Have you ever been to a summer intensive ballet camp? If you’re over eleven (and have started pointe work, for girls), you’re eligible to audition for the Orlando Ballet Intensive which takes place in June/July each year.
If you aspire to a serious ballet career, an intensive course is well worth considering. It gives you a taste of what being a professional ballet dancer, working full-time, will be like – you dance Monday to Friday from 10am to 5.30 pm (with a one and a half hour break for lunch), for five solid weeks! Saturday is a half-day.
Needless to say, five weeks of intense coaching by top quality teachers can have an amazing effect on your standard of dancing, too. Former students of the Intensive course have an impressive record in subsequently winning scholarships and dance awards.
Entrance is by audition, which you can do locally at many centers throughout the US – or, if there isn’t a local audition facility, you can send in a clip. You are also asked to supply a photo (just so the audition panel can identify you). A decision on what level you’ll join isn’t made there and then – you’ll be assessed again on your first day at the intensive, and placed in the right class accordingly.
For those who can’t afford it, there are sometimes scholarships available, so it’s worth inquiring.
Here are some students at the 2009 Intensive:
With thanks to Pointe Shoes Online