You had an amazing training experience at the Dream Intensive last summer. You could imagine yourself studying at that school full-time and even one day dancing in one of its affiliates. Does this mean you should return to the same project this summer?
unnecessary. “Dancers need a variety of experiences and perspectives to fuel their artistry,” said Jonathan E. Alsberry, director of Hubbard Street Dance Summer Intensive in Chicago. That said, any summer study program is already a way to get out of the comfort zone of year-round training, and there are benefits to returning to familiar surroundings. Here are some considerations to keep in mind as you make your summer plans.
Reasons for returning home
“Being away in the summer is an adjustment, especially when you’re young,” says Dennis Bolstad, managing director of the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. “Joining a program you’ve participated in before can help you feel comfortable and maybe make you feel less homesick. You can feel more confident in your dancing because you understand your surroundings and what’s expected of you.
There are also interpersonal benefits. “Going back helps you strengthen relationships,” says Jordan Long, co-artistic director of the Westside Dance Project in Laguna Hills, California. “When you work with someone for the second or third time, you get to know them better.” Teachers may be able to provide you with more targeted feedback when you are in a cohort with many of the same dancers , you get a deeper understanding of rehearsals and stages and your friendship. In other words, returning to the same intensive training “is more than just showing up again,” Long said. “It’s about reconnecting with people and cultivating relationships.”
Reasons to expand your business
“It’s important to get information from different places, especially if you want to join a mixed-representation firm,” Alsbury says. He cautions young dancers not to focus too narrowly: “Interacting with different artists and trying different styles can help you find your own unique voice.”
Bolstad encourages students to look at what may be missing from their year-round studies as well as from previous summer intensives so they can find ways to fill in the gaps. For example, “If you need stage experience, look for a summer program with a large final performance.”
Getting out of your comfort zone can pay dividends. “As dancers, we embody all the voices that influence us,” Long said. “When you audition, it’s reading to a room of people who have been exposed to multiple voices. When you give yourself the ability to jump from job to job and adapt to different environments, companies will notice you.
gray area
You don’t have to sacrifice familiarity for variety. “As long as you have a sense of progress and have your own ‘summer retreat,'” Long explains. “Is there a rotating faculty? Will you be working with a new choreographer? Are you moving to the next level? If a beloved program no longer fosters your growth, it may be time to study elsewhere.
Alsbury points out that if you choose to spend multiple summers in the same intensive program, they don’t have to be consecutive. “Come to us as a teenager and try different cities or different dance styles,” he said. “Whenever you come back, we will remember you and recognize how far you have come.”
If you specialize in one dance type, this may impact your summer intensive options. For example, Bolstad said, ballet dancers may only have five to seven years of summer study before they begin auditioning for internship programs and the like. She believes that by their late teens, serious ballet students should focus on one training path—”but with Plan B, Plan A won’t work out,” she advises. “Open some doors.”
Regardless of genre, Alsberry recommends looking beyond technology and artistry when evaluating what each show has to offer. “What type of community do you want to be a part of?” he asked. “Do you see yourself growing in this space?” When you’re deciding whether to go back or branch out, prioritize your development — as a promoter, as an artist, as a person — first.
