central florida BALLET: May 2017

Thursday, May 25, 2017

Madison Spack talks college auditions and her decision to attend Butler University

During the past few months, Academy Student, Madison Spack (age 18) has traveled across the United States to audition for prestigious college programs. She was awarded scholarships to the Boston Conservatory and Butler University.

In our interview below, Madison shares her audition experiences and why she chose to attend Butler University this Fall.

Academy Student: Madison Spack

When did you start classes at the Ballet Academy of Central Florida and what do you want your college major to be?
I started dancing at Central Florida Ballet when I was two and a half years and came back when I was eleven. Now leaving CFB, I will be majoring in dance performance and a possible second major in kinesiology.

What colleges have you applied to?
I applied/auditioned for eight schools. Florida State University, University of South Florida, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Butler University, New York University, SUNY Purchase, Boston Conservatory and Juilliard.

What is your dream college to be accepted to (or have already been accepted to)?
My original dream school for dance was Juilliard, because who wouldn't want to dance at Juilliard, as well as NYU. But I couldn't be happier with my decision to attend Butler.

Pictured: Academy Student, Madison Spack (right),

during partnering class at the Washington Ballet's Summer Intensive.

Why did you choose Butler University?
I chose Butler University because they have an amazing dance department and the academics of the University. Dancing at Butler will allow me to further my training and gain new perspectives to improve my technique and have many performance opportunities. At the same time I will also be able to get a college education with another major in kinesiology so I can go to physical therapy school in the future.

How have you auditioned for the colleges? Video submissions or in-person auditions?
I attended live auditions for all eight schools. Some of the schools travel and hold auditions all around so it is more convenient but for most of them I went to the schools themselves to audition. This also helps you get a good idea of the possible atmosphere you would be dancing in.

Academy Student, Madison Spack, strikes a stunning arabesque

in front of the David Koch Theater in New York City.

Is each school's application process similar?
Each school's application process was pretty similar. First I would do the application to be accepted into the school academically, then I would fill out the dance application. As for the auditions, you start with a typical ballet class and then depending on the school you might have a modern or contemporary class and then perform a solo of our choice for them.

What would be your best tip for someone applying to college for dance?
My advice for college auditions is to be smart. Simple enough, but really focus on dancing your best and being clean in everything you do instead of trying to impress them but end up with sloppy technique. Another thing to remember is that they aren't just auditioning you, you are auditioning the school to see if it would be a right fit for you and if you could really see yourself dancing and improving there.

Academy Student, Madison Spack, in various roles

of Central Florida Ballet's The Nutcracker

What have you learned from Central Florida Ballet that has helped you in your auditions?
Training at Central Florida Ballet has taught me to pick up combinations quickly, which is really important in auditions. I have also learned to be both technical and artistic while dancing. The teachers here have really prepared me to be a strong and consistent dancer.

What has surprised you most about applying to colleges? And do you have a funny/interesting story to tell from your audition travels?

One of the most surprising things for me was seeing how small the dance world can be while being big at the same time. I would always recognize people at my auditions or had maybe danced with them in the past at a summer intensive. Even before the classes began everyone was so friendly and I made friends at all my auditions. One in particular, I met a girl while warming up for class and we stuck together for the rest of the day. When we got out of class apparently our moms had done the same thing and we didn't even know it! Complete coincidence.

Academy Student: Madison Spack

For more information about the Central Florida Ballet & Academy, please visit www.centralfloridaballet.com or call 407-849-9948.

***New Students dance for free in August***
Book your spot by emailing mrivera@centralfloridaballet.com

Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Jenna Latham: The Road to Butler University

Jenna Latham, age 17, is in the process of transitioning from Academy student to joining a college dance program this Fall. Read our interview below to learn about Jenna's experience auditioning for colleges across the country and her decision to attend Butler University!

Pictured: Academy Student, Jenna Latham

When did you start classes at the Ballet Academy of Central Florida and what do you want your college major to be?
I officially became a student at BACF when I was a sophomore in high school, but I participated in the summer intensives prior to enrolling in the full program. I’m going to college to major in dance and hopefully minor in environmental studies.

What colleges have you applied to?
I applied to the University of Arizona, Butler University, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, Boston Conservatory, Pointpark University, and Dominican University of California (Alonzo King LINES BFA program).

Pictured: Academy Student, Jenna Latham

What is your dream college to be accepted to?
It’s hard for me to choose one school that I love the most. Each of them have different strengths, my top schools are Butler University and Dominican University. Butler has great classical ballet training, and Dominican is known for a more contemporary approach to ballet.

How have you auditioned for the colleges? Video submissions or in-person auditions?
For all my auditions I chose to do in-person auditions. I found that my best experiences and results came when I auditioned at the school.

Pictured: Academy Student, Jenna Latham, warms up at the barre

Is each school's application process similar?
A lot of the schools use the common app which makes it really easy to apply for a bunch of schools at once. Within each university the dance programs require a completely separate application from the academic application. Most do not require videos, but a few do.

What would be your best tip for someone applying to college for dance?
Do your research. Finding the right college was difficult because I wanted to keep training vigorously while also learning new things. There are some seriously incredible programs out there that still provide the same training and performance opportunities as working companies, but finding them takes a lot of time on the internet.

Pictured: Academy Student, Jenna Latham

What have you learned from Central Florida Ballet that has helped you in your auditions?
CFB has helped me become a better dancer technically, but beyond that I have learned how to keep cool headed and light hearted in auditions. I learned that little mistakes aren’t deal breakers and that showing off your style and personality is what the judges really want to see.

What has surprised you most about applying to colleges? And do you have a funny/interesting story to tell from your audition travels?
Until this year the concept of dancing in college seemed pointless because I didn’t realize there were so many good programs out there. What surprised me most was how wonderful the class auditions were. My skepticism of college dance has completely fallen away after my experiences. So, there was one weekend where I had both my NYU and Boston audition within 24 hours of each other, and unfortunately, I left my ballet shoes in New York. I went into my Boston audition with as much confidence as a barefoot ballerina could. Fortunately the teachers were extremely kind and considerate of the situation. Right as I was losing hope for the rest of class my mom was able to discretely slip me a brand new pair of shoes before center began.