As I await Julian’s arrival home after another year dancing professionally at SemperOper Ballett in Dresden, Germany, I occassionally read the accounts posted in the My Son Can Dance private Facebook group about all the dancing’ boys leaving home to go to summer intensives. My son is taking the summer off, while these younger boys […]
How to Prepare Your Dancer for a Summer Intensive Program
Guest post by Kristine Stivali You’ve decided to allow your son to attend a summer intensive (SI) program. Now what? This is a very exciting time for your son, but with a little bit, or maybe I should say a good bit, of preparation you can make this experience less nerve racking for yourself and […]
How to Afford a Summer Intensive or Year-Round Ballet Program
At this time of year, dancin’ boys and their parents wait to hear about summer intensives…and if they received scholarships. By the end of the summer, those same families will wait to hear about acceptance into year-round ballet programs. And that almost always means one thing: discussions about money. Can you afford to let your […]
Is the School of American Ballet Summer Intensive Right for Your Son?
I’ve gotten several questions in the past two years about the School of American Ballet’s summer program as well as about the year-round residential program. Parents and boys are wondering if the program is rigorous enough compared to others, like American Ballet Theater (ABT). They also want to know if the residential program is a […]
How to Take Audition Photos of Your Dancin’ Boy
Your dancin’ boy will need a head shot, an arabesque photo or some other type of dance picture when he auditions for actual parts in shows, summer intensives or company jobs. Professional photos can be expensive, although they are by far the best option. If you cannot afford to hire a professional dance photographer, you […]
When to Send Your Son to a Summer Dance Intensive
With summer ballet intensives the topic of conversation at this time of the year, I’d like to take the time to address a question I often get from dance moms and dads: When is the right time to send my dancin’ boy off to an expensive summer intensive? Let me preface my answer by saying […]
Top Dance Blog Contest and Summer Dance Intensive Handbook Update
Thanks to those of you who commented on my post asking for feedback on the blog to help me get to the next level of the Top Dance Blog contest–and improve this blog over the next year. I really appreciate it. I didn’t respond because I didn’t want to confuse the judges about what comments […]
A Run Down on the San Francisco Ballet Summer Intensive
I haven’t had much news to report about the San Francisco Ballet Summer Intensive because, like last year when Julian attended the School of American Ballet summer intensive, he has been there on his own. But I did ask him some questions about it two weeks ago for the purpose of writing this post, and […]
Looking for a Summer Dance Intensive for Your Son?
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 […]
Time to Start Auditioning for Companies & Summer Intensives
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 […]