Latest / Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast / A Complete Guide to Summer Dance Intensives

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A Complete Guide to Summer Dance Intensives · Making The Impact - A Dance Competition Podcast

0:07
SPEAKER_00: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the table at a dance competition?
0:10
SPEAKER_00: Exactly what are the judges looking for anyway?
0:13
SPEAKER_00: This is Making the Impact, a Dance Composition podcast.
0:15
SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll cover a different topic related to the world of competitive dance from the perspective of the judges behind the table.
0:23
SPEAKER_00: Summertime for dancers means a lot of different things.
0:26
SPEAKER_00: National, choreography camp, making sense, and summer intensive.
0:30
SPEAKER_00: On episode 104 of Making the Impact, we're joined by IGA Judge Brandon Cornet and competition team director Timory Kraft to chat about the benefits of sending dances to summer intensive, whether they be across the country or right next door.
0:46
SPEAKER_01: Hey everyone, welcome to this week's episode of Making the Impact.
0:49
SPEAKER_01: I'm your host, Courtney Orton, and I'm here with my co-host Leslie Mueller.
0:53
SPEAKER_00: Hey Courtney, how are you doing?
0:54
SPEAKER_01: I'm so great.
0:56
SPEAKER_01: How are you doing?
0:57
SPEAKER_00: I am good.
0:58
SPEAKER_00: We I am heading into my last regional of the season this coming weekend.
1:02
SPEAKER_00: Isn't that crazy?
1:03
SPEAKER_01: My gosh.
1:04
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that is crazy.
1:05
SPEAKER_01: And I can't believe that the season has flown by.
1:09
SPEAKER_01: It is practically over.
1:11
SPEAKER_00: Pretty much.
1:12
SPEAKER_00: I mean, because we're gonna have what is this, Memorial Day weekend coming up, and that's kind of like summertime is here, national season is coming, uh, summer intensive season is coming, ding ding, ding.
1:22
SPEAKER_00: What we're talking about today.
1:23
SPEAKER_01: That is what we're talking about today.
1:24
SPEAKER_01: We're talking about summer intensives.
1:26
SPEAKER_01: And this is actually a topic that a lot of our listeners have requested, and a lot of people in our Facebook community have said, um, we want to know about summer intensives.
1:36
SPEAKER_01: Where can we send our kids during the summer?
1:37
SPEAKER_01: Which ones are the the good ones to go to?
1:40
SPEAKER_01: Things like that.
1:40
SPEAKER_01: So we're gonna chat all about that today.
1:43
SPEAKER_01: And we'll share some of our fave summer intensives that we recommend and why they're important.
1:48
SPEAKER_01: We have two special guests joining us on the pod.
1:52
SPEAKER_01: But like always, before we jump into our episode, we want to tell you a little bit more about our sponsors for this week's episode.
1:59
SPEAKER_01: And first up, that's Level Up Dance Supplies.
2:02
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2:07
SPEAKER_01: Established in 2010 by Dance Mom, their goal is to be your one-stop shop for all of your dance gear and accessory needs.
2:14
SPEAKER_01: From flooring, privacy tents, stretching and travel gear, level up has you covered from head to toe.
2:19
SPEAKER_01: Whether you're a serious competitive or recreational dancer, level up dance supply should be the t at the top of your list of places to shop for all of your dance equipment.
2:28
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2:32
SPEAKER_01: Use the code Impact21 in all caps at checkout at levelupdanceupplies.com.
2:38
SPEAKER_01: And be sure to follow them on Facebook for product updates and discounts.
2:42
SPEAKER_00: And a new sponsor this season is Dancer Fitness.
2:45
SPEAKER_00: Dancer Fitness is the most comprehensive resource for safe and effective strength training for competitive dancers.
2:51
SPEAKER_00: You can find hundreds of exercises and training plans designed exclusively for dancers from beginner to advanced.
2:56
SPEAKER_00: Whether you want to practice more consistent pirouettes, gain higher elevation in your jumps, or work on your core strength, DancerFitness.com has you covered.
3:04
SPEAKER_00: Monthly memberships start at only$1 per month, and we have a promo code to offer that's exclusive to Making the Impact listeners.
3:10
SPEAKER_00: Use the code Impact20, that's all caps, Impact20, for 20% off your first year at dancerfitness.com.
3:17
SPEAKER_00: And that's dancer-fitness.com.
3:20
SPEAKER_00: This offer applies to annual memberships only.
3:22
SPEAKER_00: Be sure to follow them on Instagram for some great training tips and tricks and start cross-training your dancers today at dancerfitness.com.
3:29
SPEAKER_01: All right, world, and I'm sure you've heard us talk about our Making the Impact Awards that we have introduced to IDA affiliated competitions this season.
3:38
SPEAKER_01: We have been so excited to award dancers around the country this award sponsored by IDA and our podcast.
3:46
SPEAKER_01: This is a Judge's Choice Award where if you have at least one IDA judge on your panel at an IDA affiliated competition, the judges will collaborate and select one dance, it can be a solo all the way up through production that they feel is making the impact, whether it's through technique, performance, execution, choreography.
4:02
SPEAKER_01: It's that one dance that they just cannot stop thinking about by the end of the weekend.
4:06
SPEAKER_01: And one of the perks of winning this award is you also get a shout-out live on our podcast.
4:11
SPEAKER_01: So we are so excited to share a few of the recent winners of our Making the Impact Award.
4:16
SPEAKER_01: First up, this is from Star Talent Productions event in Henderson, North Carolina.
4:20
SPEAKER_01: This is going to Mackenzie Coffa with their solo listen from the The Dance Addict in Raleigh, North Carolina.
4:26
SPEAKER_01: And another winner is coming from Diva Dance Competitions event in Milford, Massachusetts.
4:30
SPEAKER_01: This was a production called Lean on Me from Dance Works Movement Design in Milford, New Hampshire.
4:36
SPEAKER_00: And a few more winners of our Making the Impact Award coming from Epic Dance Showcase in their Morganton, North Carolina event.
4:43
SPEAKER_00: A large group, Too Darn Hot, from Starstruck Dance Studio in Denver, North Carolina, congrats.
4:49
SPEAKER_00: And a soloist, Alexandra Muriel Peter Gosselin, if they could see me now from Instep Dance Center in Hookset, New Hampshire.
4:56
SPEAKER_00: That was one Spirit of Dance Awards at their Exeter New Hampshire event.
5:00
SPEAKER_00: So congrats to all of our Making the Impact Award winners.
5:03
SPEAKER_01: All right, listeners, it's time to jump on into this convo all about summer intensives.
5:08
SPEAKER_01: And I'm excited to welcome a brand new guest to our podcast.
5:12
SPEAKER_01: And I also think it's her very first time on any podcast, so yay for that.
5:15
SPEAKER_01: We love that over here at Making the Impact.
5:18
SPEAKER_01: She is the competition director at a studio in Nebraska.
5:21
SPEAKER_01: I'm excited to welcome Timmerie Kraft to our podcast.
5:24
SPEAKER_01: Welcome.
5:24
SPEAKER_02: Hello, thank you for having me.
5:26
SPEAKER_02: I know that Justin Quant has been a guest on the show before.
5:31
SPEAKER_02: And his older sister, Heidi, is my boss at Fusion Dance in Omaha.
5:36
SPEAKER_02: And they have another sister that is Heidi's twin, Heather, and she owns Fusion Dance Carol in Iowa.
5:44
SPEAKER_02: Amazing business.
5:45
SPEAKER_00: What a small world.
5:46
SPEAKER_01: I had no idea about that.
5:48
SPEAKER_01: That is so cool.
5:49
SPEAKER_01: I I kind of knew that his family was in the dance world, but I didn't realize it's like every family member has a studio in different locations around the country.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: And their teacher was their mom.
5:59
SPEAKER_01: Oh, that is really cool.
6:02
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
6:02
SPEAKER_02: And they just honored 50 years of the original, well, it used to be named after their mom, but they just um like 50 years in business in Iowa.
6:10
SPEAKER_02: Oh wow.
6:11
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
6:11
SPEAKER_01: That is so cool.
6:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
6:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
6:15
SPEAKER_01: Well, that is so awesome.
6:16
SPEAKER_01: I love that connection.
6:17
SPEAKER_01: And we we loved uh Justin's episode that he joined us on this season.
6:21
SPEAKER_01: It was so great to have him.
6:22
SPEAKER_01: So I'm happy to have you here joining us today, chatting summer intensives.
6:26
SPEAKER_01: If you wouldn't mind sharing a little bit more about you, where you're originally from, and any parts of your dance training that you like to share and what you're currently doing now.
6:36
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm from Norfolk, Nebraska originally, and um started kind of teaching a little bit here and there when I was in high school, kind of assisting and then stepping in when needed.
6:47
SPEAKER_02: And that's kind of where I found my love for teaching and choreography.
6:51
SPEAKER_02: So I decided pretty early that that was the route I wanted to explore rather than the performance side of things.
6:58
SPEAKER_02: But I did dance in college at Crate University and have been teaching at Fusion Dance in Omaha for 16 years and have been the competition theme director for I think eight.
7:08
SPEAKER_02: I think it's been eight years.
7:09
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I love it.
7:10
SPEAKER_02: It's great.
7:10
SPEAKER_02: And I have two little kids, a five-year-old and a two-year-old.
7:14
SPEAKER_01: Awesome.
7:15
SPEAKER_01: Is is your five-year-old dancing yet?
7:17
SPEAKER_02: She is.
7:18
SPEAKER_02: She's in her second year of dance.
7:20
SPEAKER_02: She takes a little combo class, ballet tat.
7:23
SPEAKER_02: She keeps asking when she gets to be up on the competition stage with the big girls, though.
7:27
SPEAKER_02: So she's ready.
7:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
7:35
SPEAKER_01: Oh, I love it.
7:36
SPEAKER_01: Well, that is so great.
7:38
SPEAKER_01: And we're super excited to have you.
7:39
SPEAKER_01: So thanks so much for jumping in on the pod with us.
7:42
SPEAKER_01: Thank you because I'm excited too.
7:44
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
7:45
SPEAKER_01: And all of our listeners out there, we have a returning guest from season two that you may remember from season two, episode 38, guest choreography.
7:56
SPEAKER_01: I'm so excited to welcome back Eddie A.
7:58
SPEAKER_01: Judge and my very dear friend, Mr.
8:00
SPEAKER_01: Brandon Cornet, to the pod.
8:02
SPEAKER_01: Welcome, Brandon.
8:03
SPEAKER_04: Hi.
8:04
SPEAKER_04: Hi, Courtney.
8:04
SPEAKER_04: Hi, Leslie, hi Timmery.
8:06
SPEAKER_04: Hello.
8:08
SPEAKER_04: I am so happy to be here.
8:09
unknown: Yay!
8:10
SPEAKER_01: I'm super happy to have you back on the pod.
8:13
SPEAKER_01: And I know that you have a lot of info to share about summer intensives.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure you grew up going to some probably as a competitive dancer when you were younger.
8:23
SPEAKER_01: So if you wouldn't mind reminding all of our listeners a little bit more about you.
8:27
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I uh grew up in outside of Detroit, Michigan, at a very competition convention-y studio.
8:36
SPEAKER_05: And I've been living in New York as a teacher and dancer and choreographer for over 15 years.
8:42
SPEAKER_05: I graduated from Juilliard and after that did a lot of work in both commercial and concert dance.
8:50
SPEAKER_05: And I spent a lot of time dancing with a choreographer named Larry Kegwin.
8:55
SPEAKER_05: And I'm currently dancing with the Mark Morris Dance Group and I'm the executive artistic director of a company I founded five years ago called Dance Device Lab, which produces in-studio conventions and pairs fabulous and professional guest teachers with studios nationwide.
9:12
SPEAKER_01: Yes, yes, you do.
9:14
SPEAKER_01: And I am so proud of how much Dance Device Lab has grown throughout the years.
9:19
SPEAKER_01: So congrats on all your success that you've achieved with your business.
9:24
SPEAKER_05: Well, we are only as wonderful as our faculty.
9:28
SPEAKER_05: And that goes to both you and Leslie for being on the dream team.
9:34
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
9:35
SPEAKER_01: I remember when you called me up and you were like, Can we have lunch?
9:38
SPEAKER_01: I have this idea.
9:39
SPEAKER_01: Let's I want to start this business.
9:42
SPEAKER_01: And you did it, and it's here.
9:44
SPEAKER_01: So for all of the listeners out there, if you're looking for any guest instructors or choreographers to come to your studio, Brandon can help you out over there at Dance Device Lab.
9:54
SPEAKER_01: So be sure to check it out.
9:56
SPEAKER_01: Such a great idea.
9:57
SPEAKER_01: I love it.
9:58
SPEAKER_01: Yes.
9:58
SPEAKER_01: He's killing it.
9:59
SPEAKER_01: All right, y'all.
10:00
SPEAKER_01: Let's jump on in and chat about summer intensives because summer is practically here.
10:06
SPEAKER_00: Pretty much here.
10:06
SPEAKER_00: We have a couple more days.
10:08
SPEAKER_00: But I did wear shorts yesterday.
10:12
SPEAKER_01: I wore like more intensive.
10:15
SPEAKER_01: And then I like had to put on my winter coat because it's like every other day over here in New York is hot or cold.
10:21
SPEAKER_02: Yep.
10:24
SPEAKER_02: Really?
10:25
SPEAKER_00: That's evil.
10:26
SPEAKER_00: Let's let's fast forward until like July.
10:29
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
10:29
SPEAKER_00: And ready.
10:32
SPEAKER_00: Well, let's dive in and talk about some summer intensives.
10:36
SPEAKER_00: I feel like summer intensives have gotten way more popular over the past probably decade, uh, just because of, you know, just the world's interest in dance.
10:45
SPEAKER_00: I mean, peep dance has gotten more popular in the past 10, 15 years or so.
10:49
SPEAKER_00: And people just want more training.
10:51
SPEAKER_00: Um, people want to be immersed in the thing that they love.
10:54
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, it's kind of an alternative, I think, to sort of summer camp.
10:58
SPEAKER_00: I think for some parents and kids, it's like, you know, why not send them to a place where they're gonna get training and doing what they love and it's just gonna further their, you know, dance education.
11:09
SPEAKER_00: But aside from those things, what do you guys think are some of the benefits of dance students going to summer intensive programs?
11:15
SPEAKER_02: I asked some of my um students and their parents this question, you know, what they felt like they're the benefits they got out of it when I found out that I was gonna be on today.
11:24
SPEAKER_02: And I mean, across the board, they all just said exposure to so many things, other dancers, other instructors, a variety of styles, variety of teaching styles.
11:35
SPEAKER_02: Just going to a different city, a different area of the country, and just sometimes depending on the intent of being immersed in that area and just feeling what it would be like to live there, be a dancer there, and the style of the region too, depending on where they went.
11:53
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, that's great.
11:54
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I would agree.
11:55
SPEAKER_05: I mean, I think that's the biggest thing is, you know, you as a young dancer, you only know what you've experienced.
12:02
SPEAKER_05: I mean, that's that's life in general.
12:05
SPEAKER_05: And going out and working with uh new choreographers or different styles, or like as Tamari said, like visiting a new city and even just, you know, yes, there's all the dance training, but just exposing yourself to a different culture and part of the country and seeing how other people live and and and interact inside and outside the studio.
12:24
SPEAKER_05: It's a pretty invaluable experience when you're you're in your sort of hub, you know, all year round and and in your town.
12:32
SPEAKER_05: It's like a very wonderful way to, you know, accelerate your dance training and your sort of life experience.
12:39
SPEAKER_01: Totally.
12:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love the I love the um the mention of just getting out of kind of your studio and also maybe even getting out of your state and uh experiencing a whole new city.
12:50
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I feel like probably so many summer intensives take place in New York City and major hubs like major cities like that.
12:58
SPEAKER_01: But in those examples, if there is a summer intensive you're attending in New York City, I'm sure that's probably everyone's first time going to New York, or a lot of people's first times seeing like a big, huge city like New York.
13:09
SPEAKER_01: And you might love it, you might hate it.
13:11
SPEAKER_01: I mean, everyone's different.
13:12
SPEAKER_01: I know a lot of people that get to New York and say, How do you live here?
13:15
SPEAKER_01: This is absolutely horrible.
13:17
SPEAKER_01: I could never live in the city life.
13:19
SPEAKER_01: And then other people are just like, this is where I belong.
13:22
SPEAKER_01: Like, oh, I love the hustle and bustle of the city.
13:24
SPEAKER_01: I like mom, I want to go to school here, or mom, I'm moving to New York City, you know, type of thing.
13:30
SPEAKER_05: I think that can even be like, you know, my first summer intensive I went to was the ABT summer intensive, and it was in Detroit.
13:38
SPEAKER_05: So it was, it was like a regional summer intensive that, you know, I didn't travel to New York, I hadn't been there yet, but I remember even experiencing my own community in this way and coming together with people that I had, you know, maybe met at different competitions or conventions growing up, and then you're all sort of, you know, and you see the the sort of final product version of these dancers in these studios and just coming together as a community and being all thrown in like the common denominator is training and we're taking class.
14:09
SPEAKER_05: And that sort of just really shifts your perspective on, you know, your own local dance community.
14:16
SPEAKER_05: And it's it was that to me was like really empowering.
14:19
SPEAKER_05: You know, we learned a a lot about dancing in the classes, et cetera, but even just connecting with dancers my own age, that was so incredible, you know, to go beyond the 30 dancers in the team that I was with, you know, in high school.
14:33
SPEAKER_05: That was like, oh my gosh, and you live 20 minutes down the road.
14:37
SPEAKER_05: That was that was a game changer for me.
14:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, the networking is really, I think, a big part of it too.
14:43
SPEAKER_02: Like you're not only meeting these dancers and getting to know them, and especially now with kids with social media, they can stay connected.
14:50
SPEAKER_03: Right.
14:50
SPEAKER_02: They follow each other on Instagram.
14:52
SPEAKER_02: And then, I mean, I have dancers that have friends all over the country that they've met at these intensives, or just the networking with different choreographers and teachers.
15:01
SPEAKER_02: And you know, you may show up at an audition one day and they're the person casting you, right?
15:07
SPEAKER_02: And they remember you from the intensive.
15:09
SPEAKER_02: So that's can be really, I think, important too.
15:11
SPEAKER_00: Oh, I mean how cool is it that now, like I mean, Brandon, we're all of the age where like you met these kids and you maybe gave them an email address, maybe, or you were like, here's my actual address, please write me, you know.
15:24
SPEAKER_00: Like, but now it's so easy, and I'm just like, I'm so grateful for that for the this generation of kids that like you can get connected so much easier.
15:34
SPEAKER_00: And, you know, I think it probably still is such a cool realization when you get to a situation like this to see other dancers in your community, but maybe you've never seen them before, even though you, you know, you've seen them on the internet at this point, these kids have, but like it's gotta still be pretty cool to just show up and be like immersed in people who do what you love to do too.
15:54
SPEAKER_05: Well, and something that's beautiful that I love about dance and class, and this is sort of my like meditative part of my day is like what I love about class is that it's a live, no-tech, you know, communal, in-human, in-person experience.
16:10
SPEAKER_05: And I think for so many, you know, younger dancers or dancers of this generation that are super connected, and I'm a huge, you know, supporter of that, and I believe in it.
16:20
SPEAKER_05: But how cool to go away to a summer intensive and you're connecting as humans, taking partner in class, making work together, and it's a live actual experience that I also think is like a bit of a void in culture these days.
16:37
SPEAKER_05: And that that also like accelerates that sort of personal connection that I think is is very important for artists and creative people.
16:45
SPEAKER_01: As you guys were just chatting, and it immediately made me start thinking of, you know, Brandon, you mentioned that you went to ABT Summer Intensive, and that was in Detroit.
16:54
SPEAKER_01: So did it go, did they go on like a tour around like to different locations around the country?
16:58
SPEAKER_05: For the audition or for the intensive, I'm sorry, for the intensive.
17:02
SPEAKER_05: They have someone fact-check me, but they they have some sad, they did they have a New York intensive and then they have some sort of regional umes.
17:11
SPEAKER_05: I think there's one in California and one in Texas.
17:14
SPEAKER_05: Covering the regions.
17:16
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, yeah.
17:16
SPEAKER_05: That's cool.
17:17
SPEAKER_05: Detroit one was, yeah, that's I think that was that's they're one of their most long-standing ones.
17:22
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I was kind of curious to kind of tell inform our listeners because I don't have experience with summer intensives.
17:29
SPEAKER_01: I um something like just from personal experience, I grew up, everyone knows if you listen, that I grew up in the competitive world and at a competition studio, and we went to nationals every year, and that was what we did.
17:40
SPEAKER_01: And we had a little bit of flexibility, you know, nationals would take place sometimes at top of July, and then, you know, then you really do have the rest of your summer, and we were required to go to summer classes, and then sometimes they'd bring in a few guests here and there, and there might have been an intensive through the studio or something like that.
17:56
SPEAKER_01: But I never was informed that it's a good idea to go to like actual summer intensives in my training growing up, so they I don't have any experience or knowledge as to like what's even happening at these summer intensives.
18:08
SPEAKER_01: So can like and I don't know if Timory, you have students that have attended week-long ones or you know, there's ones from days to a one week to multiple weeks, like sleepaway camps and things like that.
18:20
SPEAKER_01: So, what's like a day in the life of a summer intensive look like?
18:24
SPEAKER_01: Do you guys have any idea?
18:26
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I think I mean, I think some of the a lot of the ones that my students have gone to or frequent are kind of lesser known ones.
18:35
SPEAKER_02: One really popular one in our studio, and it's by audition only, but it's called Muse, and it's through the choreographer Jessica Starr.
18:43
SPEAKER_02: And there's a mini muse, which is I believe like five to six days, and then there's the full muse experience, which is 10 to 12 days.
18:52
SPEAKER_02: And they do all kinds of things, they take class, um, but then they also just kind of typically it's been in LA.
18:58
SPEAKER_02: I think this past year they did it in Arizona just because of some COVID restrictions.
19:04
SPEAKER_02: But usually they just kind of immerse themselves in the LA dance, professional dancer life.
19:09
SPEAKER_02: What's it like to be a professional dancer in LA?
19:11
SPEAKER_02: But they do other things like they go try a new fitness trend, like do like kickboxing class, or they did like aerial yoga or trapeze on a day and just try to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and then by the end of the week, they shoot a PSA.
19:28
SPEAKER_02: Um, and it usually has a theme, and it's like a big production choreographed kind of music video, and then they post those on on in or on um Instagram and YouTube.
19:38
SPEAKER_01: Cool.
19:39
SPEAKER_02: Which is really cool.
19:40
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I've never heard of that one.
19:41
SPEAKER_01: That's awesome.
19:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's really fun.
19:42
SPEAKER_02: The kids love it, and it's really usually pretty small, around 20 kids.
19:46
SPEAKER_01: Oh, nice.
19:47
SPEAKER_02: That's great.
19:48
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and they get a couple of a variety of calls.
19:50
SPEAKER_05: Sweet.
19:51
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I think what's really, you know, the day in the life of the summer intensive is that I remember being a student and I've been like an RA or teaching at some summer intensives, where it's, you know, when I was younger, it was for me the first time that I was fully enriched and immersed in dance.
20:07
SPEAKER_05: You know, you go to school and you you got a couple hours at night to cram it in and do your homework, and you know, dancers are dancers are busy at home.
20:14
SPEAKER_05: But it was the first time I I had experienced like, oh, I'm gonna wake up and I'm gonna take a ballet class and a modern class, and then have jazz class, and then I'm gonna learn, you know, what composition is, and we're gonna make a dance, and then, you know, you have dinner, and at night there's, you know, movie nights, and you're watching, you know, the classics or learning about a choreographer.
20:37
SPEAKER_05: It was the first time that I was like, my my entire day was dance, and that was the first time I could ever comprehend what a life of a dancer was was doing summer intensives because you didn't have the commitments of school, and you're with all these other like-minded people that that you're you're jiving with and learning with.
20:57
SPEAKER_05: And it's really, it's really it was really the the first time for me that I could comprehend how you could dance all day.
21:04
SPEAKER_00: And I'm sure you were exhausted.
21:05
SPEAKER_00: I'm sure it's exhausting the first like week or the first couple days.
21:09
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so exhausting.
21:10
SPEAKER_05: And like what's what's cool about summer intensives is that there is that there's something for everybody.
21:15
SPEAKER_05: You could be interested in tap and there are tap intensives.
21:18
SPEAKER_05: If you wanna, if you're a young modern dancer and really you're interested in concert dance, you can go to American Dance Festival or Bates and you can really immerse yourself in that.
21:28
SPEAKER_05: Or, you know, you can go to a place in New York and and see shows and do more open classes.
21:33
SPEAKER_05: There's really like every single version of a summer intensive exists.
21:37
SPEAKER_05: If you want to live in a dorm, if you want to stay more regional, it's it's there's something out there, and that's really fun to be able to, you know.
21:46
SPEAKER_05: I always encourage dancers to maybe shift your focus every summer.
21:49
SPEAKER_05: It's also the opportunity where you can, all right, well, this summer I'm gonna do like a really focused ballet intensive.
21:55
SPEAKER_05: And then the next summer it's like, all right, I'm gonna do, I'm gonna do a New York thing and go do a musical theater.
22:00
SPEAKER_05: Intensive.
22:00
SPEAKER_05: It's sort of your time to like bust out of your shell of your studio and like see what ingredients you can throw into your dance bucket and what you can cook with it.
22:10
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I love that.
22:11
SPEAKER_02: I think it's really cool to see kids come back from it too.
22:14
SPEAKER_02: And it's like they're they're so changed in a positive way.
22:17
SPEAKER_02: It's like their passion is just exploding, even though they're exhausted.
22:21
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I feel like every time kids come back, they're in the studio the next day, even though maybe they flew in late the night before.
22:28
SPEAKER_02: It's like they can't miss class because they're so like on fire for their training.
22:33
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
22:34
SPEAKER_02: It just kind of like opens that up in them even more.
22:36
unknown: Yeah.
22:37
SPEAKER_00: That even happens, I think, when you know, when when kids just go take open classes at another studio or a different summer intensive that a different studio is, you know, offering if it's open to people.
22:47
SPEAKER_00: Like you just you just get so inspired when you're around new talent, new faces, new choreographers.
22:55
SPEAKER_00: And I love that you have kids come back just like re-energized and ready to come back to your studio, just excited to dance.
23:02
SPEAKER_05: Well, I don't know, Timmery, maybe you have a thought on this.
23:04
SPEAKER_05: I, you know, I don't own a studio or but I remember when I was a young dancer and I'd come back from a summer since I would I would show up, you know, the next day as your segment, my ballet teacher would just have hawk eyes on me.
23:17
SPEAKER_05: Like, what changed?
23:18
SPEAKER_05: What is new?
23:19
SPEAKER_05: Like, what happened here?
23:20
SPEAKER_05: You know, and I just remember being like, oh my gosh, you know, and you had improved and you are a different dancer.
23:25
SPEAKER_05: I know summer is sometimes a bit of a void in the business structure of studios, and I've heard from studio owners through Dance Device Lab about sort of being maybe apprehensive to send dancers away because that that is a conflict of the ecosystem of what happens at the studio.
23:42
SPEAKER_05: But I remember this thing of like, you know, the healthy competition of the way a studio can sort of scaffold up year to year and generation and generation.
23:53
SPEAKER_05: I I felt that by whoever went to a summer intensive and that day they came back and everyone, you know, kind of vibing with them and feeling when it's out, and I can feel the whole room and the studio changing.
24:04
SPEAKER_05: So like even having one or two kids go away can affect positively your program.
24:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
24:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I completely agree with that.
24:11
SPEAKER_02: And I think it inspires other kids to go do it the following summer.
24:15
SPEAKER_02: They see the, you know, the growth and the change in the kids that are taking advantage of those things and they're like, wow, that seems really cool.
24:22
SPEAKER_02: Like that seems really great.
24:23
SPEAKER_02: They're getting a lot of things out of that and they're succeeding because of this additional training that they're doing.
24:30
SPEAKER_02: And I encourage it.
24:31
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I don't discourage it.
24:33
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, listen, as long as you are coming to nationals and you're competing, and as long as you're not missing like guest choreography, like we can work around those things.
24:43
SPEAKER_02: I give them I'm like, if you're dancing, if you're missing our technique classes to go take even more hours of dance than you would even be taking coming to your required classes, you're excused.
24:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, double.
24:58
SPEAKER_01: I kind of wanted to go there and actually ask that question because I think that a lot of studios have trouble navigating how to allow dancers to go out and about in the summer.
25:09
SPEAKER_01: And yes, it could be more of a I want to keep you here at my studio for business purposes, or it could be you committed to the team and the team has rehearsals and we have nationals, and you can't miss that because you've committed.
25:24
SPEAKER_01: And if I let you miss, then everyone else is gonna want to miss type of thing.
25:28
SPEAKER_01: So do you do you guys have any advice on that?
25:31
SPEAKER_01: Like, let's say, you know, in your example, Timory, that you said, like, as long as you're at Nationals, but like let's say the summer intensive is in June and Nationals is coming up at the end of June.
25:41
SPEAKER_01: You're cool with them missing rehearsals, even like and hopefully hoping that they're practicing and we haven't run into it.
25:49
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, I understand what you're saying.
25:50
SPEAKER_02: I hear what you're saying completely.
25:51
SPEAKER_02: We haven't run into that too much.
25:53
SPEAKER_02: So we've actually got pretty lucky there with I mean, maybe they'll miss one of you know four or five nationals rehearsals that we're having.
26:03
SPEAKER_02: And I can usually, you know, get past that.
26:05
SPEAKER_02: Or I've even had kids that have been out of town and they're like, Can I FaceTime or Zoom and listen to the like cleaning that's going on because I'm traveling back or whatever?
26:15
SPEAKER_02: And yeah, and they'll do that, or they'll get together with their with their teammates and figure out what they missed.
26:20
SPEAKER_02: It hasn't really been an issue, and I'm really lucky that we have such great families and kids that no one gets super, I guess for lack of a better way to say it, like competitive about well, so-and-so is missing rehearsal because they are at an intensive, and I don't think that's fair because I wanted to go to the lake with my friends that day.
26:41
SPEAKER_02: It's like they really understand that it's for the right reasons.
26:45
SPEAKER_02: So Yeah.
26:47
SPEAKER_01: I think that's just an interesting perspective.
26:48
SPEAKER_01: I feel like that maybe studios might say something like, sure, we support summer intensives and you can go as long as it doesn't conflict with nationals, rehearsals, and nationals.
26:58
SPEAKER_01: So if you are going to attend any, you you know, here's our schedule, and you committed to you agreed to the team's schedule.
27:04
SPEAKER_01: Team comes first, and you know, that gets hard as well for the the parents of of a kid who might have an opportunity.
27:13
SPEAKER_01: Let's say you won an award at a competition that grants you, you know, percentage off to a summer intensive and it falls right into a committed time frame that you agreed to at the studio, then what do you do?
27:23
SPEAKER_01: And I also kind of believe that I feel like nationals have kind of gotten less popular in in the studio world because of the expense of nationals and also the fact that there are so many new opportunities in the summertime for kids to take advantage of where they don't you know, a lot of studios are like, you know what, I don't really want to make them like stuck and glued and committed to my studio.
27:46
SPEAKER_01: Like this is their time to explore outside of the studio.
27:48
SPEAKER_01: And I want them to be able to have a little bit more flexibility in the summer versus the school year, you know, here's the dates you can't miss, whatever.
27:58
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, and I now you're gonna it doesn't hurt to ask.
28:01
SPEAKER_00: It never hurts to ask.
28:02
SPEAKER_00: If you want a scholarship to an intensive and it overlaps by a day or two, ask the intensive, hey, can I come late?
28:08
SPEAKER_00: Hey, can I leave early?
28:09
SPEAKER_00: Ask the studio, hey, can I miss like ask because you know, if if there's a way to make it happen that satisfies all parties, you can't help but ask.
28:18
SPEAKER_00: I mean, they might say no and then you might have to make a decision.
28:21
SPEAKER_00: But, you know, I I do think that there's probably a whole lot more studios out there who would be kind of holding dancers more accountable to the their schedule of nationals and everything.
28:33
SPEAKER_00: I would think that happens probably more than letting it slide even for technique-related classes elsewhere.
28:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
28:39
SPEAKER_00: I'm just thinking about it from a business perspective, but you know, it just doesn't ever hurt to ask.
28:43
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and there's a there's a myriad of experiences too.
28:47
SPEAKER_05: You know, if just because you've got a uh scholarship to uh an intensive doesn't mean that's the one you have to go to, or maybe you could ask, like Leslie's saying, to like me, can we I I have this conflict, etc., etc., can we move it to next year?
29:00
SPEAKER_05: Or you know, there's there's a there are ways to to customize your experience, or you go to a different one.
29:06
SPEAKER_05: Or, you know, I've had studios where if nationals conflicts and maybe you have like 15 kids that wanted to go to a certain intensive, then they'll call me and say, actually, Dance Device Lab, can we just do one in our studio?
29:20
SPEAKER_05: Which, you know, works in certain situations, but I think for studios that are sort of having this conversation with maybe one to three dancers, you know, maybe there's only a couple that are interested in going.
29:34
SPEAKER_05: You know, I always like to remind studio owners if they when they ask me about this, is you know, they're gonna these dancers are gonna leave you one day.
29:43
SPEAKER_05: And their their wings have to be clipped.
29:46
SPEAKER_05: And your job is to train them and give them as many tools as they can have in their shed.
29:52
SPEAKER_05: And part of that is maybe letting them go for a summer or a couple of days.
29:58
SPEAKER_05: Because, you know, that's to me, that's that's the training that I got as a young dancer in a studio of like, I'm gonna give you every single thing I can give you, and then it's your turn.
30:08
SPEAKER_05: And that really allowed me an amalgamation of experiences that let me do it.
30:13
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
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31:23
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
31:24
SPEAKER_01: I think I mean I I think more studios need to take that advice, honestly, um, because I think it it they do get so kind of not everyone, but like many, I and I know of many that kind of get stuck in, well, you know, I want to have control of your training and you committed to me first.
31:40
SPEAKER_01: And like, yes, I'm happy that you want to go, but it doesn't work with the dates and I need you committed.
31:46
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, you know, I mean, you think about it like, okay, well, the kid's gonna miss a really great potentially like life-changing opportunity that could completely inspire them in a different way, or expose them to their first time like living on their own away from home for a few weeks or something like that, or exposing them to a new city or networking with new people.
32:05
SPEAKER_01: I mean, there's so many opportunities at summer intensives, and why limit them by you know, keeping them stuck at the studio all summer?
32:15
SPEAKER_00: And it's not like they're going to the lake.
32:16
SPEAKER_00: Listen, if the kid wants to go to the lake, that's a different story, but like you know, right, these kids are missing for a for a good re a good reason.
32:24
SPEAKER_00: Totally.
32:25
SPEAKER_05: It feels pro-education and pro experience and pro-student.
32:29
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, yeah.
32:30
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
32:31
SPEAKER_01: I agree with all that.
32:32
SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
32:33
SPEAKER_01: Something that I was kind of mentioning a little bit uh to Leslie actually before we we jumped onto this was summer intensives as a as a like a kind of like a stepping stone in your training, and not only in that capacity of, you know, obviously you're gonna you're gonna gain new knowledge and gain new training by attending any summer intensive, but specifically some of those more prestigious summer intensives that are very exclusive to get into, I think it's important to know that those actually can be a resume builder for you.
33:08
SPEAKER_01: That that can go on your resume as training if it's if it's the high level of prestigious training.
33:14
SPEAKER_01: And like some of the ones that I'm thinking of are like SAB and ABT and even Ailey intensives and some some more of the like conservatory concert-based.
33:24
SPEAKER_01: Any other ones off the top of y'all's head that like comes to mind?
33:28
SPEAKER_00: I was just looking up um one that I wish I had known about back in the day, Broadway Theater Project, which sadly is not working anymore.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: They don't, they're not not doing it because of COVID.
33:38
SPEAKER_00: But that was one of the ones that like I met people like everybody I know who went to Broadway Theater Project in the summer as a teenager was on Broadway.
33:46
SPEAKER_00: Like everybody.
33:47
SPEAKER_00: It's just one of those good programs.
33:49
SPEAKER_00: And so, yeah, I think you can, you know, choose wisely what you put on your resume, because no, don't put that you won first overall at dance competition your senior year.
33:59
SPEAKER_00: That's not what we mean.
34:00
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
34:00
SPEAKER_00: But like if, you know, one of the faculty members at the ABT Summer Intensive had you demonstrate all summer, then yes, put that on your resume because that teacher knows who you are.
34:10
SPEAKER_00: And then when you end up, you know, somewhere where they can name you, where this person could get an email and say, Hey, do you remember Leslie Mueller from The Summer Intensive?
34:19
SPEAKER_00: And if that person can say, Yes, I do, that's who you put on your resume.
34:23
SPEAKER_00: You know?
34:24
SPEAKER_01: But even the names too, like if you got into a summer intensive that is audition only, and only 30 kids in America got into that is an achievement.
34:36
SPEAKER_01: And that is huge.
34:38
SPEAKER_01: And if someone reading your resume knows that, they're gonna know, boom, you have amazing technique, and you wouldn't have gotten into this intensive if you didn't have amazing technique at whatever age you were then, you know, and now you're an adult.
34:49
SPEAKER_01: And a perfect example of like how me not going to summer intensives affected me not getting a job.
34:55
SPEAKER_01: And I shared this with with Leslie earlier.
34:57
SPEAKER_01: I was when I was fresh into New York at, I think I was maybe 20 at the time, and I auditioned for the West Side Story International Tour.
35:04
SPEAKER_01: Eventually I booked it, but not then.
35:07
SPEAKER_01: And I didn't book it then, and I will never forget this.
35:10
SPEAKER_01: My agent called me and said, You're on hold for the West Side Story International Tour.
35:14
SPEAKER_01: I'm 20 years old, I'm freaking out.
35:15
SPEAKER_01: I'm like, oh my God, I'm booking my first big job.
35:18
SPEAKER_01: And then two days pass or so, and they check back in with me and they're like, So they're they passed on you because your resume didn't have enough ballet credentials on it and experience on your resume.
35:31
SPEAKER_01: And the other dancer that they were uh comparing you to had a lot of summer intensives on their on their resume and things like that.
35:39
SPEAKER_01: And I was like, oh my God, like no one told me I needed to do that, you know?
35:44
SPEAKER_01: Like, who would have thought that someone got a job over me because they went to a prestigious summer intensive, honestly?
35:52
SPEAKER_01: Like, didn't didn't matter about the dancing.
35:54
SPEAKER_01: We were both on the same level.
35:55
SPEAKER_01: It was just, oh, they have ball better ballet training than what your resume shows.
35:59
SPEAKER_01: Do you know?
36:00
SPEAKER_01: And so I think you know, it I think that's a very rare example, to be quite honest, but I think it's still important to hear because it could be a deal breaker for you when you're first.
36:09
SPEAKER_00: Well, and that's an example of a choreographer who's gonna notice that because the choreographer of that show cares about that.
36:15
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you have to have ballet technique.
36:16
SPEAKER_00: Some people do, some people don't.
36:18
SPEAKER_00: Not necessarily ballet technique, but that listing on the resume.
36:21
SPEAKER_00: You have ballet technique.
36:22
SPEAKER_00: You showed it in the audition, but that choreographer cares about it being written on a resume.
36:27
SPEAKER_00: So you just it's it's one of those we we work in a profession where everyone is kind of fickle, everyone is kind of particular about what they want and what they need, and they can be because somebody had what you didn't have on a piece of paper.
36:40
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
36:41
SPEAKER_00: So, you know, it's almost like you have to sort of throw spaghetti at a wall and see what hits, like what sticks with some things.
36:47
SPEAKER_00: Like, who knew?
36:48
SPEAKER_00: Who knew you needed to go to a summer intensive?
36:50
SPEAKER_00: Nobody told you.
36:51
SPEAKER_00: No one told me.
36:51
SPEAKER_00: That's why we're doing this podcast.
36:55
SPEAKER_05: It's an interesting perspective, and I never really it's funny think thinking of you as a 20-year-old as you're super young and you don't have experience, much experience, because you're young, you know, you haven't there's not many lines on that resume to put on there.
37:12
SPEAKER_05: And to think of someone hiring someone based off of a summer intensive or experience, it's like you think of like all the things that go into summer intensive.
37:20
SPEAKER_05: It's cross-training, it's injury prevention, it's the foundation of technique.
37:24
SPEAKER_05: And if that choreographer can see that, you know, you're super young, but you have experienced those things, you're 20, and I can trust you that you're gonna make it through a, you know, however many week or month international tour, when you're young, that's important versus like, oh, I don't know anything about your training because it just says, you know, your dance studio here.
37:47
SPEAKER_05: And it's like that is a that's a common denominator that people can, you're totally right, referenced.
37:52
SPEAKER_05: I never really thought of that.
37:53
SPEAKER_01: I know it's such a like a weird thing.
37:55
SPEAKER_01: I I truly didn't think of it either.
37:57
SPEAKER_01: And I think that it it really comes, you know, a lot of the summer intensives, like the list of summer intensives that we that we acquired to like kind of research for this episode, majority of them are very concert company based intensives, whether you're going to go on to be a ballet in a ballet company or whether you want to go into a concert dance company.
38:15
SPEAKER_01: And there's not a lot of like commercialized intensives.
38:18
SPEAKER_01: And I think there are more now, but like the prestigious ones that like belong on your resume.
38:23
SPEAKER_01: Like you don't want to put every random, like little tiny intensive that you want to.
38:29
SPEAKER_01: You want to put names that people know that are prestigious, like steps on Broadway.
38:33
SPEAKER_01: I mean, honestly, like that's that's a good one.
38:35
SPEAKER_01: I I think especially more of the ones that they were audition-only and you were selected out of a slim amount of people.
38:41
SPEAKER_01: It shouldn't just be ones that anyone can pay to get into, because yes, you achieve you, you acquired that training and that's great.
38:48
SPEAKER_01: But I think that what really makes more sense are the the ones that were that achievement, that very really hand-selected pick that we see something in you for you know your resume in particular.
39:01
SPEAKER_05: I was thinking about it uh the sort of ratio to to commercial and theater intensives versus concert and ballet intensives.
39:10
SPEAKER_05: And I know I I come from the concert background, but I think what's what I was thinking about was it's interesting in the fact that you know, summer is about training.
39:22
SPEAKER_05: And I feel like that's why a lot of these sort of technical derived intensives come around.
39:29
SPEAKER_05: And I think that's why there's a lot of them because it's like such a wonderful time to just commit to training, to going back down to breaking down things, going back to the beginning elements, working with different people, like that sort of like fundamental, like ballet class, five, six days a week, followed by point class, followed by partnering class.
39:48
SPEAKER_05: Like, I think these concert and ballet and summer intensives can accelerate your dancers in ways that maybe they don't get during the year.
39:58
SPEAKER_05: Right.
39:58
SPEAKER_05: And I'm I'm a full proponent of musical theater and commercial dance and all that.
40:02
SPEAKER_05: But you know, when you're 13, maybe building that technical foundation, I think that's maybe why that they're so successful and there's so many of them.
40:09
SPEAKER_05: Because that to me is like that age is that's paramount.
40:13
SPEAKER_02: Well, to because there are so many conventions nowadays that you can every weekend go to a different convention and do combos and choreography.
40:23
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, if you're going to an intensive that is so much more technique based, then you're getting a different experience than you are if you're following a convention around every weekend.
40:33
SPEAKER_02: Right.
40:34
SPEAKER_02: Or even assisting at a convention every weekend.
40:36
SPEAKER_00: And it's more and over again every weekend.
40:41
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I think that's what's special about the ca the going to the intensives versus comparing it to a convention, nationals, or something.
40:50
SPEAKER_01: You're not crammed in a ballroom with, you know, 500, 600 people, and you're not you're gonna get more individualized attention.
40:58
SPEAKER_01: You're going to get more hands-on, you're going to be in a s in a place and working in a studio space, hopefully, and not, you know, a concrete ballroom floor.
41:07
SPEAKER_01: And I'm not knocking the conventions or competitions that have nationals in the summer.
41:11
SPEAKER_01: I'm I think those are great opportunities too, but I also think that the summer intensives can bring a lot more value in that training aspect that you're talking about, Brandon.
41:19
SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's like I hearing this, it's like, oh my gosh, like throughout the year, the training and the experience is on the output.
41:28
SPEAKER_05: It's on the performing.
41:29
SPEAKER_05: You're going to conventions and learning these commercial things, you're going to competitions, you're on stage.
41:34
SPEAKER_05: And for me, it's like, oh, the summer intensive is my is me time.
41:38
SPEAKER_05: It's it's me as a dancer, not me as my team.
41:41
SPEAKER_05: And that feels like that is totally it can sort of be a good shading for the training that happens throughout the year, which is very um, you know, projected and performance driven.
41:52
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's such a good point.
41:54
SPEAKER_01: And especially because we we very much eat, sleep, breathe conventions and competitions all year long.
41:59
SPEAKER_01: If you're going to a competitive studio, and that's such a great point to think about, like, okay, now it's time to focus on me as a dancer and and you know, me with alongside other new dancers.
42:10
SPEAKER_01: Or maybe you bring a friend along from the studio that wants to experience this with you and at least you have that safety net of another, you know, comfortable friend nearby.
42:18
SPEAKER_01: Or maybe you don't want to go away to a sleepaway camp just yet.
42:20
SPEAKER_01: Maybe you want to try like the week-long intensive where you can still come home to mom every night and sleep in your own bed and share with her your experience.
42:28
SPEAKER_01: And then I do think that it's super beneficial and something I wish that I did when I was younger again.
42:34
SPEAKER_01: Like a sleepaway style intensive or camp is just such a great idea for every kid's experience being on your own.
42:43
SPEAKER_01: Um, obviously with uh chaperones and and camp counselors or whoever it is that is there monitoring what's happening, but you learn a lot.
42:50
SPEAKER_01: I mean, I used to work for a summer dance camp up in New England, and it was uh, they always had activities going on, but then there was sometimes free time.
42:58
SPEAKER_01: And then I was watching kids like learn how to do their laundry for the very first time and like, you know, things like that that like you're oh, you're like adulting a little bit.
43:06
SPEAKER_01: And it would be better for the kids to experience and learn that before they get to college, uh, and have that be the very first time where they learn certain, you know, adulting things like living on their own.
43:19
SPEAKER_01: So that's a great opportunity over the summer to experience it.
43:22
SPEAKER_05: Well, it's interesting you mentioned college because that's something I want to talk about, is that not only are these summer intensives great to, as we talk about experience cultures and cities, but it's also a great way to experience the culture of schools you might be interested in at.
43:38
SPEAKER_05: You know, if you're interested in maybe attending University North Carolina School of the Arts, they have a great summer intensive.
43:44
SPEAKER_05: If you maybe want to go to Juilliard, they have a summer intensive.
43:47
SPEAKER_05: You this is also a way that you can, you know, people do college tours and you go in and you observe a class.
43:53
SPEAKER_05: But we know as dancers, watching a class isn't experiencing it.
43:56
SPEAKER_05: And what a cool way to go to the university you might.
44:00
SPEAKER_05: might be interested in spending four years at for like three weeks working with their faculty, living on their campus, feeling out their spaces.
44:07
SPEAKER_05: And that's a pretty invaluable experience for you know the one time you're gonna get your dance BFA.
44:13
SPEAKER_05: You want to make it right.
44:14
SPEAKER_05: Right.
44:16
SPEAKER_01: Totally.
44:17
SPEAKER_01: I love that advice.
44:18
SPEAKER_01: And I think that's based on our some of the research that we did, we would uh we can pretty much say that I would say that all dance schools that have a BFA dance program that specialize and focus on dance as a major more oftentimes or most likely have some type of summer intensive program that you can go to.
44:37
SPEAKER_01: So that's a perfect way to find some summer intensives.
44:40
SPEAKER_01: Um especially if you just want to you know get training but maybe the local school down the street isn't really where you want to go but you don't have the funds to go far away, go to, you know, you can look up any university that has a dance program and they probably have a summer intensive for you.
44:57
SPEAKER_00: Timmery I'm curious we're kind of up in the college going into college aged people right now, but how how young are some of your students that are going to summer intensives?
45:06
SPEAKER_00: Do you have any little biddies or I know you talked about the mini muse program which I know takes littler littler dancers.
45:12
SPEAKER_02: Yeah I would say the youngest that would do that one would probably be like 11 or 12.
45:17
SPEAKER_02: And they don't and I've had par I've had parents go with them and they kind of stay like in the area but away, you know, like in a ho that maybe the same hotel but they kind of have their own room.
45:26
SPEAKER_02: They're just kind of there and exploring the city and but they're available for their dancer if they need them.
45:31
SPEAKER_02: But then I've had dancers that are in high school that were too afraid to go do it without mom too.
45:37
SPEAKER_02: You know I feel like it's very dependent on the kid and their maturity level and some 10 year olds could handle dancing 12 hours a day and some cannot and some 15 year olds can't handle dancing you know 12 hours a day.
45:54
SPEAKER_02: So yeah it really is dependent on the kid but I do know that the mini muse one I think they take dancers as young as 11 but with audition and then um there's several things you have to kind of go through other than just a dance audition you kind of have to answer questions and so there's other parts of the audition process that they would take into accountability to see if that dancer is ready.
46:17
SPEAKER_00: Well and I think what's it's important talk to also talk about you know some of the options for summer intensives that might like Courtney was mentioning, you know, if you don't have the funds to go far away, if you didn't get into a summer intensive that's an audition based program because listen that's a reality too they some of these programs do not take everyone there's always options to look into if you if your city has a local theater and if your kid's interested in musical theater dance, they may have something going on your local community college, high schools if you know any of the high schools in the area have a robust theater or dance program, they may have something in the summer.
46:52
SPEAKER_00: And then just like Dance Device Lab provides in studio intensives like your studio if if you live in an area that maybe is far away from a hub and you want to give your kids an opportunity to have something that feels kind of bigger and better than you know just your normal let's have class with the same teachers again bring in you know outside people and create your own intensive.
47:12
SPEAKER_00: Because I think the benefits that we've been talking about in terms of just getting more excited about dance in the summer can be achieved at your own studio if you just mold it correctly.
47:23
SPEAKER_02: That's so true.
47:24
SPEAKER_02: Like Omaha even though it's the biggest you know city in Nebraska it wouldn't probably be considered a major hub.
47:30
SPEAKER_02: You know we're we're still several hours from Chicago and Minneapolis and Kansas City's close but still probably not like a huge hub.
47:38
SPEAKER_02: So not a lot of things come here.
47:40
SPEAKER_02: I mean we're lucky that we have a really great ballet company that's local and our ballet teachers are in the studio are from that company and they have an intensive that they hold over the summer which is great for kids that are there are in Omaha there are like 80 dance studios which is insane for a city of Essex.
47:57
SPEAKER_02: I know Brandon you're like wow it's crazy.
48:00
SPEAKER_02: And they're big too I mean really big studios.
48:04
SPEAKER_02: And so we just don't have that much that comes here which is too bad that kids have to travel so far but there's a local uh group of tappers that host you know tap dancers that host rhythm weekend and they bring in outside choreographers and invite dancers of all ages.
48:21
SPEAKER_02: So you've got adult tap dancers youth and they have like a big weekend and that's really great too for dancers that want to specify in that.
48:29
SPEAKER_02: So we're lucky and then we bring in our own intensive in our studio.
48:33
SPEAKER_02: I know a lot of other studios in town do as well and we welcome dancers from other studios that want to come take ours.
48:39
SPEAKER_02: My own students have gone to other studios in town and done theirs as well.
48:42
SPEAKER_02: So it's really nice to have that community here too because it is so hard when you're not in a bigger hub even though we're the biggest city in the state, you know it's different.
48:52
SPEAKER_01: And something that you just said about like studios hosting their own intensives I think that it's awesome that studios want to open up those intensives to other studios or other kids that might be interested.
49:04
SPEAKER_01: And I I just want to kind of throw it out there and and tell everybody take let your kids take advantage of what else is being offered in your dance community and don't feel like that everyone's gonna poach your dancers.
49:17
SPEAKER_01: All right like I think everyone is so afraid of that in this and I get it.
49:21
SPEAKER_01: Like you said, I mean you just said there's 80 studios in in Omaha alone.
49:25
SPEAKER_01: Like you know there's 80 other options of studios to go to but like if I I think we need to just trust a little bit more that your parents and dance families love what you're doing and love the dance family that they've created and established at your studio.
49:41
SPEAKER_01: And especially if the intensive isn't just this is our intensive with our dance teachers and we're advertising our studio.
49:48
SPEAKER_01: But if they're actually bringing in outside guest choreographers and teachers who don't teach there regularly, they're not advertising their studio they're just be they're just being the platform to host it.
49:59
SPEAKER_01: They're just being the space to for you to dance.
50:02
SPEAKER_01: And it really shouldn't have any direct connection to that studio, if that makes sense.
50:07
SPEAKER_01: So I I I've encountered and I'm sure Brandon you probably have the same especially when you're staffing these types of events I've encountered studios that have been like you know we really want to make this happen for our studio but also other studios.
50:18
SPEAKER_01: And then when we open it up to other studios everyone just says no we we don't really want to come and instead of connecting as a community and you know allowing your dancers to be exposed to these great opportunities because smaller studios can't afford to bring out these big name people that might bring a lot of value to their dancers.
50:36
SPEAKER_01: So why not come together and you know collaborate especially over the summer and stop being so afraid of everyone poaching one another.
50:44
SPEAKER_01: I think that's really what it comes down to.
50:46
SPEAKER_00: And then don't poach you know like there's a reason people are afraid and it's because that does things happen.
50:51
SPEAKER_05: But be be the change everyone can we mean Courtney you said it the capital C community like let's invest in our local community.
51:01
SPEAKER_05: I I had a dance device lab studio um last summer I was you know in the thick of COVID they decided not to do nationals and instead and do a bring a dance device lab intensive out and she was the studio owner was telling another studio owner about it and they built their own intensive we we combined studios they one studio hosted it and it was like the best of all the things that we were just saying about going away to an intensive you get to bring guest teachers in you it's way more economical for the family the studio it's a financial benefit for the studio if you can structure it right and you get to work with different dancers that you're not used to working with and it builds a different type of energy and and you're supporting your own community and that is so beautiful.
51:49
SPEAKER_05: I can't tell you how many people I've encountered in New York that I knew grew growing up from Michigan and we never stepped foot inside each other's studios and now we're you know working together and hanging out and all this was like why did we have to wait until we're in our mid-20s or 30s to become friendly.
52:07
SPEAKER_05: Not that we weren't friendly but like that community can start really young and you can build upon that as you continue to grow.
52:14
SPEAKER_01: Yeah totally because I think I think that all of these you know outside intensives that aren't hosted by a studio per se are like you mentioned Brandon like are those those are the moments where you do get to finally see others potentially in your community or from other regions or studios.
52:33
SPEAKER_01: And I think that studios feel more comfortable sending dancers to that and parents you know I don't know how the parents feel because I'm not a parent, but maybe they like that idea as well.
52:44
SPEAKER_01: Whereas if it's the local studio down the street that's hosting some great master teachers, everyone's like no no no we can't go because they're our rivals, you know, type of thing.
52:55
SPEAKER_01: You know, we compete against them all the time and they always win.
52:57
SPEAKER_01: So I'm not I'm not going to that intensive even though I want my dancer to learn from that person.
53:02
SPEAKER_01: You know so it's so true.
53:05
SPEAKER_01: Right.
53:05
SPEAKER_01: It's just class.
53:06
SPEAKER_01: It's just class yeah so um let's wrap up this episode by sharing some summer intensives that we've know about that we've been to that our students have been to that we've attended that we've heard about and we have kind of compiled a list on on our ends and some Leslie and I and Brandon also are based in New York City.
53:28
SPEAKER_01: So I feel like I have a little bit more knowledge on more New York City based intensives than like regional intensives but some of the ones off the top of my head that I know about our Broadway Dance Center always has a summer intensive you're traveling to New York steps on Broadway as well.
53:42
SPEAKER_01: Those are the two main uh studios in New York City that host adult dance classes but they also have youth summer intensives most likely paridance I'm assuming as well has that.
53:52
SPEAKER_01: Drawfree is a big one.
53:54
SPEAKER_01: I think so many people know about drawfree and I think the great thing about drawfree is that they host a bunch of mini intensives throughout the summer with different genre specialties.
54:03
SPEAKER_01: So you can come and focus on musical theater you can come and focus on ballet you can come and focus on jazz tap whatever you want to focus on you can select the the intensive for you and most of the time they happen in New York I don't do they travel and do locations I think they have some Chicago ones.
54:19
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
54:20
SPEAKER_01: Because there's a Joffrey Chicago yeah and that's the other thing I think possibly a lot of these can go on tour and have regional locations that you can look into as well.
54:30
SPEAKER_01: Of course all of the ballet companies that we talked about SAB, ABT, pretty much every ballet company I would say probably has some type of summer intensive for up and coming dancers or youth dancers.
54:41
SPEAKER_01: And also the Radio City Roquettes always have a summer intensive and if that is something that you want to do is your if your dream is to be a Radio City Roquette, I have to tell you you kind of have to do the intensive you don't really have a choice there there's not many rock new Roquettes that get hired if they skipped over the intensive so that is something valuable to know.
55:02
SPEAKER_01: I will second that we you did the show I did the show and pretty much all those you know they might have to work their way up through that intensive year after year.
55:10
SPEAKER_01: And I actually think they end up hiring maybe one or two dancers at the end of their intensive they're gonna be like okay you know great job everybody by the way we're going to welcome two brand new rock cats to the line you know they people get jobs from that intensive so and who knows that could happen at other ones too there are so I mean there are so many like we I we've we've been saying you know check your region you know I know Jacobs Pillow has a great youth intensive in Massachusetts American Dance Festival in North Carolina Bates Dance Festival in Maine there's there are so many that we we think going away means going to a coast you know and we're talking Joffrey's cryway and there's there there's a lot available even if it's um not always in the back of the dance magazine cover yeah yeah some I mean I mentioned Muse and Mini Muse earlier and there's TAPS which is the theater arts preparatory school so they have their you know their 18 month kind of vocational school for um post-high school graduates but then they also have a summer intensive and that's in Vegas minutes through the school and then uh Talent on Parade competition hosts three different summer intensives based on age and those are by uh invitation only and those are all great and they kind of have a different focus based on the age.
56:39
SPEAKER_02: So there's pre-pro which is for like junior aged kids and then progressions which is for that like middle school through kind of you know younger teenagers and then they have their GoPro which is more like upper high school kids you know potentially looking to dance professionally and it's kind of an immersive they put on a show at the end of the week at a theater in Vegas or not in Vegas I'm sorry in Branson.
57:06
SPEAKER_02: And so that's those are really cool ones and then you also mentioned Joffrey and I know one benefit that one of my students said that she really enjoyed about that was living in a dorm for a week in New York City and just experiencing what it would really be like to live there and dance there.
57:21
SPEAKER_02: And then a regional like another regional Midwest one that um some kids have enjoyed is the KCJDI one in Kansas City.
57:29
SPEAKER_00: So nice we have our friends at uh Commercial Dance Intensive who we've had sponsor some of our events previously Commercial Dance Intensive is one of the only I mean it's it's in the name commercial dance intensives uh they happen in the summer and in the winter and they have actually opened up a program for younger dancers I think as young as maybe nine or 10.
57:50
SPEAKER_00: I think it's a smaller, you know shorter event, but they do everything from dance to they create a music video at the end of the week.
57:59
SPEAKER_00: You're taking classes in all different kinds of styles, you're doing headshots, you're doing contracts classes like it's kind of like a very truly intensive program where you truly learn everything you need about the commercial dance world.
58:11
SPEAKER_00: Then if you are in in sort of the modern and contemporary dance world uh up in Chicago Hubbard Street Dance has their summer intensive Giordano is obviously more on the jazz side and then headed up towards Michigan Interlocken is one of the ones that's ones that's been around for years and years that has a really good program.
58:30
SPEAKER_00: And then like we said, check out your colleges almost every college that has a dance program is probably going to have some sort of summer intensive for high schoolers and that'll do the same thing as Timory was mentioning like you're gonna get to stay in the dorm, you're gonna get to stay on campus and learn from the teachers that are going to be there at school if you choose to go to that program.
58:49
SPEAKER_00: And similarly to what we mentioned earlier, you know, you're if you go to the program in the summer, they're they're gonna know you kind of like with the Rockettes.
58:56
SPEAKER_00: It's like you're not guaranteed to get into the program you know for college but at least they've got that eye on you from hey she came for the two summers that we offered you know junior and senior summer.
59:06
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
59:06
SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
59:07
SPEAKER_01: Yeah there's a lot out there y'all for all of our listeners out there over here at IDA, we're gonna compile a list for you of all of the summer intensives that we mentioned and some other ones that we didn't mention with locations and just details on how to learn more about them.
59:26
SPEAKER_01: I know this episode's releasing a little bit later in our season and there might have been deadlines that you will have missed to attend some of these summer intensives for this summer, but don't worry they're around every year.
59:39
SPEAKER_01: So if you missed the deadline put it on your calendar for 2023 and audition for these summer intensives take advantage of all this Dance World has to offer out there across the globe everyone so thank you so much to both of our guests for joining us on this episode and let's have you both lead us out with just one final thought that you'd like to share whether it's to the studios the teachers the parents the dancers themselves about summer intensives.
1:00:09
SPEAKER_02: Okay I just can't say enough good things about the use of summer intensives to just progress a dancer's training and expose them to different things especially for students like mine that are in a you know area of the country that maybe doesn't have a lot of things come to us just trying to travel outside of our region and experience something different from another part of the country.
1:00:35
SPEAKER_05: Yeah I second that on the training and I also think as you've been saying I'm such a proponent of it for becoming a creative person and connecting with your community and meeting like-minded people that you maybe didn't have access to I know for me some are intenses as I didn't know I was gay at the time but a young gay boy who hadn't experienced anything beyond his really really small town being exposed to people and dance and art and the broad community can feel really small where you're growing up, but it's actually really huge.
1:01:11
SPEAKER_05: And for me to connect with that in ways I didn't know I needed to changed me and saved me and I was able to bring that back and take that forward into my life and I couldn't decipher how much that meant to me then but now I know and I think it's really an invaluable experience for young artists.
1:01:34
SPEAKER_01: Thanks for tuning in to this week's episode all about summer intensives be sure to follow our special guests on social media.
1:01:40
SPEAKER_01: You can find Murray at TimmeryCraft and Brandon at brandon underscore corner.
1:01:46
SPEAKER_01: Also we created an exclusive briefing for this episode with a downloadable PDF of all the summer intensives just for you.
1:01:53
SPEAKER_01: Click the link in the show notes now to download and don't forget to donate to our podcast on OP if you love what we do.
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