Why Summer Programs Are Important
Every university and business has their interview process; a way for both the applicant and the institution to try each other on for size and see if it's a good match. For ballet dancers, this process begins long before college and job applications. I attended my first summer program at San Francisco Ballet School when I was fifteen years old. I remember the school auditions in January and February--feeling much more confident when the auditions were held at our studio--we had the "home advantage" so to speak. I remember sizing up the competition, banding with my friends for support and solidarity--but once the audition class started, we were on our own. We had about an hour and a half to prove to a new set of teachers that we deserved to study at their school. We pointed our feet until they cramped, and treated each combination as if it were a performance. In the weeks following, we waited like nervous High School seniors, for letters of acceptance or rejec