Dear Parents and Students,
These days there are literally hundreds of summer programs to choose from and there are many factors that go into deciding what program is right for which student. The most important things that we think you should be considering are good safe training, safe housing and a faculty with a good reputation.
Some generalizations we feel comfortable making are:
- Students under 12 years old should not attend programs away from home.
- Students who are not excited about dancing for at least 6 hours a day should not consider going away for a summer program.
- Students who are not comfortable in competitive environments should not consider going away for a summer program.
- Summer intensives are for serious students, or students who would like to decide if they are ready to start getting serious about dance.
- Summer intensives are a wonderful opportunity to improve technique in a short amount of time (hence, intensive!)
The links below are for schools that we think are good options for most students of the Academy (either because we have been there, know students who have done well there or know and can recommend the faculty members).
Washington Ballet: http://www.washingtonballet.org
Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet: http://www.cpyb.org/summer_program
Harid Conservatory: http://www.harid.edu
American Ballet Theater: http://www.abt.org/education/summerintensive.asp
North Carolina School of the Arts: http://www.uncsa.edu/summersession/dance.htm
Chautauqua School of Dance: http://www.ciweb.org/dance-school/
Miami City Ballet: http://www.miamicityballet.org/school/summer_program.php
The Rock School: http://www.therockschool.org/summer
Pittsburg Ballet Theater: http://www.pbt.org/school/intensive_summer_program/
Alvin Ailey Theater: http://www.alvinailey.org
Boston Ballet: http://www.bostonballet.org/school/summer/summer-programs.html
Again, these are general recommendations and the programs may not suit every student. We hope the information above can help guide you in choosing a program that might work well for you.
On the other hand, the Academy does offer classes throughout the summer where students can get the high quality training they know right here at home. The two week intensive programs “Miss Sori’s Extravaganza” for younger dancers and “Amsterdance ADA” for upper level students prove to be exciting programs in which students enjoy noticeable improvement.
We hope this is helpful!
With our kind regards,
Nicholas and Shayne Mishoe
Directors, The Academy of Dance Arts
