I did ballet from the time I was 3-11 once a week, and I decided to return to it last February at 14. February through June was spent trying to relearn old steps and learn a lot of new things I hadn't known before. This year, when I started again in September, I came back to ballet loving it so much more than I did last year. After getting over that initial hump of getting "back on the horse" so to speak, I realized just how much I've missed dance. Currently I'm dancing an hour and thirty minutes three times a week (4 hours and thirty minutes in total - the most classes I can take where I go) and 45 minutes of pointe (part of that 4.5 hours). I've improved so much since last February, but I still have a lot to learn, and even with taking the most class I can take, I still feel like I want to be doing more. I'd like to go to college to either major or minor in dance theory; dance or music (since I play violin) would what I want to go to school for. I'm not looking to become a principal in the ABT or anything, but if I got the chance (and I know the chance is infinitely small even with hard work), I'd love to just be in the corps of a small company. That aside, I'm not sure where to go from where I am now. I live in New England, about an hour and a half away from Boston. Right now the issues for moving forward are a. Money - my family isn't poor, but there's been financial problems with family etc. so my parents don't have a ton of money to spend b. Commute/time commitment - my parents don't want me spending hours commuting to dance because they're afraid I won't focus on school c. Age/skill level - I'm not sure where I'd be accepted due to my okay technique and age (15) I'd love to join Boston Ballet's program, but I don't think I'm quite nearly advanced enough to join their pre-professional program, and it costs quite a lot. Not only that, but my parents aren't willing to drive me into Boston each day for dance, even if it wasn't for the pre-pro program. The only way I'd be able to get around that is driving myself, which I should be able to do by next year. But still, money remains an issue, as well as my parents not wanting me spending that much time on commute. I was also thinking about attending classes/a program at the Peabody Institute, but again, that's almost an hour and a half away. No problem for me, but my parents would definitely say no just because they'd be worried that I wouldn't have time for schoolwork. Other than that, there's a studio that goes by the ABT syllabus about 15-20 minutes away. Only problem is that I'm not sure what level I'll be placed in, and at the lowest possible level they'd place me in (I'm not sure since I don't know how much focus there is on technique at this studio), I'd be dancing 4 days a week for an hour and thirty minutes. My parents would be paying $2700 a month, and I don't think they're willing to bump up the cost of me dancing by $2500 for one extra day of dance. I'm 15 right now, and I will be 16 by the time June rolls around, so I want to get the best and most intensive training I can get in the next two years before I go to college/whatever. I'm just feeling kind of stuck right now, because it seems like everywhere I turn there's a wall staring back in some way. That said, I'd be willing to do something like get a job to pay for tuition/commute if it meant I could be dancing how I want to be. Any advice, personal experience, etc. is greatly appreciated.
