Boston Ballet’s summer program welcomes young dancers from across the country

BOSTON – Young dancers from across the country spend their summers in Boston, where they learn from the world’s best ballet dancers.

For nearly five weeks, highly trained students between the ages of 12 and 18 are immersed in a professional training environment at the Boston Ballet School’s summer dance program. Current members of the ballet company are among their teachers.

Soloist Lauren Herfindahl said the summer programs are important for a student’s development as a dancer and as a person.

“You get to dance a lot. There are a lot of lessons, a lot of hours in the studio,” she told WBZ-TV.

Sixteen-year-old Amalia Campe of Bethesda, Maryland is in those classes. She started dancing when she was just two years old. This is her second year in the summer program. Campe said the time has been priceless.

“You dance all day and you meet new people and new teachers. And then on the weekends and after class you get to explore the city and experience Boston,” she said.

As a young dancer growing up in Kingston, Massachusetts, Herfindahl participated in part of the summer program and knows its impact firsthand.

“As a student, it’s really important to be exposed to different styles, different teachers, different ideas and to get a sense of what the ballet world is like outside of your own environment, outside of your home studio,” she said.

Campe has already felt the consequences.

“Together we become better dancers by supporting each other, stretching, talking about dance and just learning things about dance by talking to other people,” she told WBZ.

Even though Herfindahl teaches some lessons, she also learns herself.

“I think my favorite part of teaching is sharing the little tips and tricks that I find work for me. As a dancer, I’m constantly growing, I’m constantly learning for myself, and I feel like teaching reminds me of those things. Getting back to basics is a good thing,” Herfindahl said.

Students must audition to be accepted into the summer program. Classes are held in both the Boston and Newton studios, with senior students working out of Boston.