Posted February 21, 2025
Many of us love to dance.
Madelyn Lehrman: So I’m 17 and I’ve been dancing since I was three years old. So I’ve been dancing my entire life and I love it.
But what does it take to perform at the highest level?
Emma Boggs: The Pre-Pro program is an all-day program where we’re here from basically 9:30 in the morning to sometimes three or four. And if we’re doing rehearsals it might be late at night to like eight or 8:30. It’s a very demanding program.
These dedicated dancers are part of the Colorado Ballet Academy Pre-Professional Program.
Charles Trojanowski: So we train six days a week, and that’s usually like 30 to 35 hours a week of rehearsals and stuff.
Tatum Benedict: It’s definitely something that I wanted to do as a career. So being here in the Pre-Pro program, it makes it a lot easier to do that.
To consistently enhance their abilities and refine their skills, various dance classes fill their schedules.
Charles Trojanowski: So I’ll usually have a technique class in the morning, so just a regular ballet class, and then we’ll have like a Pilates class just to get stronger and more flexible. And then sometimes we’ll have Pas de deux, which is partnering, and then we’ll have rehearsals for pieces we’re doing. And then yeah, it’s kind of it.
From tippy-toe dancing to graceful twirls, spins, and jumps, ballet demands flexibility. But it’s not just on the dance floor that flexibility is required—it’s needed in these students’ academic lives too.
Carsyn Henry: So our dance schedule is very different from the schedule that most students have. We dance during the day, so that means having to work on our school at night usually. But Denver Online has a great program for our dancers. We get so many classes that are made to help our schedule.
Charles Trojanowski: So as soon as you get home or on breaks throughout the day, we’ll just get school done as much as we can so we don’t have to do it later. Because, like, usually, sometimes I won’t get home until like 9:30. So getting them done on breaks is definitely great.
Denver Online teachers even frequent the dance studio to check in with students.
Emma Boggs: They come in pretty often I’d say. It’s really nice to have them come in sometimes because you’re not able to just be in a school setting where you get to talk to them every day or if you have questions. So when they come in, it’s nice to know if you’re missing assignments or an assignment you’re confused on. It’s really nice to work through with them.
These students are used to rigorous schedules, many even opting to take tuition-free college classes through Denver Online’s concurrent enrollment program.
Madelyn Lehrman: So that allows us to take college classes in addition to our high school classes. And it’s been this amazing program that I’ve been able to take advantage of for three years now. And I hope that it’s going to help me get into a college of my choice. Having all that experience already, and I’m like halfway towards a business degree already by graduating my senior year.
Carsyn Henry: I’ve been doing Concurrent Enrollment for the last two years I think, and it’s been such a great experience knowing that I’m taking classes that I can use in my future. And with the ballet career, it’s hard to go to a normal college. So having some credits ahead of time is definitely a very helpful thing.
By taking advantage of the flexibility of online education and the opportunity to enroll in college classes now, these students can focus on their ballet careers immediately after graduating high school.
Madelyn Lehrman: What we’re working towards ideally is probably, for most of us, a professional career. Currently, I’m a trainee, so next year I hope to be hired into a Colorado Ballet Studio company. And then we would be getting paid and dancing with the company. And that’s what we’re working towards.
And that’s what Denver Online works towards too: providing a style of education that allows students to truly perform at their highest level.