Five years ago, the National Dance Foundation of Bermuda, in collaboration with the famed American Ballet Theatre of New York, launched its first summer intensive.

Entitled DanceBermuda, its aim was to raise the standard of excellence by providing world-class training to the Island's young dancers aged approximately eight to 19 through three weeks of intense instruction led by ABT faculty.

The initial programme was such a success that a Young Dancers Programme (YDP) for students aged approximately nine to 13 was added the following year and both continue to be successful.

As the 2009 summer intensive concludes with workshop performances at 12 noon and 3 p.m. today, Brian Reeder, DanceBermuda's artistic director, who is also on the faculty of the ABT; Richard Toda, artistic co-ordinator of the YDP and fellow ABT faculty member; and Bermudian professional dancer/instructor Eric Bean Jr., who has been assisting with this year's summer intensive, discuss their association with the NDFB/ABT programmes, its aims and goals, and the development of dancers, with Nancy Acton.

Brian Reeder has been associated with DanceBermuda from inception, first as an American Ballet Theater (ABT) instructor, and now as its artistic director. Well liked by students, parents and National Dance Foundation of Bermuda personnel alike, he takes his responsibilities seriously but never officiously, and is unfailingly helpful and understanding, but no pushover for students who would seek to waste his time.

"The summer intensive is just that intensive. It is not a dance camp, and I am not a babysitter," he said.

Overt signs of lassitude or disinterest, while rare, are quickly spotted and addressed because Mr. Reeder's over-riding mission is to ensure that each student takes from the NDFB-ABT programme the best and most productive experience possible.

"I am here to serve whatever the goals of the NDFB are, in collaboration with the ABT," he says. "There are different goals and expectations which are unique to DanceBermuda, so I am here not only to say, 'This is what works here or there', but also I have to step back and realise what will or won't work in Bermuda. It is a unique recipe, which is as it should be."

To achieve these goals means the students must cram a lot of hard work into each day of the three-week programme.

"There is a lot of back-to-back physical experience in classes on different styles and aesthetics," Mr. Reeder added. "Everybody, both locally and internationally, comes here at a different level of development, and we are aware of that, so there is no judgment.

"The same information is passed to all of the students in the classes, and hopefully they will find a way to attach that to themselves for their own personal growth and experience, and take it home with them."

The artistic director identifies core strength, muscularity, coordination, presentation, and a sense of rhythm as the universal elements of all dance forms, including ballet, modern and jazz, and says that these are what the ABT instructors aim to reinforce during the summer intensive.

"No matter what dance form you are doing, you have to learn the 'alphabet'," he says.

While acknowledging that not every student will go on to become a (professional) dancer, sharing classes with other dancers, learning to take direction; the discipline and established rituals; what is expected of them in and out of the classroom, as well as collaborating and sharing ideas, are all invaluable lessons from which they will always benefit throughout their lives, no matter what they do in the future.

"That is why I don't like to force kids. I am strict about people following rules, but it is done out of respect for the doctrine and code of the dance school," Mr. Reeder added.

"Dance is a physical form of expression. You still have muscles, and the heart and soul of the dancer. Nothing can take over from them, but there is still the struggle in class, which has been going on for decades, and that is not going to change.

"There is no instant gratification. It takes work, and many, many hours of practice, and listening to and following direction, applying corrections and observing other students to get there.

"These classes acknowledge the right to gain knowledge and strength with different teachers, and I tell the students, 'Don't let it slide past you, because before you know it, it's over'."

Overall, Mr. Reeder is pleased to see so many familiar faces return again and again to the summer intensive testament, in itself, to its success and to see the improvements they have made in the meantime.

"Everyone has a separate journey," he said. "Some years I come back and say, 'Wow, whatever is going on in your life, something very correct is happening'. I can tell if they have had an inspiring year, and a good growth spurt, both physically and mentally."

Equally, Mr. Reeder is sensitive to students who have not necessarily had a good growth year for whatever reasons, and these he treats with understanding to determine what their goals are, and whether or not they genuinely want to be in the classes.

If they do, he expects them to have a top level work ethic; if they don't, he might ultimately suggest that they leave the programme rather than be a distraction to the faculty and the other students.

In terms of DanceBermuda's summer intensive, the artistic director says he is always eager to see more students signing up because, like dance itself, he is passionate about fulfilling the NDFB/ABT's mission of advancing the standard of excellence in Bermuda.

"It would be great to get more interested people involved," he said. "I wouldn't want to over-crowd the classes, but it would be nice to have bigger classes, and especially more of the local dance schools giving their students the exposure and experience."

In terms of the future, Mr. Reeder says he looks forward to the ABT being associated with the NDFB for years to come.

"One of the great things about Bermuda is that we all feel so welcome here. Working in a collaborative effort we find the NDFB are 'yes' people. When we come up against bumps we find solutions and carry on in a positive way. People here have a great sense of finding solutions.

"That is always encouraging because of all the positive, forthright energy. This is a positive programme for the youth of the community, and has served the young people very well. It tries to make them better people, which is a reason to return. I will be back as long as the NDFB is interested in working with the ABT."