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From Scarlett -
Hi! My name is Scarlett and I'm trying to go to the Dance Theater of Harlem's summer intensive classes this year. It would be a totally new and inspiring experience for me; it would really help me improve my technique and expand my knowledge in ballet. I've been taking classes with the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) for about 5 years, and have started taking my school's dance course this school year.
Most of my classes have been spent with NOBA; their great program brings new teachers and shows every year, especially during the summer, and really helps the dancers in their program grow. If I go to Dance Theater of Harlem's summer intensive, I'll get even more experience from learning from other teachers, learn new ways to do preform a move or a piece, and I'll also be able to go to New York for the first time, all on my own!! I’m so lucky!
Thank you so much for anything that you can do. If I get to go I’ll upload lots of pictures and tell everyone all about it!!
From Scarlett’s mom –
Hi there, I wanted to say a few things, too. Scarlett has been dancing since she was a wee little thing. Since moving to New Orleans, dancing a couple times of week has morphed into a serious, full-fledged intensive training program. For several years now she has danced for at least ten hours a week. She has promoted through the New Orleans Ballet Association’s ranks (http://www.nobadance.com/aboutnoba.cfm)
from just being a community dancer to now being a pre-professional dancer at the orange (intermediate/auditioned) level.
This year, she dances with NOBA four days a week, 11 hours a week, plus an additional 5 hours a week at her academic school, Lusher Charter. The picture of her is Scarlett dancing with one of her primary ballet teachers Donald Williams, himself an alum of Dance Theatre of Harlem. It was Mr. Donald who recommended she do the local audition when DToH came to town last weekend. You can't imagine how thrilled she was when she was not only accepted but into the intermediate/advanced program! (I suspect I was even more excited than she was.)
It is easy to think of dancing as just something “fun” that a child does, and while this absolutely is fun, Scarlett loves every second of it (or she wouldn’t be doing it), it’s hard work, too. She has an amazing work ethic, and all of her teachers regularly commend her for fully throwing herself into everything she does. I couldn’t be more proud of her.
There’s no way to tell what will happen in the future, but I have no doubt that if Scarlett continues to love doing this as much as she does now, she will make a profession of it. While NOBA provides incredible training and experience, going to an actual dance company like this one (which specializes in ballet, Scarlett’s area of preference), would be incomparable experience for her to use later in her life, whether as a professional dancer, a teacher, a choreographer, or someone who just dances for the joy of it (or even better, all of the above!!).
Not to mention as a newly minted 13 year old, getting to go to New York on her own for a month will be a truly formative event. She is already intelligent and motivated and responsible, but needing to be all of those things without having mom there in the background ready to jump in at a second’s notice is a step some kids don’t get until they’re 18 and leaving parent’s home for the first time. As nerve wracking as that would be for me, I think it will be a great experience for her. She’ll get to stretch her wings so to speak, and in the process she’ll learn what she’s really capable of, all on her own.
This is the fee breakdown for the Dance Theatre of Harlem summer intensive II (intermediate/advanced level; http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/school/summer-intensive
Summer Intensive 7/18/16 – 8/13/16: $1200
Registration Fee: $200
24/7 chaperoned housing and meals: $2475
Travel (driving, motels): $1200
+ incidentals, Total = $5500
Any help we could get in sending her on this potentially life changing experience would be appreciated from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you!!
Hi! My name is Scarlett and I'm trying to go to the Dance Theater of Harlem's summer intensive classes this year. It would be a totally new and inspiring experience for me; it would really help me improve my technique and expand my knowledge in ballet. I've been taking classes with the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) for about 5 years, and have started taking my school's dance course this school year.
Most of my classes have been spent with NOBA; their great program brings new teachers and shows every year, especially during the summer, and really helps the dancers in their program grow. If I go to Dance Theater of Harlem's summer intensive, I'll get even more experience from learning from other teachers, learn new ways to do preform a move or a piece, and I'll also be able to go to New York for the first time, all on my own!! I’m so lucky!
Thank you so much for anything that you can do. If I get to go I’ll upload lots of pictures and tell everyone all about it!!
From Scarlett’s mom –
Hi there, I wanted to say a few things, too. Scarlett has been dancing since she was a wee little thing. Since moving to New Orleans, dancing a couple times of week has morphed into a serious, full-fledged intensive training program. For several years now she has danced for at least ten hours a week. She has promoted through the New Orleans Ballet Association’s ranks (http://www.nobadance.com/aboutnoba.cfm)
from just being a community dancer to now being a pre-professional dancer at the orange (intermediate/auditioned) level.
This year, she dances with NOBA four days a week, 11 hours a week, plus an additional 5 hours a week at her academic school, Lusher Charter. The picture of her is Scarlett dancing with one of her primary ballet teachers Donald Williams, himself an alum of Dance Theatre of Harlem. It was Mr. Donald who recommended she do the local audition when DToH came to town last weekend. You can't imagine how thrilled she was when she was not only accepted but into the intermediate/advanced program! (I suspect I was even more excited than she was.)
It is easy to think of dancing as just something “fun” that a child does, and while this absolutely is fun, Scarlett loves every second of it (or she wouldn’t be doing it), it’s hard work, too. She has an amazing work ethic, and all of her teachers regularly commend her for fully throwing herself into everything she does. I couldn’t be more proud of her.
There’s no way to tell what will happen in the future, but I have no doubt that if Scarlett continues to love doing this as much as she does now, she will make a profession of it. While NOBA provides incredible training and experience, going to an actual dance company like this one (which specializes in ballet, Scarlett’s area of preference), would be incomparable experience for her to use later in her life, whether as a professional dancer, a teacher, a choreographer, or someone who just dances for the joy of it (or even better, all of the above!!).
Not to mention as a newly minted 13 year old, getting to go to New York on her own for a month will be a truly formative event. She is already intelligent and motivated and responsible, but needing to be all of those things without having mom there in the background ready to jump in at a second’s notice is a step some kids don’t get until they’re 18 and leaving parent’s home for the first time. As nerve wracking as that would be for me, I think it will be a great experience for her. She’ll get to stretch her wings so to speak, and in the process she’ll learn what she’s really capable of, all on her own.
This is the fee breakdown for the Dance Theatre of Harlem summer intensive II (intermediate/advanced level; http://www.dancetheatreofharlem.org/school/summer-intensive
Summer Intensive 7/18/16 – 8/13/16: $1200
Registration Fee: $200
24/7 chaperoned housing and meals: $2475
Travel (driving, motels): $1200
+ incidentals, Total = $5500
Any help we could get in sending her on this potentially life changing experience would be appreciated from the bottom of our hearts. Thank you!!