OSA HS Dance Department
Any parents of an OSA dance program student (HS) out there? Our student is interested in the program, but is specifically interested in ballet, not as much in other forms (contemporary/modern) and we are wondering how much time per day they spend in dance, and opinions of the program in general. There are a LOT of very polar reviews of Reginald Savage on yelp and other sites. Would we be better with a traditional HS/staying at her ballet school?
Sep 10, 2018
Parent Replies
Speaking as a parent of a bunhead who auditioned, got in and chose not to attend OSA dance, we think we made the right decision. The students spend a lot of hours (most of the afternoon) dancing, but they have only 1 short ballet class and it's more to learn the vocabulary and have it in the curriculum. Most of the program is centered around contemporary so most of the students who are serious about ballet will take their ballet outside of OSA. Savage is a polarizing personality - some love him and respond to his style. My child's friends who started out in middle school at OSA dance have moved on, alienated by his abrasiveness and favoritism. Also, they wanted to focus on training in ballet specifically. If your child is set on ballet I would recommend not relying on OSA for technique.