Summer Programs: A Trip Down Memory Dance Lane...

Lindsay Live | Feb 01, 2008 | 1

age 11, with Jeffrey Lyons at the Rock School

Last night, overcome with feelings of ballet nostalgia, I opened up my old summer program photo albums for a trip down memory dance lane. When I was 11 years old, I attended my first summer program at the Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet.

age 12, with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux at Chautauqua

age 12, with Violette Verdy at Chautauqua

age 13, with Victoria Schneider at Harid Conservatory

at age 14, with Patricia McBride at Chautauqua Festival

My very first audition picture, age 10

One of my favorite summer program audition pictures, age 16

My teachers at home always encouraged me to spend my summers getting outside training from professional dancers of various backgrounds. Looking back on my dance career, nothing contributed to my artistic and personal growth as much as attending summer programs. By taking classes from teachers who had never seen me dance before, I discovered and was able to correct technical flaws that often went unnoticed by my teachers at home. Even more importantly, though, I was able to dance in styles that were foreign to me, helping to add a whole new dimension to my dancing.

At home, I always studied the Vaganova method. But at the Rock School, at the age of 11, I learned a word I had never heard before - Balanchine. By exploring the Balanchine technique and vocabulary, I discovered that my body could move in ways I never thought possible. After spending the next few summers at Chautauqua, the Harid Conservatory, and Boston Ballet, my knowledge of different styles had grown tremendously, and I finally found my own artistic voice. My style had become an amalgamation of everything I had learned and observed along the way, sometimes blurring the lines between styles, rebelling against the structure of Vaganova, and often times using elements of modern and jazz dance as well. Summer programs gave me the foundation and experience I needed to finally discover who I was as a dancer, artist, and person.    

I can't stress enough how important it is to attend summer programs at institutions other than your home school. Not only will you get novel feedback on how to refine your technique, but you'll also get the opportunity to dance and train with some of the most respected professionals in the world. Back then, I don't think I understood how cool it was that I got to train with people like Patricia McBride and Violette Verdy, but now I look back and think, wow! I was so fortunate to have those incredible artists help me discover myself and my potential as a dancer.

If you're a young dancer, I would highly recommend attending summer programs. Auditions are currently underway and will be conducted through the spring. Speak to your teachers and get some feedback about which programs might suit you best. Good luck and happy dancing!

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Ballet, Teacher, Parent, Summer Study (all tags)