Oakland School for the Arts

http://www.oakarts.org/school-dance

“JOY, PASSION, ENERGY, SWEAT, TEARS, HEART, SOUL, EXCELLENCE, WORK, WORK, MORE WORK.  For, here, at OSA’s School of Dance, we spell dance W-O-R-K. The School of Dance is and will always be the hardest of all the Art Schools.  Students in the School of Dance take pride in being the hardest working students in the school.  The hard work and energy that they put into all their classes every day brings them a sense of confidence, joy, and, above all, fulfillment. The physical and mental demands and acuity that are required and expected out of every student are incredibly intense.  All students of the School of Dance must fully embrace and strive for the high standards that are set for them in their art, in their academics, and, hopefully, in their lives.”  OSA, Dance Program Overview

• Deadline: Oct 19, 2012
• Outline Due: September 2, 2012
• Draft Due: September 16, 2012
• Oct 18, 2012: Essay Final Draft Complete
• Oct 18, 2012: Submitted Online Application
• Oct 30, 2012 @ 2:00 PM : Audition
• Nov 2, 2012 : Notification – she has qualified to enter the program, but the academic program is full, specifically a science class.  They are trying to get a waiver so she can start on Jan 28, 2013
• Nov 8, 2012: Accepted into the School of Dance
• Nov 14, 2012: Registration, A Warm Welcome by Students
• Jan 28, 2013: Classes start

********** FINAL ESSAY **********

Everyday I’m immersed in the arts.  From my relatives and parents’ friends who are artists, to the ballet classes I take 6 days a week.  Because of these and along with the desire for academic excellence, art and dance have become the  important  part in my life.  I live and breathe it everyday.  This is the main reason why I want to attend OSA.  It is a balance of the arts and academics, a well structured and directed program where I believe I will thrive – I believe OSA will nurture the best from me.

Since I was a little child, the arts have had a major presence in my life.  My maternal grandfather was master traditional Chinese painter in Beijing.  My mother is following in his footsteps working on a doctoral thesis in traditional Chinese painting

My father studied engineering and architecture and has been doing photography for years, and even had a bit of a career in jewelry design with many innovations.  He was an accomplished engineer at NASA and some say he is an iconoclast and a renaissance man with a firm belief  in the balance between art and science.  He exposed me at an early age to ballet and introduced me to handmade paper-making as extra-curricular projects.  He had spent many years as a personal friend of a master paper-maker, John Babcock and his wife, Linda.  Both are renowned master paper artists with whom I’ve studied handmade papermaking.

Ballet is the most important art form to me.  I started formal training at an early age, along with performing publicly.  I’ve studied ballet consistently,  year-in and year-out, with many amazing teachers, like Rima Chaeff, Tina LeBlanc, Henry Berg, and Julianne Kepley around the Bay Area.  I wish to reach the highest levels of ballet, by completely immersing myself in it.  Dance is practically ingrained in my soul and the way I live.

OSA has a unique artistic program that doesn’t sacrifice academics, which appeals greatly to me.  It is a magnet for students with the same interests as me, which would mean there is no need for me to constantly explain to my fellow students why I love to dance.  OSA has shown, over the years, a program that prepares students very well in their field of choice and for college entrance.  As a charter school, OSA has a disciplined and directed program, and provides an enviroment for the arts, creativity, and focus, which is often missing in the traditional public school.

Although I love dabbling in the different performing and visual arts, ballet and dance holds the most sway in my life.  I continue to attend ballet classes 6 times a week at The Ballet Studio (SF) under Henry Berg and at City Ballet under Galina Alexandrova.

At an early age of 11 years, I have studies at various Bay Area ballet schools, including the San Francisco Ballet and the Ballet San Jose.  I have dedicated 7 years of my life to the arts, and plan to continue until I’ve fulfilled my desire to rise above “the highest mountain”.

Starting from the beginning of my involvement with the arts,  I have looked for a school that can balance my artistic study and academic education.  When I found OSA, I thought this might work.  Along with the mix of the arts and regular school studies, I also realized OSA is among the best.  Along with balancing the arts and regular studies, it fits my long term objectives of dance education and academic finesse.  With dance and academics being a major focus in my life at this point, the Oakland School for the Arts would be the right place at the right time to help me fulfill my desire of being a professional ballet dancer of the highest caliber.