, grades, performance, professional dance, recovery from dance injury, summer dance programs | 2 Comments »

Summer Intensive Auditions and Recurring Ankle Issues

Sunday, January 29th, 2012

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…

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Posted in auditions, foot problems | 12 Comments »

Is The Joffrey Right for Your Son? How to Choose a Style and Company

Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

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:

  1. Keep you body strong.  Swimming is the best thing for your over all body strength and flexibility.
  2. Make sure that your adagio is as good as the women or better.  It only makes you a better rounded dancer.
  3. 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.
  4. 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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Posted in auditions, Choosing a dance company, professional dance, The Joffrey Ballet | No Comments »

How to Enroll Your Son in School in New York

Tuesday, December 20th, 2011

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!

 

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Posted in auditions, residential dance programs in NYC, SAB year-round ballet program | 2 Comments »

Looking for a Summer Dance Intensive for Your Son?

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

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.

Price: $7.99 US

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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.

[Please don't forget to vote for this blog as one of the Best Dance Blogs of 2011. Do so by leaving a comment saying why you like the blog on my last post. CLICK HERE to do so.]

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Posted in auditions, boys dance classes, summer dance intensives, summer dance programs | No Comments »

Time to Start Auditioning for Companies & Summer Intensives

Monday, November 28th, 2011

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.

 

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Posted in Attitude, auditions, Ballet, College, college dance programs, dance scholarships, Partnering, SAB year-round ballet program, summer dance intensives, summer dance programs | 1 Comment »

Our First Regional Dance America Experience

Thursday, May 26th, 2011

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.

Posted in auditions, Ballet, choreography, College, college dance programs, conventions, dance scholarships, Regional Dance America, summer dance programs | 2 Comments »

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