Adult Summer Ballet Intensive FAQ
Who can take this intensive?
Anyone from beginner/intermediate to advanced dancers can enroll in the full day intensive. There are no auditions, so no one will be turned away if they want to participate! Classes can be tailored to the dancers who join us and will help you grow as artists and develop your technique. This isn't for absolute beginners, though, so some experience with ballet is needed, at least a year is recommended.
For the evening intensive (for local dancers) classes will be joining the Ballet Vermont company and are taught at an intermediate/advanced level.
For the evening intensive (for local dancers) classes will be joining the Ballet Vermont company and are taught at an intermediate/advanced level.
Who will the instructors be?
Most of the instructors will be Ballet Vermont staff, including Artistic Director Chatch Pregger. We are focused on celebrating and highlighting the excellent teachers in Vermont for this intensive. Other talented teachers will be hired for the intensives, too, and we will be updating the website with names and bios. Keep an eye out on our social media and website for staffing and schedule announcements by late March.
What's the difference between the full day, full day + performance, and the evening intensives?
The evening intensive is June 12th-16th. There will be a full ballet technique class every evening from 6pm-7:30pm. This is geared toward intermediate/advanced dancers within driving distance who can commit to the five evenings and want to really get into some ballet for a week.
The full day intensive is July 17th-21st with multiple classes throughout the 10am-4pm days. The full day + performance intensive will have the same schedule plus around two extra evenings of class/rehearsal with the Ballet Vermont company and the full show day experience and performances on July 22nd and 23rd.
The full day intensive is July 17th-21st with multiple classes throughout the 10am-4pm days. The full day + performance intensive will have the same schedule plus around two extra evenings of class/rehearsal with the Ballet Vermont company and the full show day experience and performances on July 22nd and 23rd.
What's Waterbury & the surrounding area like?
Waterbury is a lovely town in central Vermont that has a lot going for it! It's close to many hiking trails and swimming holes if that's your thing, and is home to cute stores and several great food options like Prohibition Pig and Stowe Street Cafe. Plus the Ben & Jerry's factory is right around the corner! Burlington, Stowe and Montpelier are all easy drives and are packed with fun things to do and see. Waterbury definitely lives up to the friendly Vermont reputation and we'd be happy to give you recommendations, too. Check out Discover Waterbury in the meantime!
What's the housing, transport & food situation?
Dancers will be responsible for their own housing, transportation and food. Check out local AirBnbs and hotels in Waterbury, Burlington (35 min), Montpelier (15 min), Stowe (20 min) for accommodations. You could come with your ballet best friends and share a place together and carpool to make things more affordable, too. There are several great restaurants in the area as well as a grocery store a 3 minute drive/17 minute walk from the studio, and we have a kitchenette with a microwave, fridge, and kettle at the studio. We recommend renting a car when you get here.
The most convenient airport is Burlington International Airport (BTV), which has car rentals in the terminal.
The most convenient airport is Burlington International Airport (BTV), which has car rentals in the terminal.
I'm not enrolled in the performance aspect of the intensive - will I still get to learn some repertoire?
Yes! Repertoire will be a combination of work by our choreographers AND classical ballet repertoire from pieces such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote and more. The Farm to Ballet performance is made up of different classical ballet pieces from major ballets, so even if you aren't intending to perform at the end of the week, this is an incredible chance to learn much-loved and ever popular classical ballet rep.
Can I take other classes at Ballet Vermont outside of the intensive?
Absolutely! Our weekly schedule is shifting all the time- so it will probably look different than it does now in the summer. However, there will be regularly scheduled evening classes that you can check out while you are in town. Grab a drop-in or 5-class card on our app (available on the App Store and Google Play) when you get here.
