Summer Dance Intensive

CLICK HERE for a one-page PDF with Summer Dance Intensive information.

Summer Dance Intensive students in faculty member Alphonse Poulin's partnering class. Photo by Katie Friis

Please note: Dancers MUST have significant prior training in ballet to attend this program.  Pointe work is not required.  Modern dance experience may be helpful, but is not required.  At the start of the program, there will be a placement class for ballet, which will include pointe work for those women who are proficient.

ADMISSIONS
Enrollment in the Summer Dance Intensive is limited to 44 students who demonstrate the required skills, either via video or at a live audition.  The first step in the admissions process is to complete the online application, available here.

Once the online application has been submitted, dancers will either receive an e-mail confirmation of their scheduled audition city & date, or they should submit a video audition no later than January 6, 2012.  Details on the audition process (both live & video) appear below.

The deadline to submit the online application is January 6, 2012. 

Please note: Live audition cities may fill before the application deadline.  Once a live audition city is filled to capacity, it will be removed as an option in the application and no additional applications will be accepted for that audition.  We do not keep a waiting list for audition cities that have filled to capacity.

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

• Submit the online application and $40 application fee no later than January 6, 2012.  In the application, indicate your preference of live audition city & date OR video audition.
• Submit one letter of recommendation from a primary ballet teacher no later than January 13, 2012.  Details can be found below and in the online application.
• If submitting a video audition, do so no later than January 6, 2012.
• If attending a live audition, do so on the scheduled date.
• OPTIONAL: Submit a photograph to summerdance@juilliard.edu no later than January 13, 2012.  Photographs are completely optional and will not influence the admissions decision in any way.  Additional details are below.

VIDEO AUDITION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants should review their video for clarity before submitting. Video auditions may be submitted online through our ArtsApp portal, at www.artsapp.com/juilliard.

After registering with ArtsApp, you may upload your audition video (.asf, .avi, .flv, .mov, .m4v, .mp4, .mpg, .mvb, .swf, .wmv), and optional photograph (.jpg, .gif, .png, .tiff). Total portfolio size needs to be under 7GB, with a 800MB limit per file. For technical support with your ArtsApp video submission, contact support@artsapp.com. The fee for submitting your audition video via ArtsApp is $5, payable on the ArtsApp Web site.

We will also accept DVDs mailed to:
The Juilliard School
Attn: Summer Dance Intensive
60 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023

We will confirm receipt of your video via email, regardless of the method of submission.

The video should be no longer than 10 minutes in length and contain the following: 

Introductory Section
A brief close-up shot of the dancer (face or ½ body), in which the dancer clearly states his or her name, age, and a brief history of previous dance training.

Technique Section (to musical accompaniment)
Grand Adagio with développés in each position, promenades, and pirouettes;
Petit Allegro, including jumps on two feet, jetés, temps levés, assemblés, and beats;
Grand Allegro including grand jetés and tour jetés, and either balancés or waltzes.
Men, please include simple tour en l’air.

Performance Section
A prepared solo; the solo may be original choreography or from standard repertory. It should demonstrate the dancer’s artistic qualities and flow of movement.  The solo may be ballet or modern.
You may include a second solo in the other style if you wish.

A Note About Pointe Work
Please note, pointe work is NOT required as part of the video audition.  However, women are welcome to do the technique and/or the performance section en pointe if they so choose.

Clothing Requirement 
The dancer must be in a unitard or tights and tight fitting top or leotard that clearly enables the viewer to observe the dancer’s technique. No skirts, no loose fitting tee-shirts, no leg warmers, and no costumes. It is recommended that care be taken to wear colors that will stand out clearly from the background.

Please note: A prepared solo is NOT required at the live auditions for the Summer Dance Intensive.

2012 Summer Dance Intensive Audition Dates

After successful completion of the online application, an e-mail confirmation will be sent. If you selected a live audition date on your application, an audition schedule with detailed information about the audition site will be e-mailed to you before your audition.

Audition dates will remain open as long as space is available. Once an audition is considered full, that audition date will be removed from the application and no more applicants will be scheduled for that day. Should your first choice audition date become full, please select another date or audition by video.  We do not keep waiting lists for audition cities that are full.

The audition will consist of a ballet class, followed by a callback consisting of a modern class, and will take approximately two hours to complete.   Please note: the faculty will only invite those students whom they are seriously considering for admission to return for the modern portion of the audition.  Any dancer who does not appear to have adequate dance training may be asked to leave for his or her own safety, as well as the safety of other dancers at the audition. There is no pointe work in the audition.

It is not necessary to have prior knowledge of contemporary ballet or modern dance to be successful in the audition. The faculty would like to see how the applicant relates to movement outside the ballet idiom.

Required dress for the audition is black leotard, pink tights, and flat ballet shoes for women, and white t-shirt, black tights, white socks, and ballet shoes for men. Pointe shoes are not needed.  For the modern dance section, candidates must be barefoot.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Applicants must submit a letter of recommendation from a primary ballet teacher. Additional letters from other teachers or counselors are welcome, but not required. The letter should address with the dancer’s dedication, openness to corrections, clear technique, performing skills and citizenship both in and out of the classroom. Recommendations should be submitted by teachers via the online application system, or arrive in a sealed envelope (mailing address is below).

PHOTOGRAPH (optional)

The preferred position for the optional photograph is tendu in second position with arms raised to second position. The photograph is not used for pre-screening purposes. After all auditions are completed and all videos are reviewed, the photograph is used in admissions committee meetings to help identify dancers who are being discussed for possible admission.  Photographs can be mailed to the address below, or e-mailed to summerdance@juilliard.edu.  Be sure to label the photograph with the dancer’s name.

NOTIFICATION OF ADMISSION STATUS

Applicants who are not invited to stay for the modern dance portion of the live audition may reasonably conclude that they are no longer under serious consideration for admission.

Once all of the live auditions are complete and the video auditions are reviewed, final admissions decisions will be e-mailed.  44 dancers will be admitted to the program, and a waiting list of approximately 10-15 dancers will be established.  All applicants will receive notification of their final admission status via e-mail no later than February 24. Each applicant may audition one time per year.

TUITION AND FEES

• Application Fee - $40
• Tuition - TBA - 2011 tuition was $1,220
• Room and Board - TBA - 2011 fees were $1,010

Students who take part in weekend activities will need additional spending money.

SCHOLARSHIPS & FINANCIAL AID

Some financial aid is available. Once admitted to the intensive, if a student wishes to apply for financial assistance, they are invited to submit a letter explaining their financial situation along with their parent or guardian’s 2011 tax forms. Financial aid awards are based on both need and merit.

A Typical Day at the Summer Dance Intensive

Summer Dance Intensive students in faculty member Alphonse Poulin's partnering class. Photo by Katie Friis

The day begins in one of Juilliard's six large studios with a ballet technique class, pointe, or men's class, followed by classical partnering and modern. Women who are not on pointe may take an additional ballet or modern class in lieu of pointe. After lunch, dancers take a modern dance class followed by ballroom, music, improvisation, Alexander technique or anatomy. In addition to the daily technique classes, every dancer participates in evening rehearsals of new choreography and repertoire to challenge and explore the dancers' talents. These pieces are shown on the final day in a performance that includes presentations of the ballroom and music classes.

Teachers include members of the Juilliard College Dance Division faculty as well as world-renowned guest artists.

Students may stay in the Meredith Willson Residence Hall, adjacent to the Juilliard School building, and eat in the Juilliard cafeteria, a full service dining room. Students living in the residence hall are supervised by a staff of live-in professionals.

There is plenty of time to see New York City. On free evenings and weekends, the dancers can opt to attend many activities supervised by the residence hall hosts, including Broadway shows, walks in nearby Central Park, movies, and free outdoor performances at Lincoln Center.

QUESTIONS?

As always, you can e-mail your questions to summerdance@juilliard.edu or call the Office of Admissions at (212) 799-5000, ext 223.