Maisy Cuaresma, a 10-year-old Westview-area dancer, spent a month at Boston Ballet's Newton Studio after earning acceptance to four nationally recognized programs.

Cuaresma was accepted to Boston Ballet's Summer Dance Program, Joffrey Granger Academy in Chicago, American Ballet Theatre in Florida and the Royal Ballet School in Los Angeles, The Nexus reported Aug. 28.

She chose Boston Ballet.

Cuaresma told The Nexus she picked the program for its reputation. "I'm super proud I was accepted into it," she said.

The program ran from late June through late July, with dancers arriving at 9 a.m. and training until 6 p.m. daily. The schedule included two hours of technique, an hour of pointe and three to five hours of supplemental classes covering character dance, salsa, Chinese fan dance, contemporary and jazz.

Cuaresma trained under Lauren Herfindahl, a Boston Ballet soloist who joined Boston Ballet II in 2011 and was promoted to soloist in 2024. Herfindahl and other instructors advised Cuaresma to have confidence in her technique.

The experience was not easy. Cuaresma told The Nexus the first week was especially hard on her body, and she was returning from an injury. She also lived on her own for the first time, staying at Boston University housing alongside other residential students.

Surrounded by dancers who aspired to go professional, Cuaresma said she realized she was no longer the strongest dancer in the room. She described the adjustment as difficult but motivating, telling The Nexus she treated the gap as a chance to improve.

The program exposed her to Russian, American, French and Italian ballet technique styles.

She also learned to coordinate in small group formations with a live pianist, a departure from the large-group and solo work she was used to at her home studio.

By the program's end, Cuaresma said she could see visible improvement when she compared videos from her first and final weeks. The biggest takeaway, she said, was confidence.

Before the program, Cuaresma said she had not considered a career in ballet. Now she is thinking about pursuing it beyond a hobby.

Boston Ballet School's Summer Dance Program holds auditions in 29 cities across the U.S. and Canada.