by Katie Slattery | Sep 22, 2026 | Pointe+, Technique, Training
Clay Houston felt a charge of excitement after being placed in an advanced group at the Chautauqua Institution School of Dance summer program. But he also felt apprehensive. He was the youngest dancer, and while getting moved up proved that his hard work had been...
by Gavin Larsen | Apr 28, 2023 | Pointe+, Training
In her early teens, Claire Solis was a top student in her small school in upstate New York, and she had big ambitions. “There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to be a principal dancer,” she remembers. Confident in how her future would play out, she...
by Gavin Larsen | Jun 11, 2017 | Training
Deep down, Dara Oda knew she wasn’t ready. Despite 15 years of solid training at the School of DanceWest Ballet near her hometown outside of Chicago, by the end of high school she realized she still didn’t have the technique or maturity for a realistic...