We examined Julian’s feet when he got home. His arches were all swollen as were his ankles. He had big knots on the tendons in places and when he moved his feet the crunched. Yuck!

I, of course, was all over him about not taking care of himself. He’d hurt his ankle back in October just before we came to see him in the the SAB Student Choreographic Institute. He had never gone to see the chiropractor for an adjustment. He insists the PT person at SAB adjusts his heels and ankles for him. According to Julian, he hurt both his ankles doing something or other a while ago, and that’s when the problem really started. Of course, he didn’t stop dancing. What serious dancer would, right? Not when you want to get noticed by Peter Martins, who has been teaching Saturday classes quite often.

Anyway, the first night we had him soak his feet in warm water and Epson Salts. Then it began…the many trips to all the specialists we know in my attempt to give him the care I couldn’t provide for him in NYC–my attempt to cure his tendonitis. First, he went off to see Royal Jacobs, a local massage therapist who created a therapy called Releasology, which is based on acupressure. (Julian hopes to also learn this and may be get certified by Royal…) He has had two appointments and will have a third before he leaves. Two days later, the swelling was down and the pain was almost gone.

Second, he went off to see the PT in San Francisco…yes, we began our long drive to San Francisco and back again–can’t say I missed that much…for a total of four visits. However, the doctor in NY, a Dr. Hamilton, recommended this particular PT facility, Active Care, because they treat the dancers from San Francisco Ballet. And actually, they were super. They told Julian he could begin dancing again–small jumps only at first and then whatever didn’t hurt–and put his feet to work. They said his arches were not strong enough (What about those doming exercises I’ve written about? Mom’s don’t know squat…or at least don’t get listened to.), nor were some other parts of his feet; strengthening exercises were prescribed to help him stop from falling in on his arches as he dances–something he says is quite common among dancers. On the last day, an ex-ballerina-now-physical-therapist actually worked with him at the barre and showed him what to focus on to use his feet correctly.

Here’s what he learned from her: The correction really comes down to concentrating while dancing upon not falling in on his arches. “In releve,” he said, “when rolling down, dancers have to  maintain turn out, but in an attempt to do so a lot of times they push forward toward the inside of the ankle and over stretch the tendons and ligaments on the inside of the ankle. Instead they need to think about lifting the arch while rotating from the top of the hip and inner thigh, and focus on maintaining the correct tracking of the ankle so the weigh is mostly over the second and third toe.”

After that first PT appointment, the next day Julian had one of two appointments with one of our two acupuncturists. Dr. He, who specializes in sports medicine and treats some dancers as well. He treated him, and said he didn’t feel the injury was too severe. (As I write this, Julian is in his office and shared this collage of photos to show the treatment he received. Dr. He tends to use electrical stimulation on the needles and to leave the needles in using tape so the treatment lasts longer. That means you get a more healing effect. The first time the needles only remained in for a few hours because Julian had to go to his MRI appointment. We didn’t think it would be a good idea to have the needles flying around in the MRI machine. LOL.

The second acupuncturist, our magician, is Dr. Wu.  I’ve written about how he cured Julian of all sorts of things, such as tendonitis in the hip, with just two sessions. He had only one session available. He put needles in Julian’s head and hands and made him do releves and other movements with his legs and feet (which he hadn’t been doing for two weeks on doctor’s orders but had just been given the go ahead to do by PT two days earlier) for something like 35 minutes. He got an additional needle in the arm, and “danced” for another 10-15 minutes. Amazingly, this helped. At first the needles hurt each time he moved his feet. The more he moved the more they hurt, but as he kept it up, the needles and his feet stopped hurting.

Oh, he also went to the chiropractor twice. Our regular chiropractor, Dr. David Renbarger, is the best!

By the end of the first week home, Julian had taken one open class at his old studio, City Ballet School, and his feet felt better and looked better—less crunching, smaller bumps on the tendons, and much less swelling.

As I said, he had a total of four PT sessions, three acupuncture visits, and two Releasology sessions (one more this coming weekend), and he was feeling little to no pain–plus his feet were looking better. The MRI results said there was a slight tear, but we’ll see what Dr. Hamilton says about that. Our doc here didn’t say a word. That probably isn’t much different than a sprain–or so I hope.

Now, Julian did go to three dance classes…hopefully without negative consequences. PT said he could. He said nothing hurt. He wanted to take several classes with his old teacher, Yuri Zhukov, and did one day, but ended up taking two this last week with Yuri Possokhov, San Francisco Ballet’s choreographer in residence (although they didn’t have a bio and The Joffrey did; go figure). We were told by someone once that being at City Ballet would be worth it if Julian go to take class with Possokhov for even 15 minutes. In the last year and half he’s taken class with him several times. This week it was super; Possokhov actually corrected him on the way he was using his feet and told him to pull up on his arches. He noticed what Julian was doing, basically, that causes the tendonitis. Kudos to you, Mr. Possokhov! Why has no one at SAB noticed this? Indeed, I’m told Julian has not been corrected on this particular technique issue–one with physical consequences, no less.

So, my conclusion, based on the fact that he has pretty much no pain and the swelling, bumps, and crunchiness have all been reduced considerably, is that we have almost cured his tendonitis in two weeks–well, make it four with the two weeks off. Now he’ll have five days off before he starts back up at SAB, so that’s a plus for the continuing healing process. I’m going to give him a tennis ball and tell him top dome, dome, dome in the meantime.

My other conclusion: SAB is darn tough on a boy’s body. Julian’s best friend danced hardly at all for two months (or more) because of a back injury. I’ve heard tell of boys who broke their backs…(and did dance again). I’ve seen several boys sitting out when I was there due to injury. And the new boys to the Advanced Men’s division take not only the Advanced Men’s classes but also the Intermediate Men’s classes that first year. That’s a heck of  a lot of jumping and turning and general wear and tear on the bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments. No wonder they end up with over use injuries, let alone fractures in the bones and tears in the muscles and ligaments of their backs and feet. I can’t wait until next year when Julian only has to take the Advanced Men’s classes.

Happy New Year everyone!

Oh… and please, please do go vote for this blog here: http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/ I sorely need the votes. At this rate, I will not even come in second this year in the Best Dance Blog Contest. So, if you love this blog and find it helpful, please show your support. Go vote, and tell all your dancing friends to vote. Share the link on Facebook and Twitter and Google+ and tell them to click on My Son Can Dance and then hit “vote.” Thanks so much.

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I now need to ask you once again to vote–but this time doing so is super easy. Just follow these simple instructions:

1. Click on this link: http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/

2. Scroll down the page, and choose my by blog by clicking  on “My Son Can Dance.”

3. Click on “vote.”

That’s it! That’s all it takes to vote. And by so doing, you will have helped me move up in the ranks and gain more exposure for this blog. The more exposure I gain, the more parents of young male dancers and the more young male dancers I can reach (ie. help and support).

Please share the link (http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/) with your friends. Ask them to vote, too.

Thank you so much for being a loyal reader. I really do appreciate it.

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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.

Like this post? Vote for this blog as the Best Dance Blog of 2012 here: http://danceadvantage.net/2011/12/27/vote-top-blogs-2011/

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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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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

For a limited time,  save $$$ with the coupon code below at Smashwords.com:

Promotional price: $6.79
Coupon Code: GD72F
Expires: December 28, 2011

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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Some of us also find it difficult to ask for help–or for partners. But there are times when we just can’t do the dance without someone there to do it with us.

That’s the case when it comes to winning the 2nd Annual DanceAdvantage.net Top Dance Blogs contest. (Yes, here we go again…just like last year.) For me to get on the list of the top 20 dance blogs (and to later make it to the list of top 20), I need some dance partners. Actually, I need a lot of dance partners.

How do you take my hand and lead me out onto the dance floor–to the top of the list (or at least into the first cut of 20 blogs)? If you enjoy this blog and find it offers value, please take the time to vote for it simply by leaving a comment on this post explaining why you read it, why you find it beneficial or enjoyable, what makes it special, which are your favorite posts, or even just nominating it. Yes, that’s all it takes. Please leave just ONE comment (or I’ll have to delete your second one).

Let me explain why I care about winning what some might think of as a stupid contest, why I care about making this list of dance blogs.  I care because winning extends the reach of my blog. Getting on the list gives My Son Can Dance more exposure, which means I can touch more readers–more parents of young boys wanting to become professional dancers or even just starting out on their dance journey and more young boys struggling on their path to become professional dancers. That’s really important to me.

My mission here at My Son Can Dance is simple: By sharing my experience of raising a son with aspirations of becoming a professional male dancer, and by drawing on the experiences of professional male dancers and experts in the field of dance, I hope to help many parents help their boys reach that goal. I also help to help young male dancers as well. Here at My Son Can Dance I have a motto: From purpose, passion and perseverance, inspired professional dancers flow forth in abundance. Or so I hope…

So, do you want to dance with me? Do you want to show your support for this blog and for me and what I’m trying to do by writing it? If so, please help me win this contest by joining the dance. You need only know one “step”: how to leave a comment on this post. By leaving a comment (remember…just one) you help me twirl my way to the top of the list.

Thank you so much (in advance) for your support.

I’ll let you know if I make the first cut and, if so, what you need to do to help me make the second one! Last year you helped me land in 2nd place–and I’m still grateful for that!

LET THE VOTING–COMMENTING–BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!

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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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Kirven began his formal dance training at the Boston Arts Academy and joined Boston Youth Moves in 1999 under the direction of Jim Viera and Jeannette Neill.  He also trained on scholarship at the Boston Conservatory and as a fellowship student at The Ailey School.  Kirven has danced with Battleworks Dance Company, The Parsons Dance Company and Ailey II.  He performed at the White House tribute to Judith Jamison in 2010.  Mr. Boyd joined Ailey in 2004.

Kirven literally jumped into the spotlight this year as the featured dancer on Ailey’s 2011-12 season poster in a pose from the “Sinner Man” section of Mr. Ailey’s Revelations. I find it interesting to know that he still gets nervous every time he dances “Sinner Man.” He related in the piece on Ailey’s websiste, “I remember being a young dancer in Boston and going to the Wang Theater to watch the Ailey company perform. I loved everything that they did, but I was always the most excited to see Revelations. I remember the energy of the audience at the beginning of “Sinner Man” and how they were on the edge of their seats, waiting for that feeling that comes at the end of it. As Company members, we’re continuing a legacy of great dancers and performing “Sinner Man” will always be important to me. I’m honored and overwhelmed to be featured on this season’s poster and by what it means to be a part of Ailey history.”

Every young man wants to be able to say those words…to follow in the footsteps of great dancers and to play the roles they remember and love.

Kirven talked about rehearsing for Arden Court by Paul Taylor and Home by Rennie Harris, both of which are premieres for the Company here, and said, “This experience is one of many reasons why I wanted to be a part of Ailey. We get to work with so many choreographers; it challenges us to forget what we know and become something different. If we fully commit to that, then we learn a great deal about ourselves as artists and people.” That comment got me thinking, so I began my interview with him on that note.

Young dancers struggle to find out who they are. They are often teased, and try to conform in dress and action so they will fit in even though essentially their dancing in some way makes them different from other kids their age. What was your experience of growing up? Did you know who you were or have a strong sense of identity?

I grew up in a very supportive family and because of this I never felt obligated to change anything about myself to fit what was considered “cool.” I can’t say that I was never teased, but when faced with that kind of situation I didn’t let it deter me from achieving my goals. I feel like I’ve always known that I was going to be a dancer and I never struggled with finding who I was or what I would do with my life. I owe a great deal of that to my family and teachers, who always had very high expectations of me.

Has being in a company like Ailey helped you discover who you are?

You have to have a strong sense of who you are before joining a professional dance company. There are so many things that go into running a large company like Ailey, and you have to be strong or else it can be really overwhelming.

I learned upon coming into the company that I had to be patient with myself. This is some of the most difficult work that I’ve ever done, and in order to do it well I knew that I had to stay calm and work as hard as I could. I wouldn’t say that being in this company helped me discover who I am, but as my career has progressed I’ve found that different roles bring out different parts of me. So I’m always learning something new about myself.

Often kids are told they are natural “movers.” Ballet dancers can become stiff, while modern and contemporary, as well as jazz and hip hop dancers, can be much more fluid. To what do you attribute your ability to move, and what tips or suggestions would you give other young male dancers so they might find it easier to adapt to the movement in a company like Ailey?

I think that all dance starts with movement, so before you even learn the basics of the different techniques, there must be some sense of one’s own movement quality. As dancers we have to be open to exploring our range of movement. I was fortunate enough to have trained under teachers that believed the quality of your movement is just as important as being technically proficient. Sometimes “technicians,” or dancers that only care about showing how good they are technically, can be considered boring. I think that the best dancers are the ones that trust in their technique enough to let the quality of their movement take the audience on a journey. Dance has to make both the dancers and the audience feel like they’ve been moved in some way, and it can’t be done standing straight up.

I would say to young men that if Ailey is your goal, you have to be fearless. You’re going to be asked to do so many different things, and you have to be able to dive into whatever it is wholeheartedly and without any doubt of what you’re capable of.

What were the three most important things you did that helped you become a professional dancer?

Discipline is one of the most important things that I learned as a young dancer. Without it there can be no change, and without change there’s no growth. As artists we’re always trying to grow and become better at what we do.

Another important thing that I learned was I had to be open to the work I was given and be a person that was considered to be “easy to work with.” I was taught that I had to give my all to whatever I was doing and be open minded enough to know that there’s always room for improvement.

I also learned that I must pay attention to what’s going on in front of the room even if I’m not on the floor. You learn so much from just being observant, and it’s also important to know what’s going on around you.

Did you attend college (and, if so, where), and do you think college is necessary or helpful for male dancers?

I was supposed to attend the BFA program at the Boston Conservatory in the fall of 2002. I attended the Ailey school the summer before and was asked to join Ailey II. I deferred from the program and took the opportunity to join the junior company. I thought that I would learn a great deal about the life of a professional, but the plan was to go to school when it was over. My plan was sidetracked by my getting into the Ailey company.

Everyone’s path is different. I really wanted to go to school so that I would be prepared for this kind of job. I encourage young dancers to go to college, but if a good opportunity comes up, really weigh all of the pros and cons and try to make the best decision.

What is your weakest dance area, and what do you do to strengthen it?

I’m constantly working on all parts of my dancing from my facility to actual dance steps. I’m always trying to strengthen all areas of my dancing.

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Now Berlinerblau made a video about men in ballet based on a very interesting  interview with Webre, which he was kind enough to share with me for this blog. Webre was appointed artistic director of The Washington Ballet in June 1999 after six years as artistic director of American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey. Much in demand as a choreographer, he has created works that appear in the repertoires of many companies in North America, including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Ballet Austin, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet and Colorado Ballet, among many others. As a dancer, Weber was featured in works by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, Antony Tudor, Alvin Ailey, and Merce Cunningham, as well as in principal and solo roles from the classical repertoire. A former member of the board of directors of Dance/USA, Mr. Webre sits on the board of the Cultural Alliance of Greater Washington, and has been honored by Young Audiences of the District of Columbia and has received a number of fellowships for his choreography. Webre is the seventh son in a large Cuban-American family, and he graduated from the University of Texas with a B.A. in History/Pre-Law.

If you’d like to read what Berlinerblau wrote in conjunction with the video, click here. If you just want to watch the video, here it is. Enjoy. I did.

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Call me (us) crazy. All I can say is that I feel much better now that I have seen him and know that he is happy, healthy, successful, and starting to get things accomplished in the Big Apple. I just had to see it for myself. Go figure.

Now, I did get to seem him for more than 3 minutes. I actually got to Julian every day I was in New York, and I also saw my daughter every day as well. So, that was fabulous and made me very happy. And both the kids seem to be doing really well.

As for Julian, he seems to have settled in nicely. He has friends — girls (no girlfriend per se) and boys. One of the reasons we thought going to SAB was a good idea was because he has had so few guys as friends, and we thought this would be an opportunity to develop more lasting friendships with other boys than he does over the summer. Indeed, that seems to be the case. He is good friends with his roommates and suite mates, and has at least 2 or 3 good male buddies.

Dance is going well. He was pretty exhausted when we saw him; he’d had two weeks of extra rehearsals on top of class. The day we watched class he had 6 hours of class including weight lifting. Pretty grueling, if you ask me. But he looked good…like he’d improved.

One of the nights we were there Peter Martins, artistic director for the school and NY City Ballet, watched the performance, and complimented Julian. He talked to him the next day. This is, I believe, the first time he has noticed Julian and actually talked to him and found out his name. So, that’s good news for Julian who says it’s rare for a guy who has only been at SAB for one year to be chosen as a NY City Ballet apprentice but who is still hoping for that to happen and working toward that goal. The man who makes that ultimate decison: Peter Martins.

The partnering classes were interesting to watch. At the most advanced levels there are way too many boys for the girls….something like 14 girls and 33 boys. The girls all have their preferred partners, and they stick with them even after they’ve had their turn. The new guys and lesser partners just stand around. No one makes the girls switch and take a new partner. Really crazy. When we were there Julian was selected to dance with a girl, but only because we were there observing. The second hour of partnering was with the second highest level of girls; they had a few more girls and even the new guys got a turn. You’d think, though that the teachers would want the new guys to actually dance and not stand there like wall flowers, no?

Anyway, the trip was probably a bit frivolous, expensive (even with my frequent flier ticket), and we ended up staying in a so-called B&B — a room in someone’s apartment– to save money (That was an experience.) But it was all worthwhile. I did really feel better about having Julian in New York afterward.

I came home to an empty house. Ron went on to Philadelphia for four days and then on to Germany for two weeks. I’m happy to say I did not sit here and cry this time. (I did cry when I left Julian, who said, “It’s just 5 weeks, Mom. It’s like an intensive.”) The house is empty save the cat, but I’m okay. I’ll see Julian and my daughter, Ariel, at Thanksgiving in NY, and I can live with that. They’ll be home just two and a half weeks after that for Christmas break. It will be the time until Spring Break that will be the hardest.

So, my advice to those of you who end up in the same boat….Go visit. You’ll be glad you did.

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