Ballet Help Desk

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If you've been paying attention, you've noticed: Japanese dancers are everywhere. Winning competitions, yes, but also filling the upper ranks of major ballet companies around the world. We've been wondering for a while now what is actually going on over there. Turns out, Kenta Kura has some answers.
Kura spent nearly three decades inside the Royal Ballet, first as a soloist with the Royal Ballet, then as the first Japanese permanent teacher at the Royal Ballet School. In 2023, he came home to Japan with a clear mission: bring that world-class methodology to K-Ballet Academy, and change the equation for Japanese dancers who have long had to leave the country to access professional-level training.
In this conversation, we dig into how ballet training is structured in Japan from the ground up, what the Kumakawa Method is and why it matters, and how K-Ballet Academy's Pre-Professional Course functions as a direct pipeline into K-Ballet Tokyo. We also explore what it takes for Japanese dancers to build careers abroad, the mental and emotional preparation that journey requires, and what it was like for Kura to be the only boy in his ballet school in a small Hokkaido village, until he stepped onto that international stage and felt, for the first time, like he truly belonged.
His advice for young dancers is as simple as it is hard: allow yourself to make mistakes. Stay hungry. Stay curious. And believe in your own potential more than anyone else does.

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Your dancer has decided to pursue the college path. But which program is the right fit? What's the real difference between a BFA and a BA? What does a video pre-screen actually need to accomplish? And when tuition can tip into six figures, how do families make smart financial decisions?
Francisco Gella and Julie Friedrich of Francisco Gella Dance Works are back for Part 2, and they get specific.
We cover BFA vs. BA, which programs they think are doing strong work right now, how to approach video pre-screens, the three types of financial aid available to dancers, and what happens if your dancer gets a company offer after already committing to a school.
The 2026 workshop schedule will be announced by August 1. To be notified when registration opens, email collegeprep@franciscogelladance.com.
Links:
Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide
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Does your dancer need elite training to have a shot at a top college? But what does elite actually mean? Is it competition wins? A company-affiliated school? The right summer intensives? And does the answer look the same whether your dancer is pursuing a BFA or a non-dance degree?
College and career specialists Francisco Gella and Julie Friedrich of Francisco Gella Dance Works have guided hundreds of dancers down both routes.
This is Part 1 of a two-part conversation.
In Part 1, we dig into the real differences between the BFA route and the academic route. We talk about why your school's college counselor may not understand this world and what "Olympic level" actually means when elite universities evaluate a dancer's background. We also look at why competition results carry less weight in academic admissions than many families expect, and a distinction that confuses a lot of families: the difference between a dance portfolio and a dance supplement, and what each one is actually for.
The 2026 workshop schedule will be announced on or before August 1, 2026. If you are interested in receiving an announcement when registration for the Fall Virtual Workshops opens, please email collegeprep@franciscogelladance.com.
Links:
Summer Intensive Essentials Guide
Buy Summer Corrections Journals
Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
Support Ballet Help Desk
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In this host-only episode, we draw on our combined years of navigating ballet summer intensives to break down how to make the most of every program -- for your dancer and for you. We talk through what to do before your dancer leaves, how to handle drop-off day, and what to expect once they're there. We also get into the stuff nobody warns you about: what a scholarship really signals, how to handle the tap-on-the-shoulder conversation about year-round enrollment, navigating roommate issues, and what to do if your kid gets in trouble -- and yes, we are speaking from experience on that last one.
Links:
Shop Summer Intensive Essentials Guide
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Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
Support Ballet Help Desk
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https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI

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American Reportory Ballet Artistic Director Samantha Dunster and Executive Director Julie Diana Hench join us for a conversation that gets refreshingly honest about the post-graduate pipeline, the job market, and what it means to truly prepare dancers for professional life. 
We dig into the structure of Princeton Ballet School from youngest students through the trainee program, how the school and company function as a single organization, and what actionable feedback actually looks like in practice. We also get into ARB2, the tricky math of a large trainee cohort and a tight job market, and a genuinely moving conversation about hunger, artistry, and what it means to inspire an audience.
Links:
Summer Intensive Essentials Guide
Buy Summer Corrections Journals
Read Our Ballet School Summer & Year-Round Reviews
Support Ballet Help Desk
Instagram: @BalletHelpDesk
Facebook: BalletHelpDesk
TikTok: @BalletHelpDesk
Music from #Uppbeat:
https://uppbeat.io/t/ian-aisling/new-future
License code: MGAW5PAHYEYDQZCI