Working in corporate America can be a grind, so, for many, vacation is a welcome opportunity to relax and unwind. But for Jane Collier, it’s a chance to ramp up her ballet training. Though she’s based in Chicago, where she works in global sourcing for Walgreens Boots Alliance, over the last several years she’s attended […]

Summer intensives can be incredible experiences, but they also bring challenges. As a former dancer and current nutritionist for dancers, I recall a common scenario: Mornings of classes and afternoons of rehearsals increase the demands on your energy, but with little time for breaks, food becomes less of a priority than new combinations and new […]

My January is always busy. Weekdays are filled with rehearsals in Seattle and weekends are spent traversing the country auditioning students for our summer intensive. I direct Pacific Northwest Ballet School and I see these auditions as essential investments in future talent for both our school and company. I do them myself to let students […]

It’s the second week of Miami City Ballet School’s Choreographic Intensive, and the students stand in a light-drenched studio watching as choreographer Durante Verzola sets a pas de trois. “Don’t be afraid to look at the ceiling—look that high,” Verzola shows one student as she holds an arabesque. “That gives so much more dimension to […]

On a summer afternoon at The Ailey School’s studios, a group of students go through a sequence of Horton exercises, radiating concentration and strength as they tilt to one side, arms outstretched and leg parallel to the ground. Later, in a studio down the hall, a theater dance class rehearses a lively medley of Broadway […]

Before spending a summer at Los Angeles Ballet School, Lillian Glasscock had never learned a Balanchine variation. “The stylistic differences, like preparing for a pirouette with a straight back leg, were at first very challenging,” says Glasscock, 17. “But it soon got easier.” Los Angeles Ballet company members were in class daily, motivating and inspiring […]

On a humid summer day in midtown Manhattan, construction goes on outside the Church of St. Paul the Apostle. Inside, another type of building goes on: In separate basement studios, two groups of 40 dancers focus their attention on their instructors. It’s the Rockettes’ summer intensive, a rare chance for students to work with professional […]

For many students, attending a summer intensive can offer the chance of a lifetime to focus exclusively on dance and experience the rigorous lifestyle of a pre-professional dancer. But with so many options and increasing competition, auditions can feel overwhelming. Fortunately, we gathered insider tips from three top summer program directors. Tammy Cheney, Alonzo King […]