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Question: Juilliard!?!? Please answer - 10 pts!!?
I'm a freshman in high school!. Ballet is my passion, and Juilliard and the American School of Ballet are my two dream schools!. I am not on pointe yet, and I've only had about two years of casual dance training!. I know it'd be being hard, almost impossible, but I'd be willing to eat, sleep, dream, breathe, and live ballet for my entire high school career just to go to one of those schools!. I would give anything!.

Does anyone have any pointers or advice on what I could do to get started!? Thank you so much in advance!. Best answer gets 10 points!!Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Hi A!.J!.

First, there is no "American School of Ballet!." I think you mean the School of American Ballet (aka SAB) and it's strictly a non-academic ballet academy for students aged 8 to 18!.
http://www!.sab!.org/
Juilliard, as you've surmised, is a performing arts college!. Two totally different programs!.

It's too late for you to get into SAB, since your dance training is not "proportionate" for your age in respect to other SAB students!. (That's their term; check out their website for more admission requirements!.)

As for Juilliard, having a dream is great, but for this school, you really, really need a whopper of a Plan B that you can get equally enthused about because, I'm telling you right now, you're in for a very crushing disappointment otherwise!. My daughter ate, slept, dreamt, breathed and lived ballet since she was 3 years old--attended summer intensives starting at 12, bloody blisters from pointe shoes, dancing through the pain of tendonitis, over 10 hours a week in dance classes--and she wasn't accepted into Juilliard!.

After being accepted to some of the best summer ballet intensives and coached by a Juilliard graduate who thought she had a chance, she was cut after the first cut for the college audition!. She was so shocked that she sat speechless by the posted call-back list all through the next call-back portion, thinking that something went wrong and the Juilliard people would catch their "mistake" and add her name to the list!. After second cuts, she silently got up and led the way out and we made our way back to our hotel room - where she promptly broke down and cried so loud and for so long that I thought the management would come bursting through the door as though someone was being brutalized!.

Don't do that to yourself!. The dance world is not a dream world!. It's a hard and tough world, and the sooner you accept that - and EMBRACE it - will you be ready for the real world of dance!.

So, sure, prepare for a Juilliard audition for the "fun" of it, just to see what it's like!. But if you're smart, you'll start studying up right now on all the other excellent options out there for advanced dance training!. My daughter eventually wound up at another highly selective college dance program that proved to be as challenging as Juilliard (several of the students who've gone there actually were accepted to Juilliard and turned them down; others made it onto Juilliard's waiting list), yet even better for her in the long run because it also offered an equal emphasis in jazz along with ballet and modern (among other factors)!. She supplemented her college program with annual attendance at a contemporary ballet summer intensive for advanced dancers!. Just months after graduating with her BFA, she is now living her "dream" of being a contemporary ballet dancer in a professional company!. But you know what!? IT'S STILL HARD!!!

I've written tons on Yahoo Answers on how to prepare for selective college dance programs!. My answers are open; I encourage you to read them, including lots of tips on how to start preparing for the college search while you're in 9th grade!. I have yet to run across one other Answerer on Yahoo Answers who has any direct knowledge of college-level dancing, much less about what it really takes to get into Juilliard!.

Oh, P!.S!. to musicalpolkadots: Juilliard doesn't care about your high school transcript beyond the fact that you get a diploma!. It's all about talent!. And diversity!. Twenty-four slots: 12 guys, 12 girls, the most talented of different ethnic groups!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Well try to get en pointe!. For one, take as many classes as your can, consider taking private classes to catch you up since you haven't had much training!. But most importantly be dedicated and work for it never let anyone tell you, that you can't!. Never loose sight of your dreams!

also, something that would look really good, is get into the julliard summer intensive, or some other good ballet school summer program!. Good luckWww@QuestionHome@Com

If you really want to get into one of these schools you will have to work REALLY hard and be a great dancer!. You will most likely have to be on pointe to get into one of these schools!. If you're really good right now and are at a local or hometown dance studio you might want to move to an elite dance academy and really consider a performing arts school!. Dance everyday!. My cousin just got into ABT and if you could give me your e-mail I could have her e-mail you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I am somewhat around your age, but many of my friends applied to Julliard!. My suggestions would be to contact the shool, or find out the requirements of academic classes you need to take throughout high school!. It really wouldn't be good if you are an awesome dancer, but they can not accept you because you didn't take the classes they required!. also, look on the site ( http://www!.juilliard!.edu/ ) to see what more they have to offer as far as summer programs and other things like that!. I don't know much about the American School Of Ballet, but I guess the same thing could help!. also, with Julliard, there is a TOUGH competition for getting accepted, so make sure you dance PLENTY! good luck!!!!!!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

In general, to get into any good school, you just have to work as hard as you possibly can!. It's good that you know this early in high school, so you can really make it happen!. Start taking as many classes and practicing for as many hours as you can!. also, if you're in the NY area, you may want to take classes from one of the professors!.

I have several friends who went to Juilliard, and it's a crap shoot - they take only a couple of people out of hundreds!. Good luck!Www@QuestionHome@Com