by Erin Holt
Summer is a great time for dancing. And summer dance camps are a great way for dancers of all ages to make the most of their time during the summer.
With so many options for summer programs being offered, does it really matter which program your child will ultimately choose? Yes, it most certainly does.
Ballet Intensive Programs (For Intermediate and Advanced Dancers)
If a young person at an intermediate or advance level is a serious dance student, an intensive summer dance program with a reputable dance school can provide a real boost in their growth and development. Advanced programs are available that have intensive, full-time schedules for 2-6 weeks, which immerse students in many different aspects of dance training, giving the student valuable discipline and new, creative experiences.
California DanceArts has a curriculum that is based in classical & contemporary ballet but also covers specific instruction (at appropriate levels) in different aspects of dance, such as, turns, jumps, Pointe, variations, Pas de deux, modern dance, improvisation, and performance skills.
The program should limit the number of students in the class, so that the dancers can get personal attention from the instructors. They won’t get much individual help or recognition from dance programs that fill up with 30 or 40 students. Providing that the program is designed to give personal attention to the students, a quality faculty can find the source of any trouble areas in a dancer’s technique and performance. Students can then use their valuable summer months to learn how to overcome issues in their dance training while making the most of their assets. Sometimes smaller programs offer more bang for your buck.
Find a program that features renowned guest instructors, as the student can then be exposed to new methods and dance styles from an experienced professional that they may not always get during their normal dance training. Check to see who the instructors are and research their background. Look for teachers with the experience to help the student gain technical improvement and performance artistry.
While most dance or ballet company’s no longer use their summer programs to recruit dancers for positions within their ranks, good experience can be provided by guest choreographers who are setting repertory for the summer project.
An Intensive program is good for a student who wants to focus on moving into the next level in their training, or for a dancer that wants to prepare for a career in dance or enhance their skills in an existing career. Most summer programs hold auditions which is also part of the learning experience. Don’t be intimidated by the audition process and don’t worry if you don’t get into a program. Use the audition process as a learning tool. Finding the right program that will challenge and provide a degree of personal attention is more important than attending one just because you were accepted.
California DanceArts Los International Ballet Intensive stresses these points in and we have put together a comprehensive program that brings real benefit to an intermediate or advanced dancer’s training.
Summer Dance Camps (For Younger Students)
For younger students who just enjoy dancing or are looking for a summer dance experience to help improve their skills, there are dance camps one can find in most major cities.
Instructors who are specialists in working with younger dancers can provide students with new challenges but in a nurturing environment, making sure students understand the concepts and instructions. When children are really learning and grasping the material, the camp is more fun!
Programs can be found that are perfect for the beginner and intermediate dancer of any age--that are enjoyable for both children and older beginners. Even most teenagers can enjoy the variety of dance styles offered within programs like this. By grouping students of similar ability, and creating teams or pairs of students, classes can be exciting and enjoyable for a wide range of ages.
Beginner to intermediate dance camps should offer students daily classes of ballet and also be filled with creative methods for developing coordination, rhythm, dramatic skills, learning choreography, improvisation, performance abilities and more. Jazz dance, hip-hop, tap dancing, folk dancing and many other styles of dance can make these programs an ideal introduction to dancing or means for improving vital and fundamental skills.
California DanceArts’ Dancer’s Delight Dance Camp is a fun and nurturing program for either introducing a child to dance or adding to the training of an already budding ballerina.
You can visit us at http://www.caldancearts.com for more information on our full lineup of summer programs or call us at 818-790-7924.
Don’t Judge Me By My Tights
Photo credit: Nathan Perkel for NewsweekAbove it All: Ballet was worth a fat lip or a black eye
Being a male dancer means battling many stereotypes. But the rewards of my job are limitless.
By Sascha Radetsky | NEWSWEEK
Mar 17, 2008 Issue | Updated: 1:15 p.m. ET Mar 8, 2008
My business attire is a pair of tights. All right, there it is. I wear makeup onstage, and some of my colleagues are gay. Can we move on now? Can we leave behind the tired male-ballet-dancer stigma—that ballet is not a masculine pursuit—in order to move toward an appreciation of the athleticism and artistry involved in this line of work?
On an average day at the job, I handle lithe, lovely women, engage in duels and delight in the experience of an exotic locale. I move like a gymnast or martial artist and embody the vilest of pimps or the most chivalrous and passionate of lovers. I constantly expand the borders of my physical capabilities, and I hone my mind to a quick-learning, focused edge. Come 8 p.m., I'll fuse dynamic movement and storytelling with the grandeur of a full live orchestra.
Yes, I'm proud of my profession. Yet I find myself slightly guarded when I tell people what I do. Like some sort of incurable blight, the male-dancer stereotype has taken root and metastasized in our cultural consciousness. Pioneers like Baryshnikov or Nureyev might have opened some minds, but their days have long passed, and despite the noble efforts of a handful of current ballet leaders to expose fresh audiences to our art form, a whole new generation looks at male dancing with skewed vision. Some of my peers are foreigners; in many other countries male dancers are held in higher esteem. I studied in Russia for a year and always marveled at the way Russians celebrated their artists, whether their medium was dance, music or the written word. But I'm American, and I want to live in my own country, as a dancer, with some respect.
The most irritating aspect of the male-dancer stereotype is the underlying insinuation that we in some way lack strength of character or a courageous spirit. Male and female, all dancers undergo strenuous training from a very young age, and constantly wrestle with injuries and fatigue. But male dancers must possess a special type of will and fortitude if they are to become professionals, for, like fish swimming upstream, we have to fight through the current of thinly veiled contempt that much of society harbors for our chosen path. In our culture, girls are encouraged to take ballet; boys receive no such endorsement, except of course from ballet teachers or exceptionally supportive parents. The boy who perseveres in dance must have a genuine hunger for it, must be uniquely motivated and dedicated, and must develop a truly thick skin.
I started taking ballet when I was 5. My open-minded parents thought it was a good way to channel my rambunctious behavior. A few years later I was hooked. I loved the physicality and, of course, the girls, but I also learned that not everyone recognized the value of dance the way I did. I don't remember the first fight I got into for being a kid who took ballet, but I remember fighting a lot before I realized that maybe I should keep my extracurricular activities to myself. But ballet was rewarding enough to be worth a fat lip or a black eye, and I emerged from my years of dance training more focused than ever. My background is not unusual among my American colleagues—they share similar stories of discouragement, harassment and even violence. But these experiences served to harden resolve and develop courage, and I know I can always count on several of my dancer buddies for steadfast support—they got my back! Ironically, the stereotype of the sissy male dancer has given rise to a male dancer who is anything but.
It's frustrating that I feel obliged to extol the virtues and describe the rigors of my profession. I'd just like to make it known that the path of the male dancer isn't necessarily easy—as with any truly worthwhile endeavor—but the rewards can be limitless. I feel lucky to have discovered a vocation that has allowed me to glimpse the great depth of human potential, both physical and mental, and has given me the opportunity to bring joy to so many people in so many places. I feel there is honor in the arts, in the world of dance, in the realm of male ballet dancing.
Exposure to ballet is all that is needed to open minds, for the combination of athletic movement, ardent drama and beautiful music can instill a profound appreciation in an audience. But for you out there who still feel compelled to malign male dancers with half-truths and petty stereotypes, well, maybe we need to step outside. I'll leave my tights on.
Radetsky lives in New York City.
© 2008
At California Dance Arts, we have several young men currently training, and really enjoy training men. We are offerring a boys and mens class over the summer in which girls are not allowed, where young male dancers get the opportunity to hone their skills. The class concentrates on classical and contemporary styles of dance giving men
the opportunity to learn male specific movements, tricks and techniques. It’s a must for any aspiring male dancer. Click HERE for more information.
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