<p>Stars-
I too want to add regarding dance, if you are only doing 1 do ballet, however one, one hour class a week is really not sufficient to make ballet that helpful. My D is young, like yours, but dances ballet 5-6 days a week and it has made a huge difference for her in terms of parts she will be considered for. She has been cast in semi-professional prodcutions over students at good college MT programs because she can dance. But a once a week ballet class at a studion that “does it all” is probably not a very strong dance class. If that is your choice, then I would say do tap. As jasmom’s suggested, tap is a different beast and skill set, and reasonably good progress can be made at a once a week level over time.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input! </p>
<p>Ontherun, I’m going to see if my daughter has that girl’s email so the parents can get a copy of the DVD. Wow, such confusion! But yes, unfortunately, they did tell her that if she didn’t get a better part, she wasn’t going to come back next year and that they weren’t even going to drive up to see her this year! That to me, is even worse. But I did meet them, and they seemed so nice…they’d have to be here to pick her up anyway so I don’t get that…but we never know.</p>
<p>As for dance…my daughter began ballet at age 3 and progressed and then did Nutcracker with her ballet school - they danced with the NYC ballet/and ABT…but the rehearsals began in Sept and every weekend, SAT and SUN, until December…but on top of that, they had to be in 2 1.5hr classes per week when she began nutcracker at age 6…then it got even more…3/4 classes per week at 1.5hrs each plus modern or jazz. </p>
<p>It just cut right into everything…I do agree for posture and flexibility it is great…but my daughter will never be a professional ballet dancer nor does she want to be (thank goodness because her feet are a mess!). We saw the head of sports medicine at the Hospital for Special Surgery in NYC who takes care of Broadway and sports people as well as the Rockettes…By age 10, she had 4 bunions on her feet, fallen arches, hammer toes, and was turning in despite good training but the dr said she would never be a dancer but could do broadway…she has to get wide shoes for everything…She’s 11.5 and wears a size 9 and is very embarrassed by it. Her hip is what is causing all the problems…the turn in so he recommended floor barre, pilates and some rotator discs and bands to exercise with …</p>
<p>Last year, she did ballet twice a week, plus began jazz and tap and loved that more than ballet…it built so much confidence in her and made much more difference in her stage performance than ballet had - maybe it was the teachers I don’t know. It just seems there aren’t enough hours in the day and with the voice and voice intensives and plays, i feel my head spinning already! I think I really nice alternative is lyrical…combo of both jazz and ballet…she liked it but the times were not conducive to the class…</p>
<p>Yea, I was not in Aida that session, but I still ordered and recieved a copy of the dvd. That is a weird mix up.</p>
<p>My S was having fun talking to old friends from SDM who have registered on Face Book’s SDM group. He 's had a number of them contact him. Since he had to stay at OCU for rehearsals during fall break he had a little time on his hand. He even had me send his cast list so he could look them up. I’m so glad I’ve kept all his programs with the internet it is wonderful the support these kids have for each other. It is so important in this often discouraging passion.</p>
<p>Clueless…I feel the bonds that my D made with kids over the summers she spent there, are neverending. To this day, she is in daily contact with many close pals from SDM who now attend many of the BFA programs, or have graduated or are working on Broadway, tour or off Broadway. I just feel that even though many are spread apart now (though she is working with some right at her school too), they will likely come together again in the future. The theater world is not THAT big. No matter where they are, however, they are very close. My D misses being with them all every summer now that her SDM years are over. However, she is managing to see many of them during the school year which she wasn’t as able to do in the past (given where we live, where they live, etc.). If some come into the city from time to time, they always visit her. This past summer, the job my D took out of state at a professional theater was within an hour from her best friend from SDM who attends CCM and one BIG part about her being excited about that job was how much time she could spend with her friend from SDM all summer who she doesn’t see too often. Over New Year’s, she is traveling back to Florida where she has gone several years in a row, to be with several Stagedoorians who live there and some who will travel there. She’ll stay with a very close friend who goes to UMich’s BFA in MT Program. Stagedoor was not only a huge influence that played a significant impact on my D’s life, but it just never ending. Recently, a director, musical director and choreographer whom she had worked with there called her in for an audition for a show in NYC. </p>
<p>The ties, the friendships, all continue on. I think lots of these kids will meet up again when college is over, when they all come to NY. I agree with you that the support system is very strong long after their days in Loch Sheldrake have ended!</p>
<p>By the way, I FINALLY got to see the Stagedoor Documentary movie after all this time!</p>
<p>Hi, I’m going to SDM this summer and have a few questions. Is it easier for boys to get larger parts than girls there? Like, what’s the ratio? Also, what’s their cell phone and computer policy? Can parents visit? Thanks!</p>
<p>Hi jg6970! I went to SDM for a few years and I’d be happy to give you the lowdown.</p>
<p>It is easier for boys to get bigger parts than girls for the reason that there are far more girls than boys and therefore more girls trying to get a limited number of parts. The ratio is about 1:3.5 or so. Their cell phone policy is that you are allowed to bring one, but for the first week of each session you must give it to the office. They want kids to adjust to life without parents/outside life. (Unofficially, I always kept mine. You can hide it and most counselors won’t really care as long as you are discrete about it.) You are allowed to have a computer, but there is no internet. I brought my laptop and we watched movies on it and used it to play music. So I thought is was worth it, but you may not. Parents can visit on Performance weekend. The last weekend of each session is performance weekend, when you put on the show you have been working on for the last 2.5 weeks. Most parents come up then and enjoy several shows, which are on a rotating schedule (one day you perform at night and the other day you have a matinee). </p>
<p>I hope this helped. If you have any other questions you should feel free to ask. You can also pm me if you want to know anything more personal about the camp. Happy Thanksgiving!</p>
<p>Im just curious what are the other performing arts sleepaway camps, besides STM, are there that are really good?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>Walnut Hill in Mass, and Interlochen in MI are both year round schools that offer very good summer programs.</p>
<p>French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts is really great. Had 2 sons attend for years, and come back as Directors!</p>
<p>One other thing to add about SDM for jg,-my son attended for a few years-we used to mail him letters by snail mail because he liked to receive “news”. Then he let us know that kids were allowed to receive faxes and they used to put them up on a bulletin board outside the office. I would fax him several little short notes a week just to say hi and let him know we were thinking of him. His grandparents did this too so he would receive several pieces of mail a week. He did bring his cell phone but did not get great service so speaking was not as often as we liked. As IJE said, boys do get more parts because of the lower ratio of boys to girls but it depended on the show too. Son loved his experience there but it is very different from other programs so research it a little to see if it is what you are looking for in a summer experience. SDM is very much about the final shows. There are classes but I believe the shows are more of a focus. Other programs put more emphasis on classes. It is a question of what you want to gain out of your summer experience.</p>
<p>That is not the case at all. The shows are very important, but so are the classes. There are amazing classes to take there. There are Master acting, voice and dance classes. There are vocal coaching, directing, audition, modeling, movie making, screen acting, and many other classes. Also, there is a show called the Our Time Cabaret, that is another show that kids can perform in. It features the best performers and it is an extra hour long show that you do in addition to the show you are doing. You audition for it when you audition for the normal shows and if they want you, you get a callback. Then from the callback they select a group of 30-45 people. It is the most amazing experience to be a part of. SDM is a very well rounded experience of classes, performance and friends. And I know many of these programs from first or second hand experience and SDM is the most well rounded and professional program that there is.</p>
<p>I would say in “judging” the good performing arts camps you have to look at their acceptance rate, alumni, production quality. from people who have attended everything from SDM, to MPulse, to Walnut Hill, and Blue Lake they all loved Interlochen for its intense training and professional quality productions. wow sorry for that preachery schpiel, i just want people to be able to experience the “wonderfulness” of Interlochen.</p>
<p>Interlochen is a very good program, I just find it to stuffy and rigid to be a productive creative environment. You will have good training there, but it is just not as fun as most other camps, especially stagedoor. Plus uniforms take away so much of an individual’s personality. And sky blue? No good. And blue lake is just crap. I’m sorry if i offend anyone, but it is not worth the property that it stands on. Don’t go there!</p>
<p>I had so so so so so so much fun there. it’s not at all like the pretentious stuffy persona people view it as. and one of the reasons we’re in uniform is because there are so many tourists over the summer that they need to keep tabs on us, and you would be amazed at what everyone does to their uniform- i believe making it more of a chance to be an individual. For me it was not stuffy at all, far from it…did you attend IJElkiss?</p>
<p>I did not attend, but I have visited many times and I have several friends who have gone there. I am from MI and I know the program well I guess different people have different experiences. With stagedoor, i feel that you get all the same great training, but in a more fun environment.</p>
<p>Interlochen is an amzing program. Such talent comes out of there. Does anyone know if they look at academics as well as talent for admission?</p>
<p>I’m not sure, but I don’t think so. Here is the link so you can check out the admission info. <a href=“http://www.interlochen.org/[/url]”>http://www.interlochen.org/</a></p>
<p>The summer program does not consider academics. The boarding school does.</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, do you know what the academic requirements are for the boarding school?</p>