Q&A with Adalhi Aranda of the Bluegrass Youth Ballet

Parents in the dance world are seeing the word “intensive” pop up when researching summer programs. Adalhi Aranda, founder of the Bluegrass Youth Ballet, explains how intensives help dancers and what parents should know.

Q: What exactly is an intensive?

A: “An intensive is a camp or workshop designed for serious dancers who are looking to improve and intensify their training during the summer while they don’t have to worry about school work.

Most intensives teach dance classes for about 6 – 7 hours per day for at least 5 days per week.

Most offer a variety of styles and different classes such as conditioning for dancers, ballet technique, pointe (if the dancer is advanced enough), variations (short solos from the classical repertoire), modern or contemporary, character dance (folk dancing from different countries), partnering and additional classes such as nutrition, dance history or others. Some intensives have a performance at the end and they will include rehearsals as well.”

Q: How does the experience of an intensive benefit dancers?

A: “It is a perfect opportunity for dancers to learn many things about themselves.

• Endurance. These workshops are very tiring, as most dancers are used to taking one class per day or a few classes per week. The increased load can be exhausting and dancers should expect to be very sore the first few days.
• Opportunity to improve. Dancers will be able to improve faster and they will have the chance to increase the repetition of steps, so instead of waiting a day or several days to have class again, they will be able to apply corrections immediately and follow up in the next class. Dancers improve quickly when there is so much repetition and attention to detail.
• Opportunity to learn different styles. Some of these classes (like character for example) are not classes that most schools offer on a regular basis. Some dancers only take that specific style during the summer.
• Opportunity to learn from different teachers. Many schools bring guest teachers during the summer to expand their dancers horizons. It’s a learning experience for dancers to hear different voices, points of views and teaching styles.
• Opportunity to meet new people and make friends. Most of the large summer intensives attract dancers from all over the country, sometimes from other countries. The dance world is very small this way.
• Opportunity to be seen. Large summer intensives are connected to a professional company and many times, the staff will invite dancers to stay year round and continue their training with them. It’s a great chance to be seen by people that normally you wouldn’t connect with.
• Focus and discovery. When a dancer is old enough to be able to be away from home for weeks at a time, the dancer will mature and become a stronger individual and focus and discover their passion.”

Q: Where can dancers find opportunities to audition? 

A: ”Large schools have audition tours, they go to many different cities where they hold auditions for any interested student. You can find these dates/locations on their websites or through social media. Even if dancers decided they do not want to attend a summer intensive, we recommend auditioning for the experience.”

Q: What is the typical cost of these programs? Are scholarships available?

A: “These programs aren’t particularly affordable. Most of the intensives that offer housing can run between $3,000 – $6,000 depending on how many weeks. The tuition itself is usually between $500 – $1,000 per week. Many offer housing at universities and meal plans which makes it more pricey.

Each company is different, some offer merit scholarships, some offer financial-need based scholarships. Some places give larger scholarships to boys.”

Q: What can a student expect from a BYB summer intensive? What other classes are available if a student doesn’t feel ready for an intensive?

A: “Our summer intensive is a wonderful opportunity for our local dancers to attend excellent classes with our amazing faculty and guest teachers in a smaller, friendlier environment. We offer four weeks but dancers can choose weeks. We highly recommend to take at least 2 consecutive weeks for better results. Each of our weeks has a theme, so each week the students will learn about a certain ballet, we will discuss it, watch it, and learn variations or group pieces from it.

If a dancer wants to attend our program and she has never attended BYB, she/he will need to be evaluated. 

Some younger dancers aren’t ready for such intensity because of their age or training level. We do offer alternative programs that do not attend every day or just maintenance classes. We have something for everyone.”

Q: What are some summer programs that BYB dancers have been accepted to?

A: “The list keeps growing but our dancers have been accepted to places like Cincinnati Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Boston Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, Ballet West, The Rock and others.”

For more information, visit www.bluegrassyouthballet.org or call 271-4472.