Joffrey Ballet School (NYC) Summer Intensives

[MaguiRP]

Hello all

Looking for some feedback on the Joffrey Ballet School SI's.  The New York City school, not Chicago.   Lots of mixed views out there.  I know it is not very selective and that the groups tend to be very large.  However, very little out there about the quality of the training or whether it is worth the money.  The list of teachers looks really good. 

 

Any feedback gratefully received.

 

Thank you

[expatballetmom]

1 hour ago, MaguiRP said:

Hello all

Looking for some feedback on the Joffrey Ballet School SI's.  The New York City school, not Chicago.   Lots of mixed views out there.  I know it is not very selective and that the groups tend to be very large.  However, very little out there about the quality of the training or whether it is worth the money.  The list of teachers looks really good. 

 

Any feedback gratefully received.

 

Thank you

I think they its a great first intensive and everything you've said is true but if you want to be in NYC for the summer you can be assured to be dancing everyday and would use the opportunity to also take classes elsewhere while in NYC.

[swanprincess]

I attended Joffrey NYC in 2015, I was 17 at the time and it was my first time travelling internationally by myself

 

The whole experience was great- the chaperones were very good and accommodation was reasonable (dorm rooms with 2 people per room), it was a pleasant living situation. There was an option to purchase a meal plan, however I decided to cook for myself- cooking facilities were limited but it wasn’t impossible.

 

It was about a 20 minute commute from the dorm to the studio; chaperones accompanied us on the subway.

 

NYC is a fabulous city, I enjoyed it a lot! There were also opportunities to go to Broadway shows and ballets at the main theatres.

 

In terms of dancing, if I remember correctly it was around 4 to 5 hours a day, with ballet, pointe, contemporary, modern, acting. I don’t remember there being any character dance, repertoire or pas de deux, but this might have varied between the groups. There was a good range of styles of ballet offered; some teachers were Balanchine trained whereas others taught Vaganova method. The standard was quite mixed, and classes were large (I’d guess about 30 students per class if I remember rightly) but there was individual attention and I felt that I learnt a lot.

 

It perhaps wasn’t the highest standard nor the most prestigious intensive, and in hindsight it was really quite expensive for what we got, that being said it was a great first experience of studying abroad, and New York is an amazing city. I would recommend the summer intensive!

 

I’m happy to answer any questions from as much as I can remember 😅

 

* edited to add- there were also classes once a week or so on nutrition and history of ballet, which were interesting and informative!

Edited March 3, 2023 by swanprincess
Added extra detail

[swanprincess]

As @expatballetmomsaid- it would also be a great opportunity to take classes elsewhere in NYC! “Steps on Broadway” seems to me like the NYC equivalent of Pineapple studio- although I didn’t go there during my time in NYC, I have since taken Elena Kunikova’s online class through Steps and she is brilliant so I would definitely recommend her class if you are in New York 

[MaguiRP]

1 hour ago, swanprincess said:

As @expatballetmomsaid- it would also be a great opportunity to take classes elsewhere in NYC! “Steps on Broadway” seems to me like the NYC equivalent of Pineapple studio- although I didn’t go there during my time in NYC, I have since taken Elena Kunikova’s online class through Steps and she is brilliant so I would definitely recommend her class if you are in New York 

Thank you!!