<p>Has been an awesome and amazing program for my D. We still have four days to go but when she's had three minutes of time to call, she's gushing with enthusiasm. There hasn't been any complaints, not that the program is perfect, it's not, but nothing is. The classes have been great, the master classes amazing, the level of faculty fabulous, accommodations great (3 to a room in an Embassy Suites), I think it's one of the best programs she's done. Faculty also offer to work over skype with the kids (for a cost...) after they're done. I love the fact that they've had colleges visit. She's added some and taken some off. Someone thought the fact that the age span is huge but the high school kids stay together and the college kids stay together. There's interaction but the classes and friendships seemed to stay at the level they're at.
I'm purposely putting BTP as the title as there's an old thread from 3-4 years ago that's negative. Whatever was broke, or in that person's mind was broke, is now fixed.</p>
<p>I totally agree. My son has loved it and the opportunities have been amazing. So many classes, master classes, and rehearsals. Ben Vereen, Donna Mc Kechnie, Terrence Mann, casting directors, producers, and so much more. They are busy from early morning to late at night with no complaints! I can’t wait to go this weekend. There will be many parent meetings also this weekend. Just by what I know so far, I totally recommend it. See you Thursday fourkidsmom!</p>
<p>My daughter attended BTP three summers ago. I agree, it was an excellent program. She just wishes that it were longer or had two back to back sessions. The dance instruction is amazing and the food and acommadations at the Embassy Suites were excellent. In my humble opinion, the better dancer the student is, the more they will get out of BTP. THe acting and singing teachers, the guests are all excellent but dance stands out in this program. The final performance is incredible.</p>
<p>My son went 2 summers (1 between Sophomore and Jr year of HS and the other between Jr and Sr. year) and gleaned HUGE benefit from it. His dance was pushed to a whole new level and he has many fond memories. He is going into his 3rd year at UMich and still speaks of his experiences from BTP. I believe that it was well worth the $$.</p>
<p>Hi fourkidsmom, I am thinking ahead for next year and have a few questions: if there are 3 apprentices to a room, does one person sleep on a fold out sofa? Is there any free time (time to do laundry,etc.) and is the hotel close enough to BTP that they can walk back safely if they are alone. I just watched a short video that was on a Fox affiliate in Florida and it sounds like a great experience!</p>
<p>One does sleep on the couch and they are supposed to switch but my son stayed on the couch the whole time because he liked “having his own room” There is a washer on his floor and he has done NO laundry since he’s been there. Luckily I sent enough underwear for the whole trip but he must be double-wearing other stuff. There is just no time for laundry. They are supposed to always walk in group and at night must wait for someone on a gold cart to go back to the hotel with them. My son is 16 and felt it was safe for him. They never wander alone. There is a bus to Target at the lunch break. And there was a run to a dance store. If you watched the video where they talked to the guy from California, that was my son! There are 2 videos on there site.</p>
<p>I haven’t seen the video…three girls to a room worked out fine too. I don’t know if they switched, they talked of it.They have a rollaway bed or a sofabed, it’s made for three people. I sent her with a couple of bottles of stuff that washes out active wear and she said she used it. They walk to the hotel for meals but it hasn’t been a problem. Sometimes that’s the only two minutes she has had to call!</p>
<p>Thanks to you both for the replies. It sounds like a very intense program. Theatremomma, I saw your son on the video… very handsome!</p>
<p>My daughter went the same two years as Britbrat’s son and is also a junior at UMich with him!! The contacts and experiences that my daughter received and still receives from contacts made at BTP are invaluable! Having the different colleges attend at BTP really helped her identify her short list of colleges. I truly believe that without her experiences at BTP she would not be where she is today. We are from an area without many resources and BTP helped us to know where are daughter was in a more national pool of talent…I cannot say enough good things! The help she received from Mary Walkley, Dave Clemmons, Frank Wildhorn, Patrick Wilson the list goes on and on! Wonderful memories!</p>
<p>My D just returned from her second year at BTP, and we attended the festival and showcases both years. I am posting this because I’m assuming that by visiting this site, you all want as much information as possible - both positive and negative - before making these often expensive decisions! I second everything that has been said already - incredible, intense, dance-based, life-changing, etc. - the instruction doesn’t get any better! It’s very physically and mentally demanding. In fact, as great as the training is, I would say they could probably get more out of it if they were able to get another hour of sleep each night so they aren’t fighting to stay awake during class. But all in all, a fantastic training program! However, with all of the great things BTP has to offer, I have two concerns. First and foremost is an ethical issue. One of the main instructors who also casts and directs many of the final showcase numbers (I’m not comfortable mentioning names on here, but it’s not a big secret) also works as a college audition coach during the year. We have made the observation both years that he has a number of students who attend BTP and ironically, those students are frequently cast in acting roles, for solos, and in the vocal performance ensemble that has its own ticketed performance on Friday afternoon during the festival (separate from the “final showcase”). Some of these apprentices are very talented, but others are just average, compared to the pool of talent there. There is something about this that just doesn’t feel right to me (and this is not sour grapes - my D has had a solo, even though she is not one of his “students”). In addition, both years my D has seen him walk into master classes with important instructors such as Frank Wildhorn, Jay Binder, and top college faculty, with a list of names and actually point out in the group those whom the instructor “needs to hear”. Keep in mind, during an hour and a half class, there is only time for a few students to perform their piece, while the others learn from observing. This puts many of the students (approximately 25 in each group) at a considerable disadvantage to being seen and/or benefitting from individualized feedback before the class even starts. Having been in the business world for many years, this is clearly a conflict of interest, in my opinion. And as intelligent, business-savvy, and well-intentioned the staff is at BTP, I am frankly surprised that they are ok with this. When you’re paying $3400 for a program, I think it’s something parents and students just need to be aware of before signing up - we didn’t fully realize the “politics” until this second time around, and it was very disconcerting. I wonder if this is something that has just evolved over the years and the faculty just doesn’t see it for what it really is. </p>
<pre><code>The only other thing I would mention is that there is no policy in place to ensure that all the students get opportunities to sing and perform monologues in the training classes - often the same students are chosen repeatedly simply because they are assertive enough to sit on the front row and raise their hand vigorously. Just a suggestion to future apprentices - the early, aggressive bird gets the worm!
All in all, it’s a fantastic training ground and a great opportunity to see how you stack up to a slice of the talent that is out there. Whether my D will go back for a third year, she’s not sure, but she has gained valuable knowledge, experience, and contacts to take with her along her journey.
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