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Take Two

For aspiring ballerinas, summer intensives can provide a leg up

By Take Two Staff
Published Mar 11, 2014
Ballet student Adele Hall stretches before a Level 7 class at Westside Ballet School on Thursday, March 6, 2014. Hall was one of 90 students that tried out for Boston Ballet's summer intensive program in January.
Ballet student Adele Hall stretches before a Level 6 class at Westside Ballet on Thursday, March 6, 2014. Hall was one of 90 students that tried out for Boston Ballet's summer intensive program in January at the Santa Monica dance studio.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Ballet students Allegra Davis, left, Girogia Zabriskie and Erin Power rehearse choreography during a class at Westside Ballet School in Santa Monica.
Ballet students Allegra Davis, left, Girogia Zabriskie and Erin Power rehearse choreography during a class at Westside Ballet School in Santa Monica.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Ballet student Allegra Davis takes part in a Level 7 class on Thursday March 6, 2014. The school first opened in 1967.
Ballet student Allegra Davis takes part in a Level 6 class on Thursday March 6, 2014. The school first opened in 1967.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Dancers rehearse to piano during a class at Westside School of Ballet.
Dancers rehearse to piano during a class at Westside School of Ballet.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Ballet student Girogia Zabriskie puts toe pads inside her pointe shoes before an advanced class at Westside Ballet School. Broken toes and tendonitis are common in ballet.
Ballet student Girogia Zabriskie puts toe pads inside her pointe shoes before an advanced class at Westside Ballet School. Broken toes and tendonitis are common in ballet.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Ballet student Sofia Roshin takes part in an advanced class at Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica. In 2012, 15,600 people were employed as dancers in the U.S. and those numbers are projected to grow less than 1 percent a year for the next 10 years.
Ballet student Sofia Roshin takes part in an advanced class at Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica. In 2012, 15,600 people were employed as dancers in the U.S. and those numbers are projected to grow less than 1 percent a year for the next 10 years.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)

Take Two translates the day’s headlines for Southern California, making sense of the news and cultural events that affect our lives. Produced by Southern California Public Radio and broadcast from October 2012 – June 2021. Hosted by A Martinez.

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Listen 4:11
For aspiring ballerinas, summer intensives can provide a leg up

Minutes before her audition with Boston Ballet, 16-year-old Anna Barnes ran through her list of things to remember: Shoulders down, legs turned out, stretch. Oh, and keep the nerves in check.

"It's really hard," she said. "You can just go crazy in your mind and that never helps."

Barnes was one of about 90 aspiring dancers who gathered at Westside Ballet in
Santa Monica in late January to try out for Boston Ballet's summer intensive program.

Summer intensives, which run for several weeks at ballet companies across the country, are seen as a critical stepping stone for young dancers wanting make it in the ultra competitive professional ballet world. 

KPCC's Mary Plummer has the story.