Over Mardi Gras break, I attended an audition for Ballet Austin’s Summer Intensive program. Summer intensives are a long-standing form of dance training, especially in the ballet world, made up of multi-week sessions where students train daily with different instructors, often at reputable ballet schools in unfamiliar cities. These ‘boot camp’ style trainings are high intensity and designed to push a dancer’s limits. It is an excellent way for dancers to make connections and improve their technique and endurance. For many, this is also a first introduction to the professional dance environment that helps them determine if a career in dance is something they want to pursue. For young dancers, this is an incredibly valuable experience, and it’s taking place over the summer to ensure dancers can be at their best for audition season in August and September. 

My audition over break was for Ballet Austin, a company founded in 1956 and now considered to be America’s 12th largest classical ballet school. This company holds auditions all over the United States, mine being in Houston. The audition was two hours and organized like a typical ballet class, with around 20 dancers of various ages. I really enjoyed the audition process and the company of the other dancers I got to meet. Overall, I am very excited to have been accepted to Ballet Austin and will be attending the second three-week session of the intensive over the summer. I hope to make new friends and see some familiar faces while I train in the timeless art of dance.