Summer 2025
The School of American Ballet was founded in 1934 by the legendary choreographer GEORGE BALANCHINE and the esteemed American arts patron and writer LINCOLN KIRSTEIN. It has long been considered one of the world’s leading ballet training academies.
FIVE FACTS ABOUT SAB 1
The School of American Ballet is the OFFICIAL SCHOOL OF NEW YORK CITY BALLET, the classical ballet company created by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, which is renowned for its enormous repertoire of acclaimed ballets by Balanchine and Jerome Robbins and its longstanding support of the creation of new works by contemporary ballet choreographers. Almost all of NYCB’s current dancers trained at SAB, and many of them attended one or more Summer Courses before enrolling as full-time students.
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SAB’s FACULTY is composed primarily of SAB alumni who are former or current members of New York City Ballet, including the Zita Ezpeleta Artistic Director and Chair of Faculty JONATHAN STAFFORD, Director of Intermediate/Advanced Divisions and Artistic Programming
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JENIFER RINGER, and Head of Artistic Health and Wellness AESHA ASH. Some of the current faculty worked directly with George Balanchine at New York City Ballet. And many of the faculty first came to SAB as a student in the Summer Course.
SAB is the LEADING AMERICAN BALLET ACADEMY for training professional classical ballet dancers. Not only do SAB-trained dancers make up 97 percent of New York City Ballet, but SAB students are hired every year by notable companies around the U.S. and abroad. ALUMNI currently appear on the rosters of over 60 U.S. and a dozen international dance companies, and SAB alumni are currently the artistic directors of approximately 20 U.S. and European dance companies, including Pacific Northwest Ballet, New York City Ballet and Miami City Ballet.
The School of American Ballet’s home is LINCOLN CENTER, the worldfamous performing arts complex on Manhattan’s Upper West Side that is also home to New York City Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera, The Juilliard School, and the New York Philharmonic. A transformative redevelopment of Lincoln Center’s 16-acre campus was completed in 2012, enabling SAB’s students to enjoy beautiful green spaces, 30 indoor and outdoor performance venues, a range of on-campus dining options and free outdoor Wi-Fi.
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Zita Ezpeleta Artistic Director and Chair of Faculty Jonathan Stafford teaching class at SAB.
Vincent Tullo
SAB Summer Course and Winter Term alumnni Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia performing at NYCB
Erin Baiano
SUMMER COURSE
for students ages 12 to 18
JUNE 30 - AUGUST 1, 2025
The School of American Ballet welcomes promising ballet students from around the United States and the world to train with SAB’s renowned faculty and live in our on-site residence hall under the supervision of our professional Student Life staff. Students will be immersed in George Balanchine’s demanding aesthetic through a curriculum that largely mirrors the offerings of SAB’s full-time program. In recent years, we introduced exciting enhancements to our Summer Course schedule that includes more technique classes for every level, additional partnering classes, weekly music history classes for all levels and weekly contemporary classes for advanced levels. Every student’s potential for year-round training at the School will be evaluated, making the summer program an important landmark for those who are interested in pursuing pre-professional training at SAB beyond the summer months.
Review all highlights of the Summer Course experience
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NY JUNIOR SESSION
for students ages 10 to 12
JUNE 23 - 28, 2025
This introduction to SAB led by the School’s year-round faculty and guest teachers from New York City Ballet includes daily ballet classes—with dedicated technique and conditioning classes for students in our boys training track—wellness seminars, and cultural activities.
FIND OUT MORE
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IN 2025, NEW ADDITIONAL MERIT-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS ARE AVAILABLE TO STUDENTS ENROLLING IN MENS LEVELS FOR BOTH SUMMER COURSE AND WINTER TERM!
Scholarships are available for all summer programs and are determined at the time of the audition.
TECHNIQUE
SAB’s technique classes are the primary method by which faculty members communicate the fine points of classicism that are the foundation of Balanchine’s aesthetic. Students learn to move with greater musicality, control, precision, speed and expansiveness. Students take 1 to 2 technique classes each day.
CHARACTER
This course acquaints students with the polonaise, mazurka, and other formal and folk dances of the past that appear in the classical repertory as well as in contemporary works
The Summer Course curriculum consists of the same varied course offerings as SAB’s core Winter Term program. Preparation for a career in classical ballet is the primary focus of summer training.
CONTEMPORARY
Students in levels III and higher take a weekly contemporary class allowing them to explore a broader range of movement and develop their artistry beyond classical ballet.
PILATES
Certified Pilates instructors provide mat classes in the Pilates conditioning method for all levels.
STRENGTH TRAINING
Intermediate and Advanced Men take classes for conditioning and strengthening the musculature of the upper body, thereby enhancing partnering skills.
POINTE
Classes devoted to developing strength en pointe are an important element of the girls training track curriculum in all Summer Course levels, in support of Balanchine’s goal for dancers to move quickly and effortlessly.
ADAGIO
SAB’s course in partnering instills a strong sense of balance, musical and physical timing, unity of movement, and eloquence of gesture. Intermediate and Advanced Men and girls groups III and up will take one or more Adagio classes each week.
WELLNESS PROGRAMS
SAB’s Wellness Programs aim to address the physical, mental and social health of each student. During the Summer Course, students will participate in Physical Therapy Seminars led by a licensed Physical Therapist, Nutrition Seminars with SAB’s Nutritionists, and PEP (or Personal Enrichment Program) Seminars, developed to explore the social and developmental challenges that are especially heightened by the pursuit of ballet.
Seminars, developed to explore the social and
MUSIC
Mirroring the music classes offered to SAB’s year-round students, this weekly class taught by a Juilliard-trained instructor focuses on music history, theory and ear training.
CHOREOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
During the final two weeks of Summer Course, promising young choreographers will create new works using a selection of the most advanced summer students as dancers. The participating students will perform the resulting ballets in a studio showing for an invited audience, including the performers’ parents.
CULTURAL PROGRAM
Every class level will take part in seminars or activities to further broaden students’ awareness of the arts. Among the possible activities for 2025 are Q&A sessions with dancers from New York City Ballet, tours of Lincoln Center and a backstage tour of the David H. Koch Theater (NYCB’s Lincoln Center home).
VARIATIONS
Excerpts from well-known classical and neoclassical ballets make up the repertoire of Variations classes for Summer Course students. Faculty members draw upon their extensive performance experience to present students with the keys for transforming technique into art.
A DAY IN THE LIFE of a Summer Course student.*
8:30
9:30
Take the elevator downstairs from your dorm to grab breakfast at the SAB/Juilliard Cafe. 9:30 11:30 6:00 7:30
Facetime wth parents before lights out in the dorm.
Head back upstairs to SAB’s studios for morning Technique class.
Weekly Music class in SAB’s music room.
Head out on a chaperoned double decker bus tour of New York City!
Enjoy dinner in the SAB/Juilliard Café.
*The schedule of classes and activities varies from day to day for all students. This example shows how a single day may unfold.
12:30
Enjoy lunch with friends in the SAB/Juilliard Cafe.
4:30
Finish the day of classese with Pilates in Studio 6.
1:30
Grab a drink at Starbucks one block from SAB and hang out with friends outside on campus.
2:00
Adagio (Partnering) class in Studio One.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Class Schedule
Classes are held Monday through Saturday. Each student is assigned to a class division by means of a placement class given on June 30.
Class Observation
Parents are invited to watch class on select dates during the Summer Course. We anticipate inviting parents to watch class on the following dates: July 11, July 18, July 25, and July 28-August 1. Parents may sign up for observations in early June. We are typically able to accommodate all who are interested attending, with each student allowed a maximum of 2 visitors per class on visiting days. Observation dates and policy subject to change. More information will be shared with enrolled students in the spring.
Dress Code
All students must follow a dress code for classes. Complete details will be shared with enrolled students in the early spring. The dress code for all ballet technique classes is as follows:
STUDENTS IN BOYS CLASSES:
white t-shirt, black tights, white socks and white ballet slippers.
STUDENTS GIRLS CLASSES: black leotard, pink or flesh-tone tights, pink or flesh-tone ballet slippers/pointe shoes.
LIVING AT SAB
Most Summer Course students are invited and choose to live in SAB’s on-site residence hall located in the same building as SAB’s studios. The Meredith Willson Residence Hall is a safe, convenient, fully-supervised “home away from home” that provides an enriching atmosphere for building friendships and a sense of community.
FACILITIES STAFFING & SECURITY FOOD SERVICES
The School completed a major renovation of the public spaces in the residence hall in 2018. Students have access to modern and functional spaces including the reception area, shared TV lounges and meeting rooms. Students live in suites that include spacious rooms with panoramic city views. All suites have at least two private bathrooms and a mini-fridge. Some suites also include large lounge spaces. Students must provide their own bedding and are free to decorate and personalize their rooms within certain guidelines. Students have access to laundry facilities in the residence hall with unlimited use of the washers and dryers for a one-time $20 laundry fee.
SAB’s Student Life program provides a safe environment for all summer students. Yearround Student Life professionals trained in adolescent care and counseling spearhead a 13 person live-in staff and a security team to oversee the residence facility 24/7. Students may not leave the Rose Building without first advising staff of their specific plans which must have been pre-approved by their parents. A user-friendly check-in/check-out system at the residence hall reception desk simplifies the process of obtaining approval for outings. Students are required to respect curfews, nightly check-in, bed-check and lights-out procedures. A nurse is on duty at SAB every day of the Summer Course and the School has relationships with doctors of all specialties.
The SAB/Juilliard Cafe, a full service dining hall located in the same building as SAB features a variety of food stations and a spacious, modern dining space. Room & Board fees include 20 meals per week in the cafeteria. Additional snacks and beverages are available for purchase at an express food mart in the residence hall. Students are permitted to take food from the cafeteria to the dorm or outdoors to picnic.
BALLET PERFORMANCES
Each summer, students have the opportunity to attend dance performances around the city. A trip to see a performance by American Ballet Theatre at the Metropolitan Opera House, just steps from SAB, is a highlight. Older students will have the chance to attend a day trip to see SAB’s affiliate company New York City Ballet perform during its summer season in Saratoga Springs, NY.
FREED OF LONDON
Broadway is a favorite New York City destination for theater lovers, tourists and Summer Course students, who will be offered the opportunity to attend several popular musicals. In recent years, students have attended Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, &Juliet, Wicked, The Lion King, and Back to the Future
ACTIVITIES
Summer Course students are invited on group outings to Freed of London’s headquarters for professional custom pointe shoe fittings and a private shopping opportunity in the Freed showroom.
Evenings and weekends are filled with organized activities at the School and numerous chaperoned outings that allow students to experience the best of New York City arts, culture and recreation. Private charter transportation is utilized for all outings not within walking distance of the School. Accepted students receive an order form listing activity options and ticket prices in the spring.
IN-HOUSE ACTIVITIES
Fun and entertainment are offered up almost nightly at the School’s facilities with an array of engaging activities organized by SAB staff. Spa night, cookie decorating, movie nights, scrap-booking, a talent show, and a month-long spirit competition between suites keep students busy and entertained throughout the summer. All in-house activities are covered by the $160 In-house Activity Fee.
NEW YORK SIGHTSEEING
Summer students are introduced to many of the recreational and cultural offerings of New York City after classes and on weekends. Among the possible group outings for 2025 are trips to Yankee Stadium, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Museum of Natural History, the Empire State Building, One World Observatory, and both a Circle Line cruise and doubler-decker bus tour of Manhattan.
Baiano
WINTER TERM
For many students, SAB’s Summer Course is a pivotal step on the path to becoming a professional dancer.
While the Summer Course offers an enriching training experience for all who attend, SAB considers the five week program to be an important opportunity for identifying students who show strong professional potential and invites those students to train full-time in the Winter Term. Many of those who are invited to stay to continue their pre-professional training in SAB’s Intermediate or Advanced Divisions first attend one or more Summer Courses. While SAB holds an annual fall audition for the Winter Term, priority for scholarships and on-site housing is given to students who have been invited to the Winter Term through the Summer Course.
Preston as an advanced student in the 2013-2014 Winter Term
Preston performing in the Choreography Workshop during the 2013 Summer Course
Preston performing Serenade in the 2014 Workshop Performances.
NYCB Soloist Preston Chamblee dancing in Ulysses Dove’s Red Angels at New York City Ballet. Preston attended two Summer Courses at SAB before enrolling in the Winter Term. He became an apprentice in 2014 and joined the Company in 2015. In 2020, Preston choreographed a virtual piece for students attending the Summer Course via Zoom.
WINTER CURRICULUM
Winter Term students take the same courses that are provided in the summer, taught by SAB’s outstanding faculty. In addition, they enjoy classes with renowned guest teachers, music instruction with a Juilliard-trained teacher; and an opportunity to create ballets in the SAB Student Choreography Workshop.
Performance opportunities through SAB and through SAB’s affiliation with New York City Ballet provide stage experience and complement students’ studio training.
Performances at Lincoln Center include the February Ball at the David H. Koch Theater, and the Spring Workshop at the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, SAB’s annual fully-staged production. Other performance opportunities include
the SAB Student Choreography Workshop; the New York Choreographic Institute, NYCB’s lecture-demonstration program and SAB’s Beauty of Ballet community outreach performances throughout NYC. Additional performing opportunities with NYCB are offered periodically.
Kolnik
Over 60 Intermediate and Advanced students from around the United States and the world, ranging in age from 14 to 19, reside on-site in the Meredith Willson Residence Hall during the Winter Term. They enjoy the same amenities, security, and supervision as resident Summer Course students and take part in an extensive student life program focusing on student wellness, educational, cultural and social activities, and civic engagement. Our live-in professional staff members cultivate a warm, nurturing environment in which adolescents are given the support and guidance they need to develop into considerate, well-rounded individuals. Resident students are required to participate in a 20-meal per week meal plan at the Juilliard/SAB Cafeteria.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Need-based financial aid is awarded on a case-by-case basis and includes one or more of the following elements: tuition, room, board, transportation. Limited academic tuition scholarships to Professional Children’s School are also available during Winter Term. Summer students considering the possibility of attending the Winter Term will be invited to submit an aid application prior to the start of Summer Course. NEW IN 2025 - Meritbased scholarships available to select students invited to enroll in Winter Term Intermediate and Advanced Men’s Levels.
SAB is committed to providing programs that fully support the dancer in training, including aid and guidance for his or her academic education. It is the School’s policy to require that all winter students who have not yet earned high school diplomas be enrolled in academic programs. Our staff works with parents and students to determine the best educational choice. Both private and public school options that accommodate SAB’s schedule are available in New York City. Selected students receive scholarship assistance for academic tuition.
Winter students who have earned their high school diplomas have the opportunity to begin college courses at several local universities. SAB requires senior students to go through the process of applying to college regardless of their professional plans. In recent years, our students have been invited to attend Harvard, Princeton, Yale, Columbia, Duke, Fordham, New York University and University of Southern California. Many students defer college enrollment while pursuing careers or attend a local college part-time while performing.
SAB provides New York City Ballet with most of its dancers—SAB alumni comprise 98% of the current NYCB roster—and the majority began their studies at SAB in the Summer Course.
SAB students go on to dance with many excellent companies in addition to New York City Ballet. Among the companies students have joined in recent years are San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Danish Ballet, Carolina Ballet, Dresden Ballet, Zürich Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Ballet Arizona and Los Angeles Ballet.
ACADEMICS ROOM & BOARD PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYMENT
Among SAB alumni currently directing major ballet companies are Peter Boal (Pacific Northwest Ballet), Lourdes Lopez (Miami City Ballet), Jonathan Stafford (New York City Ballet), Zalman Raffael (Carolina Ballet), Melissa Barak (Los Angeles Ballet), and Edwaard Liang (Washington Ballet).
SAB alumnus and faculty member Anthony Huxley dancing with New York City Ballet
2024 Workshop Performances Baiano
SUMMER COURSE KEY INFO
Eligibility
Summer Course is for intermediate and advanced students, 12 to 18 years old as of July 31, 2025, who are at a stage of technical advancement proportionate to their age and who have the physical qualifications suited to the demands of classical dance.
Auditioning
Admission is by audition only. SAB’s 2025 National Audition Tour offers students across the country the opportunity to apply for the Summer Course. SAB also holds auditions by appointment in New York City. Additionally, in 2025, the School is accepting video applications for both international and domestic applicants who are unable to attend an audition in person. Visit sab.org/summer for audition details.
Results & Enrollment
All audition results will be distributed via email approximately one week after each audition (for pre-registered students) or up to three weeks from the audition (on-site applicants). More detailed result information is available at sab. org/results. Those who are accepted will receive detailed instructions for enrollment. Invitations generally must be accepted within ten days. Parents should check their email frequently before and during the Summer Course for ongoing information and important updates from the Student Life staff.
Scholarships
Scholarships are awarded on a case-bycase basis and include one or more of the following elements: tuition, housing, meals, transportation. Scholarships are determined at the time of the audition and the award is communicated upon acceptance. There is no separate application.
NEW IN 2025: Additional merit scholarships are available to students enrolling in Intermediate and Advanced Men levels for both Summer Course and Winter Term!
Fees & Payment
Deposits are due approximately two weeks after notification. The balance of all fees is due by April 1, 2025. Please note that deposits are non-refundable.
Move-in Day
The Residence Hall opens on June 29 for students who will be living at SAB. SAB does not provide transportation from airports, train stations, etc. to the Residence Hall. Students are assigned specific check-in times in advance of the start of Summer Course. Roommate assignments are given on move-in day. A schedule of orientation and informational meetings for parents will be shared closer to the start of Summer Course.
New York Junior Session
FOR STUDENTS 10 TO 12
In 2025, SAB will offer a one week program at SAB’s headquarters in New York City for developing dancers between the ages of 10 and 12. The New York Junior Session is an introduction to SAB’s renowned training program led by permanent faculty and dancers from New York City Ballet includes daily classes, wellness seminars and cultural activities.
Toner
SAB Staff
NEW YORK JUNIOR SESSION
SCHEDULE
Classes will be held Monday through Saturday, with each level attending at least two ballet classes, plus seminars and/or workshops, between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm.
ADMISSION CRITERIA AND ELIGIBILITY
Students must be no younger than 10 as of July 31, 2025, and no older than 12 as of June 28, 2025, to audition for the NY Junior Session. Students 10 or younger (as of their audition date) are expected to have completed a minimum of 1-1/2 years of training. Eleven and twelve year olds should have completed a minimum of 2 years of training
FACULTY
Members of SAB’s year-round faculty as well as current and former dancers from New York City Ballet will comprise the faculty of the New York Junior Session
AUDITIONS AND RESULTS
Admission is by audition only. Auditions are offered at all National Audition Tour locations and by appointment at SAB’s headquarters in New York. Students who are unable to audition in person may apply by video through Jan 28. All results will be distributed via email. Please see sab.org/results for a city-by-city schedule.
JUNE 23 - 28, 2025
FEES & SCHOLARSHIPS
Tuition: $950 | Registration Fee: $100 Scholarships are awarded on a case-by-case basis and are determined during the audition evaluation process. Applicants are notified of scholarship awards at the time of acceptance.
HOUSING
Housing and transportation will not be provided for students attending the New York Junior Session. This program is designed for local-area students or for those who are able to arrange temporary accommodations within commuting distance of the program location.
CURRICULUM
TECHNIQUE
Daily classical ballet technique classes with barre and center work will emphasize the hallmarks of the Balanchine aesthetic: precision, musicality, control, and speed.
VARIATIONS
The mastering of choreography from landmark ballets is an important element in the transformation from student to performer. NY Junior Session will provide students with the opportunity to learn parts from notable Balanchine works such as Raymonda Variations, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, and Petipa classics such as The Sleeping Beauty.
PILATES
Certified Pilates instructors will lead mat classes in the Pilates Method.
The New York Junior Session curriculum consists of the same varied course offerings as SAB’s core Winter Term program. Classes are geared towards young students who are working towards the possibility of a career in classical ballet.
CHARACTER
This course acquaints students with the polonaise, mazurka, and other formal and folk dances of the past that appear not only in the classical repertory but also in contemporary works.
CULTURAL EDUCATION
Seminars on ballet history (focusing on Balanchine) and Q & A’s with accomplished dancers will be offered. NY Junior Session participants will tour the worldfamous Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.
Beginning and intermediate pointe classes will be offered, taking into account each class level’s degree of previous exposure to pointe work. Beginning pointe classes will include barre exercises to prepare or introduce a young dancer to the first stages of pointe work. Intermediate pointe classes will feature both barre and center work aimed at increasing strength and proficiency en pointe.
TECHNIQUE & CONDITIONING POINTE
Dedicated classes for students in our boys training track will focus on enhancing technique, turns and jumps and improving upper body strength. An introductory partnering seminar will also be offered.
NUTRITION AND PHYSICAL THERAPY
Seminars on nutrition for optimal performance and stretching, strengthening and injury prevention will be conducted by our professional nutritionist and licensed physical therapist.
Toner
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
The School of American Ballet has a nondiscrimination policy with respect to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, sexual orientation, national origin or any other protected characteristic in administration of its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs or any other school-administered programs.
PHOTOS © ROSALIE O’CONNOR UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
Allegro Brilliante, Serenade, Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 and Agon choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Jonathan Stafford ZITA EZPELETA ARTISTIC DIRECTOR AND CHAIR OF FACULTY
Aesha Ash HEAD OF ARTISTIC HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Katrina Killian DIRECTOR OF CHILDREN’S/ PREPARATORY DIVISIONS
Jenifer Ringer DIRECTOR