What I Learned from the ABT Summer Intensive Experience

Since I haven’t had a moment to even think about transcribing the tape of my interview with Denise Wall, I thought I’d try to at least write a post this week that would be useful to someone — that someone being parents and boys (and girls) going to a summer ballet intensive (American Ballet Theatre in particular) next year. So, here goes.

1. Housing may not be too important for the dancer, who is only there in the evening and on weekends, but for the parent who spends much of their time in there, it’s everything to the experience. Now, some parents just cut out every morning after dropping the child off and go shopping or to the theater or otherwise amuse themselves. For these people, maybe the apartment isn’t too big a deal. However, I spent everyday in the apartment working. I regretted skimping in this area. Next year, I will spend a bit more, if need be, to get a place with decent AC, a microwave, an well-outfitted kitchen, cable TV, high-speed Internet, and more space.

2. Be prepared for the weather. It was surprisingly cold in New York City the first two weeks. We needed jackets  then and umbrellas almost the whole time. Prepare for everything…

3.  Bring supplements and nutritional products to address the dancers’ needs for electrolytes and overuse injuries. Even those first few weeks, the days got hot in the afternoon, and Julian ended up with heat stroke. Yes, he got dehydrated despite the humidity in New York. (In dry climates, you are warned to watch for this, but in humid climates where you sweat a lot it’s just as easy to dehydrate.)

Be sure to have water bottles and packets of electrolytes or some type of sports drink, preferably with not much sugar added. (I had to give in and let Julian drink Gatorade, despite it’s high sugar content, because at least I knew he would drink lots of that during the day.)

There are supplement that help you avoid overuse injuries and inflammation in the body. Do your research or watch for an upcoming post (by moi) on these products and take lots and lots of them to help your body deal with the immense amount of physical stress placed upon it during the intensive. Also, ice anything that is sore or twisted; don’t use a bag of ice if the sore place fits in a bucket of ice water. Ice water is by far the better choice.

4. Use the program’s physical therapist for any and all soreness or injuries. It lessens the time the dancer is injured tremendously.

5. Be careful about how much walking and extra dancing you do outside of the intensive. Julian and I did 30 minutes of walking a day, to and from ABT. We also walked a lot on Saturdays and a little on Sundays. He took some tap classes on Saturdays and once during the week during the first four or five weeks, because tap didn’t strain his body in the same way as additional ballet, jazz, lyrical, modern, or hip hop classes, thus possibly causing overuse injuries. We added in a little jazz  and hip hop the last two weeks when he was feeling strong, but never more than one class during the week and two on Saturday. Always take one day off; give your body a chance to rest.

We know some people who didn’t do this. The son ended up with an overuse injury at one point from walking everywhere all the time and dancing 7 days a week.

6. Allow your son to spend time with new friends. Don’t be surprised if they aren’t as good about keeping in touch afterwards as he thinks they will be or they say they will be. Prepare him…

7. have your son get a lot of sleep.

8. Get to the studio early, so your son has  time to change, stretch and generally prepare for class. At ABT NY, a line forms outside the building quite early, because the kids aren’t allowed inside until 8:30 a.m. on the dot. (Classes start at 9:00 a.m.) Those who like to get upstairs (They walk up three flights; they aren’t allowed to use the elevator.) and have lots of time to prepare, get there early…very early. However, if the kids show up “late” (8:45 or 8:50 a.m.), it’s clear sailing up the stairs with no line at all. It’s their choice. Wait in line. Don’t wait in line. They’ll still be on time for class if they can be changed and in the studio in 10 or 15 minutes.

9. Don’t expect to ever see the inside of an ABT studio except on parent-observation day.

10. Be prepared to allow your child to have some freedom, even if they are in New York City. Most of the kids like to go out to eat together — even the younger ones. I told Julian he had to have a buddy at all times, and the “buddy rule” seems to be an existing unspoken rule for most of the kids (especially those staying in the dorms without chaperones) — unless they live or around the city. He went out to lunch a lot, sometimes just joining others even when I had packed a lunch. He even rode the subway with the other kids up to their rehearsal for their final performance and back. However, he ended up walking back to Union Square by himself when his buddy dropped him off at a subway stop and continued on his way (by subway). I, of course, didn’t discover this until much later.

11. Realize that this is the best experience your young male dancer may have had up to this point in their career. Being in a room with other phenomenally good young male dancers brings out the best in them — or it did in Julian. It makes them work hard. It allows them to work together. It gives them a chance to learn from each other and to teach each other. It allows their abilities to improve faster than they ever have before.  They get a chance to compare their work ethic to that of other boys their age and at their level. Plus, they get more opportunities to practice (or learn) partnering than ever before.

If you, as a parent, are wondering if you should spend the money (and the time) sending your son to a summer intensive (and chaperoning him), they answer is “yes.” Take a second mortgage on your house if need be. I think the experience was life changing for Julian. I wouldn’t change a thing about going (except the apartment we rented  and tearing my ACL when I twisted my knee on the stairs to that apartment). And we’ll go again next summer if they’ll have us…even if I have to borrow the money or charge the whole thing.

12. Take a little extra time if you are in New York to allow your son to take classes at the other amazing studios, like Alvin Ailey, Steps on Broadway (although we didn’t make it there…) and Broadway Dance Center. Going to Broadway Dance Center for a full five days was a superb experience for Julian. He had taken classes there once or twice a week the whole time he was at ABT, but being there every day for 5-7 hours with all those amazing dancers and teachers also pushed him to his physical limits and changed his perspective on his own dancing ability and goals. In fact, every class he takes now seems easy since then (one negative). He misses the challenge of those classes and instructors, and the energy of being in a room packed full of people hungry for dance.  So, stay longer, and take advantage of all that New York has to offer. Your son won’t regret it. It’s a superb investment.

13. Have fun. Splurge. Go to some shows. Stay out late. You never know if you’ll have the opportunity again to live and play in the city that never sleeps. So, don’t sleep your time away. contribute to its name.

14. Enjoy your time with your son. I think being in New York with Julian changed our relationship immensely. We are closer now, and we understand each other better. We get along better. A bonding happened in that little studio apartment, as well as at the shows and on the subways and at the dance classes, that never would have happened had we just stayed at home or had he gone off to Jewish camp. So, make the most of being your son’s chaperone. In fact, don’t be his chaperone. Be his mom…be his friend.

Meeting Debbie Allen and Experiences at DADA

We took off for LA on Tuesday morning, skipping dance on Tuesday (and a Passover seder on both the first and second night — Wednesday and Thursday – of the holiday) so we could make it to UCLA for a tour by afternoon. That was the start of three days of intensive college tours primarily for my daughter, although Julian did get a brief tour of UCLA’s dance program and of California Institute for the Arts dance program on Thursday as well. University of Southern California, our Wednesday tour, doesn’t offer a dance major, so he went off to Debbie Allen Dance Academy (DADA)  instead.

While UCLA offers a unique world arts and culture approach to dance, which didn’t interest Julian because it wasn’t technical enough for his tastes, Cal Arts is interesting for anyone wanting to come out as a triple threat. The school doesn’t offer a musical theater track, but in addition to dance, students have the opportunity to study drama and voice. Unfortunately, Julian didn’t feel this dance program was for him either. Of course, he’s just a freshman at the moment. He has time to decide. I just thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and let him tour these schools at the same time as his sister.

The highlight of his three days in Southern California was his time at DADA, otherwise known as The Academy. (Mine was probably meeting Debbie Allen herself, although I think this was a highlight for both Julian and my daughter, Ariel. We felt so honored.) Besides taking an advanced ballet class taught by Vitaly Artuishkin , formerly of  the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, he also took a men’s ballet class and a modern class taught by Debbie Allen’s daughter. However, I think what he enjoyed most was his time spent with other male dancers.

Not only was he never the only boy in the class, he did get to take ballet class with a group of boys. Additionally, when he was waiting for me to come pick him up or if I had dropped him off early, he was able to go into a studio with one or two other boys and work on break dancing moves and just “mess around” and practice with “the guys.” And these guys all spoke the same language.  They may have been discussing how to do a windmill — something Julian was pleased to learn — but when the instruction from a fellow dancer came with ballet terms. No where but at DADA would you find that, I thought, at a place where the boys are learning everything from hip hop to ballet to modern to tap to silk (that form of dance done hanging from long strands of fabric).

And, according to Debbie Allen, she knows male dancers are unique. She told me she does not require that they wear tights for ballet…at least not initially. She let’s them ease into tights as they feel ready.

Julian fared well next to the other boys in his classes at DADA. However, while his turns were shown off in both ballet classes, his inability to get his splits and his general lack of flexibility were more than apparent. I don’t know how much of that is due to his huge growth spurt — at least 6-8 inches in the last 8 months — or to something else. He’s never been very flexible. He’s never been able to do a split. And this doesn’t seem to be improving. I know his muscles and tendons can’t keep up with his bones at this point, but he’ll need to do something to improve his flexibility, and this will set him back with his placement at American Ballet Theatre this summer. (Maybe I’ll ask some experts for advice on how to help boys improve their flexibility and post it here.)

Speaking of which, my husband found an article published in the New York Times a few years ago about a boy who attended the ABT summer intensive. The reporter made it sound more than difficult: The boy suffered from shin splints, blisters and toe nails pushed into the nail bed… Yet, he danced on. I hope Julian finds it a little less wearing on his body.

According to this article, the ABT summer intensive dancers are placed by audition once again when they get there. They are given numbers and put through their paces. They then are placed by “colored” level. This seems appropriate. No special treatment, just placement by ability.

We are still looking for a sublet in New York. Prices are outrageous. I’m looking forward to six weeks of working and playing in the city, though. I remember my time working in Manhattan quite fondly.

Off to LA and DADA

It’s spring break here, and I’m taking both my kids down to Los Angeles. My daughter needs to tour a few colleges down there, and while she is checking out the costume design programs, Julian is going to check out their dance programs. We’ll visit the University of Southern California and then UCLA and California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts). The latter two have dance programs. Julian is a bit young to be college shopping, but the universities don’t seem to mind.

Actually, interestingly enough, while we can’t seem to get anyone specifically from the costume design programs to talk to Ariel, both schools have been happy to get someone from the dance department (in fact, the head of the department) not only to talk with Julian (despite his young age — he’ll be a sophomore next year) but to show him around and let him look in on some dance classes. I’m sure this is because dancers really need to see the level of dance to make up their minds about what school they want to attend. In other words, I doubt it has anything to do with him being a boy.)

While we are in LA, we’ll have one day when Julian has nothing to do: the day we are at USC. So, I’m going to drop him off at Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy for a morning ballet class and then take him back there again in the evening for a boys’ ballet class, a modern class and a tap class. I’m very excited to have him take class there; in particular, I was told the boys’ class is very good and, of course, very small. 

Other than that, all quiet here. If anyone else’s son is having a quiet week because of Easter and Passover, you might want to encourage him to write an essay for http://boysballet.wordpress.com. They now have a post on their home page with the following guidelines:

     1. Please do not submit an essay without your parent’s knowledge.
     2. We would like to know how old you are.
     3. Do not use your full name. Something like “Chris, Boston, Ma.” is all we need.
     4. Your email address is private and we don’t want to know what it is. Instead use an address such as “Chris@nomail.com“
     5. The subject of your essay should have something to do with dance.

     6. The essay can be a page long or just a paragraph.

     7. Pictures are welcome and a great addition to your essay. Just include the URL(s) in your post. The URL(s) will remain private (we will upload the picture to wordpress). 
     8. Please check your essay for spelling and grammar before you submit it.

    

To submit your essay just “copy” and “paste” it in the comment box below. Comments are “moderated,” so we will see them before they are published.

We will review all contributed essays and may edit them for content, grammar and spelling. Once a essay is approved, it will be posted on the front page.

I’m going to encourage Julian to write one, but with starting to get ready for finals and still trying to get his grades up…all while rehearsing for Copellia and his concert performances, I’m not sure it will happen any time soon.

 

Free Ballet Classes Draw Boys Into The Studio

I recently was asked to write a short sidebar on how to get boys into the dance studio and keep them there.  (The piece will appear in an upcoming issue of Dance Teacher magazine.) One of the things I stressed was that studios should offer free or discounted classes for boys, as well as scholarships. Additionally, of course, they should offer boys-only classes.

I just found this article on Boys and Ballet about the Oregon Ballet Academy. They offered a free class for boys.

The boys comment on what they do together in class – things likes jumps and push ups. They say it’s like a work out in the gym. You know, boy stuff. Of course, they also learn to lift and turn the girls and make them look good.

The result:  The Oregon Ballet Company’s Nutcracker ended up with 20 boys in the Russian dance this past year!

I hate to say “I told you so,” but….I told you so!

Alone Again…How Many Boys are in Your Son’s Ballet Class?

Today I received a comment from someone (see yesterday’s post) whose 13-year-old son is lucky enough to be in a boy’s ballet class. Not only that, it’s taught by a male ballet teacher! Whoo hoo! But she rightfully was grateful that, even though there are only four boys in attendance, her son has a class “that celebrates male energy instead of cursing the guys for not being girlishly mature and “pink” enough.” She’s right to be appreciative. It’s rare to find enough boys to even have a boys’ class.

During the three years that Julian attended Ballet San Jose School, there were never more than four boys enrolled at one time. When he left, there were only two. They had brought Peter Brandenhoff on board, which was a godsend, and occasionally he would take the two boys aside and teach them “boy things.” No one in a pink tutu is going to teach them the really masculine stuff…all of it.

This reader said something else: “It’s the lack of male comradeship that I think sidetracks so many boys who would otherwise enjoy dance, especially at the middle school ages. Boys are, by and large, social creatures and not only are they isolated from boy society (how many boys are the ONLY ONE in the ballet class?) but if they mention THEIR sport, they run the risk of being laughed at by the boys they know from school.” This is, by and large, I think, the toughest part of being a male dancer. (The book I’m working on writing was inspired by the difficulty my son had beginning in 1st grade.) And they aren’t even laughed at just by the boys. When my son forgot to bring show and tell to school in first grade and cleverly chose to share that he danced, the WHOLE CLASS – girls and boys alike – laughed at him. That’s when I knew it would be a tough road to hoe.

In middle school things definitely got harder for Julian. He was teased and called gay. He had hardly any good friends. Despite the fact that he played soccer for two years, and was phenomenally good at it, the kids just saw him as different. It wasn’t until 8th grade that they began to accept him, and I actually think it had something to do with him just sticking to his guns and not being a closet dancer. Each year he would dance in the talent show at the end of the year. In 7th grade, just before school let out, he performed two competition numbers: a lyrical piece and a break dancing piece. The lyrical one scared him to death; he was sure the boys would laugh him off the stage. The break dancing piece, which was choreographed by Remind (who was at one time one of the five top break dancers in the nation, if not the world), was awesome, and he knew the kids would love it – but that didn’t mean they’d love him afterwards. Anyway, he performed them both, and a couple of the kids that were normally the meanest to him actually complimented him afterwards. The next year when he returned to school, they suddenly were nice to him. The whole group of boys in his very small class (he went to a middle school with a total of about 300 kids) accepted him. I think they finally realized he wasn’t going to conform and they gave him credit for getting up there and doing what he did - lyrical and all. He was respected for not hiding who he was.

This year he is in high school, and he seems to have no problem. In particular, the girls love him and the fact that he dances. He even met another boy who is a ballet dancer.

Back to the point of how many boys tend to be in ballet – or dance – classes, it does always tend to be slim. I was pleasantly surprised to find two other boys in Julian’s jazz III class at Studio 10 on Wednesday nights. But in his current dance comany, he is just one of two boys out of 21 kids. There boy who was in the company last year left to focus on ballet, so he is dancing in the Bay Area.

Julian was so disappointed, though, that this kid didn’t come back, because he is really good, and he would have loved to have someone to look up to. He wanted that push to be as good as someone else. He didn’t have that at Ballet San Jose School the last year he was there. He was the best male dancer in the school. So, that’s a problem, too…at least for the boys at the top of their dance classes.

And it would be nice for the boys in dance class to have boys to chat with, wouldn’t it? The girls all get to talk about girl things together. It would be nice for the boys to do the same. And it would be nice for them to make friends with other boys who dance. On the other hand, Julian gets along with girls so well. He’s going to make some girl a great boyfriend, because he really knows how to talk to girls and get along with them. And he’s not afraid of them. Still, a guy friend who dances would go a long way. You know, someone to talk to about dance class, about girls, about school, about how to do a better leap, about how to partner…