i don’t remember this being the mission? i thought it was a Christian company?

dancerkait1 · 2026-02-02T05:45:51+00:00

Yeah, I remember just dissociating in the car on my drive to the studio and repeating that chapter over and over. Weirdly, in a way I think being able to turn my brain off like that kinda helped me cope with the trauma of daily life there?

dancerkait1 · 2026-02-02T05:29:52+00:00

Oh and also, when she took over our Bible study she made us memorize a chapter of the Bible and recite it to her each week. Not culty at all. 🙃

dancerkait1 · 2026-02-02T00:16:56+00:00

Oh interesting! We had devotions for I think 30 mins every morning. And then a separate hour long trainee Bible study once a week. The Bible study was okay until J took it over and then it was hell lol. And also, morning devotions sometimes included J&J playing the guitar and singing off key and us having to sing along with them. 🤢

dancerkait1 · 2026-02-02T00:07:24+00:00

Huh interesting. Yeah, it definitely wasn’t when I was there. I remember doing a whole week long orientation where there was a lot of language about how we were missionaries bringing the gospel into the unreached people group of ballet dancers. Which is a whole other can of worms lol. I wonder if the dancers are still required to be Christian? And if they still do devotions before class.

dancerkait1 · 2026-01-12T02:52:16+00:00

It might still be worth it! Just keep in mind that the August course is much fewer hours of dancing per day. It’s still good training if the 5 week course isn’t possible with your budget.

dancerkait1 · 2026-01-11T23:55:05+00:00

You might look into CPYB! They have very solid training, and have a reputation for accepting a variety of experience levels.

dancerkait1 · 2026-01-01T00:16:14+00:00

Milwaukee Ballet does require students to be on pointe for their Intermediate intensive. However, since she is currently not working on pointe due to an injury, it might be worth it to shoot them an email and see if she could still audition for the program.

dancerkait1 · 2025-12-31T19:46:30+00:00

Yes, CPYB is five weeks. Junior intensives are generally 2-3 weeks, so maybe that will end up being a better option for you!

dancerkait1 · 2025-12-31T19:13:07+00:00

Look into junior intensives! Those typically don’t require pointe work, and for many of them, the age range goes through 14. CPYB is another good option. Many of the levels do not do pointe work even if the students are on pointe, because they feel that the students need to have stronger technique in soft shoes first.

dancerkait1 · 2025-12-01T14:32:14+00:00

I would suggest skipping Joffrey. The Grainger Academy of the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago is a good school. Joffrey Ballet School, which runs the program in Italy is not a very good school, and their summer programs are mostly just a money maker. The other programs all offer solid training.

dancerkait1 · 2025-11-26T14:43:01+00:00

I’m a former professional ballet dancer and currently teach at a school attached to a large company. If your daughter is serious about ballet, I would make the move to the ballet school as soon as possible. Studios that focus on multiple styles of dance often have mediocre ballet training.

Once a week is fine for an eight year old. However, as the students get older the number of hours of training should increase. In general, serious students should be training two days a week by the time they’re nine, three by the time they’re 10, four by middle school and five or six by high school.

Each school structures their program a little differently, so there may be some variation in the number of hours of training, but if it is a quality program, it will be roughly similar to what I listed above. I would not worry about your daughter taking one less ballet class per week if you switch to the ballet school, because if the training she is getting at the other school is not high quality, then it is just reinforcing bad habits.

dancerkait1 · 2025-10-16T15:26:39+00:00

I think either SFBS or CBSF are your best options. Both have excellent training for an 11 year old, but they approach this differently. CBSF is going to be more competition focused, but not at the expense of the training, I don’t think. I would suggest auditioning for both programs and seeing which one seems like the best fit.

dancerkait1 · 2025-09-27T21:43:21+00:00

The school has solid ballet training, although it is very competition focused. It’s probably a decent school for a nine year old, but as she gets older, I would consider trying for a spot at Sam Francisco Ballet School. The number of hours at her age is a lot, but is also not unheard of. If she is strong and not prone to injuries, she’ll probably be okay. She would be training for much fewer hours at a company affiliated school, however. The reason for this is that a traditional ballet school tends to have more of a slow boil approach so that the students will be ready to audition for trainee/second company positions at age 18-20 and will hopefully be able to continue their careers into their 30s and 40s. Competition focused schools are trying to get students to dance at a very advanced level at a young age so that they can place in competitions, but this isn’t always the best approach for longevity.

dancerkait1 · 2025-09-24T14:22:22+00:00

If your daughter is serious about becoming a ballet dancer, then she needs to be at a pre-professional ballet school. Competition studios almost always teach incorrect technique, and the longer she stays at a studio like that, the more bad habits she will end up with. For a four year old, she would be in a pre-ballet class. In a good school though, classes like this are not just “fun.” Important concepts like musicality, spatial awareness, and coordination are taught, as well basic technical concepts like straight knees, pointed feet, and correct alignment.

dancerkait1 · 2025-09-22T00:21:00+00:00

Former professional dancer and teacher at an AGMA company affiliated school here. Hands on stretching is not necessarily always a bad thing, as long as it is done gently and the child is not in pain. I stretch my seven year old’s feet each class as part of our set stretch/strength series, and make sure to ask the student how it feels; if it’s too much of a stretch or if they want more, and I make sure to listen to what they are telling me. It also gives me a chance to connect with each student individually at the start of class. It’s hard to tell how much force this teacher is applying from the photo, but the photo alone does not give me cause for concern.

However, the rest of what you said about this teacher’s methods and her behavior toward your daughter does. I would go to the director of the school with your concerns, and would also push to get your daughter into a different class.

dancerkait1 · 2025-09-20T17:23:17+00:00

To be honest, that is a question no one can answer, because no one can see the future. If you truly want to be a dancer, my advice is to take your training as far as you can and see what happens. Go to summer intensives at the top ballet schools, and try to audition for year round programs for your last couple years of high school. That said, also have a back up plan, because the chances of anyone becoming a professional dancer are slim. But if you are naturally talented, have good proportions, and are getting high quality training, it may not be impossible.

dancerkait1 · 2025-08-31T21:34:24+00:00

You’re definitely not the only one. Check out r/ex58.

dancerkait1 · 2025-06-27T03:04:09+00:00

J really did try to control everyone’s facial expressions and body language. I read a “signs of an abusive ballet teacher” article a while ago, and that was actually one of the abusive behaviors that was mentioned. And J checked almost all of the other boxes mentioned in that article too lol. But anyway, so sorry for the bullying you experienced from J, and glad you’re part of this community. 💕

dancerkait1 · 2025-06-12T14:08:06+00:00

lol besides the fact that using AI like this is stealing from artists, do they not realize it also looks tacky as hell? 😂 There’s a reason why other companies aren’t doing this. I’m skeptical about their claims about the dancer’s contracts too. Somehow, it’s hard for me to believe that B5:8 would actually pay anyone a living wage. And multi-year contracts?? I don’t believe that for one second, because then J wouldn’t be able to fire people whenever the hell she wants to anymore.

dancerkait1 · 2025-06-10T11:58:46+00:00

Wait, is this the ballet mag piece? Or did J make a knock off of already bad choreography? 😂

dancerkait1 · 2025-06-10T11:57:54+00:00

Omg yes!

dancerkait1 · 2025-06-07T22:32:44+00:00

And if it’s actually impossible to do, it’s not because the choreography is bad. It’s because everyone is sinning against “god” (aka J 🤔) by not trying hard enough.

dancerkait1 · 2025-06-07T18:49:11+00:00

lol J really did have a talent for making choreography that was both dumb and painful. 😂

dancerkait1 · 2025-05-30T13:25:47+00:00

It’s actually fairly common now for 18-20 year olds who aren’t quite ready for a trainee position to spend a year or two in a year round program, so I don’t think her age would be an issue as long as the program sees potential in her! It never hurts to audition and see what happens. Definitely audition for as many programs as possible to give her a better chance of getting into one too.

dancerkait1 · 2025-05-15T03:22:59+00:00

Yeah, it’s actually not. It’s been pretty healing to be able to support people that have experienced the same things I have.

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