For young kids, it’s
sometimes the first time
they’ve been away from
home. For older kids,
it’s the first time they
have to learn to take care
of themselves, getting
to bed at a reasonable
hour and eating healthy
foods to stay fit.

Students auditioning for Houston Ballet Academy
Mench says the summer program has enabled him to apply
the fundamentals of ballet to more challenging choreog-
raphy, and both students agree mental preparation is a big
part of that.

“There’s always a new challenge,” Mench says. “Ballet
is a lot of problem solving using your body in a highly ath-
letic manner.”
Fourth position: Lessons learned
Students auditioning for Houston Ballet Academy
Just as summer camps are more than just learning archery
and arts and crafts, a ballet summer intensive is about more
than just dance.

For young kids, it’s sometimes the first time they’ve been
away from home. For older kids, it’s the first time they have to
learn to take care of themselves, getting to bed at a reasonable
hour and eating healthy foods to stay fit.

The experience has been transformative for Linzau,
making him think about the relationship between ballet
and his outside life: what to bring in and take out of
the studio.

“Being aware of what your actions are going to do to affect
you and also affect your career — if you’re choosing to do this
seriously — these short term, mid-term, long term goals are
really important to have,” he says.

Fifth position: What the future holds
Both Linzau and Mench want to dance professionally as
adults, inspiring audiences just as they were inspired as kids.

As much as they’ve learned, they still recognize there’s a
long way to go.

This summer, they hope to continue to hone their
craft. They know the moves; now it’s time to push
their limits.

“Continue to fail,” Mensch says. “You cannot skip failure
or rush the process.” In addition to the 224 students ages
12-18 who will head to Texas this summer, hundreds of
other students will participate in the academy’s other
offerings, such as the Youth Summer Training Program for
kids age 6 and older, and the Preschool Summer Program for
ages 2 to 6. P
Houston Ballet II Ballet Master Claudio Muñoz and students
of Houston Ballet Academy Summer Intensive Program
Students of Houston Ballet Academy