Tag: school

How Going to College Abroad Could Take Your Dancing to the Next Level

When it comes to college, you’ve got countless options. University or conservatory? BA or BFA? East Coast or West? But there’s one potentially game-changing option you probably haven’t considered yet: U.S. or international? The perks of going global are hard to ignore. For one, international programs are often significantly cheaper than domestic ones. “The tuition […]

Movin' On Up

Amanda Garcia started dancing at Prodigy Dance and Performing Arts Centre in Plano, TX, as an intermediate-level 12-year-old. But Prodigy’s owner and director, Camille Billelo, quickly recognized Garcia’s potential and placed her in classes with older students. For Garcia, being the youngest among advanced dancers was exciting—and a bit intimidating. She was determined to catch […]

A Rundown of the Major Ballet Techniques

Vaganova History: The legendary Russian ballerina and teacher Agrippina Vaganova combined elements of French, Italian and early Russian techniques to create this method. The syllabus is broken down into eight years of training—a slow, steady and deliberate progression. Emphases: Use of the upper body and placement of the head. “Arms are not just for decoration,” […]

Real-Life Extra Credit

Karen Chuang was a freshman at University of California, Los Angeles, when she was given the opportunity to dance in a K-pop music video being filmed in L.A. “I took all my books with me and studied during any downtime I could find,” says Chuang. She went on to book jobs with Brian Friedman and […]

Big Fish in a Little Pond

Emily Mistretta in The Nutcracker (Gene Schiavone) If you’re a talented small-town ballet student, you’ve probably wondered: Should I leave my local studio to study at a top-notch school? At the bigger institution, you’d have more intense training, which would help when it came time to audition for companies. But if you left you’d miss […]

School Buzz: Montclair Debuts Studio-Teaching Concentration

Montclair Debuts Studio-Teaching Concentration Lauren Alvarez, photo courtesy Lauren Alvarez Dream of running your own studio? Check out Montclair State University’s new dance studio teaching concentration, available to students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in dance education.  “The program will prepare students for both the marketing and education sides of owning and working at a […]

School Buzz: SAB's Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara

SAB’s Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara It’s flattering to be recognized as a standout among your peers. Just ask 17-year-old Meaghan Dutton-O’Hara, a student at the School of American Ballet and recipient of the prestigious Martin E. Segal Award. “I was shocked when Kay Mazzo [SAB’s co-chairman of faculty] and Peter Martins [New York City Ballet’s Ballet Master […]