Interview with Past Summer Intensive Students

Don’t let the cold air fool you! Auditions for the 2011 Summer Intensive Dance Program are coming up fast (January 29, 2011 to be exact). To gain some insight and details on this dynamic program, we took a moment to speak with previous students of the CFB Summer Intensive Dance Program.

Here are some quick facts on each of the students:

Hunter Finnegan – Won 2^nd Place at the World Ballet Competition 2010 in the Preparatory Division and scholarships to Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre & Central Florida Ballet.

Cassandra LeRette – Recently featured as Maria (Clara) in CFB’s 2010 “The Nutcracker”.

Emily Williams – Featured as the Shepherdess in CFB’s 2010 “The Nutcracker”

Kailey Withee – A past member of the CFB Competition Team & Studio Company, she recently moved to New York City to study at the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet where she received a scholarship to the year round program.

What do you gain from the program?

HUNTER: Your technique improves. You learn new dances.

CASSANDRA: You gain technique and experience.

KAILEY: Strength and cleaner technique.

EMILY: Knowledge about dance history, you do not normally get throughout the year.

What do you enjoy most about the summer intensive program?

HUNTER: Meeting new people and dancing.

CASSANDRA: I enjoy taking the large variety and amount of classes with different teachers.

KAILEY/EMILY: New teachers and being around friends all day while learning new dance abilities. It’s also nice having character and acting classes.

What is your most memorable experience from a past summer program?

CASSANDRA: Going to Arabian Nights and doing all of the outside activities!

KAILEY/EMILY: Oooppaa!! Without a doubt, the Orange Level - Character piece from the 2008 Summer Intensive Dance Program. It was a lot of fun to dance and the audience loved it. In addition, learning new Repertory dances are always fun and bring lots of laughs.

What class is your favorite to take and why?

HUNTER: Lyrical or tap. They are fun and different from Ballet class.

CASSANDRA: Ballet because each day your body is different, and I love feeling that I am getting better each day!

KAILEY/EMILY: Variations – you get to put all of your knowledge and hard work to use. Its gives you a glimpse of being a professional ballerina – what you train so hard for.

If you could sum up the program in one word, what would it be?

HUNTER: Fantastic.

CASSANDRA: Amazing!

KAILEY: Challenging and worthwhile.

EMILY: Exhilarating and exciting!