New York and NYC’s Top Summer Dance Intensives for 2020

Posted By JBS Admin on Jan 31, 2020 |

If you’re a dancer looking to progress your artistry and technique this summer, attending one of New York or NYC’s top summer dance intensives could help make 2020 the summer your dancing reaches new heights.

But how do you choose the dance intensive that’s right for you? It depends on your personal budget, goals and other factors, but a great place to start is by becoming familiar with the top summer dance intensives in New York and what they offer. We’ll discuss these factors and why Joffrey offers the best all around summer dance intensive in this article.

How to Choose A New York Dance Intensive

Many dancers dream of studying dance in New York City. After all, the city is a hotbed of arts and culture. And perhaps no performing art discipline is better represented in New York than dance, with several of the world’s top dance schools located right here in the city.

Because of that, if you’re looking for a summer dance intensive where you will learn from the world’s best and see amazing shows and cultural events, New York is the place to be. But with so many dance companies and schools in the city offering intensives, how do you decide which intensive should you attend?

There are a number of factors to consider as you decide which intensive is right for you.

Style: What dance style do you wish to study and is it a focus of the program?
Instruction: What is the teaching approach and background of the instructors?
Duration: How long is the intensive?
Cost: What is the cost?
Age/Experience: Does the intensive accept dancers your age or experience level?
Housing: If you’re traveling in from out of town, what are the accommodations like?
Supervision: Younger dancers and their parents want to know that supervision and help are available for dancers who may be visiting the Big Apple (or away from home) for the first time.

With these questions in mind, here is some of the information you need to know about New York City’s top summer dance intensives.

New York’s Top Summer Dance Intensive Programs

Alvin Ailey – Alvin Ailey offers a 6 week summer dance intensive for intermediate through advanced dancers, ages 16 – 25. The Ailey intensive is focused on developing versatile dancers, offering instruction in ballet, Horton, Graham-based modern, jazz, contemporary, and repertory workshops with renowned choreographers and guest artists. Classes are held in the Theater District, with unsupervised housing available on the campus of Fordham University. Tuition is $3,025, with merit scholarships available for those who demonstrate professional potential.

Highlights: Modern and contemporary ballet focus, 6 week session, unsupervised housing, oriented toward older (high school and college age) dancers.

American Academy of Ballet – American Academy of Ballet offers summer dance intensives for dancers ages 11 and up with a minimum of 4 years experience on the campus of SUNY Brockport in upstate New York from June 14 through July 3 and July 19 through August 8 , and on the campus of Adelphi University in Garden City on Long Island July 6 – July 17. AAB’s summer dance intensives are offered in one, two or three week sessions at each location, for a total of 8 weeks . One week sessions are primarily focused on ballet while the two and three week sessions also incorporate musical theater, spanish dance, contemporary, neo-classical, and folk dancing. Supervised housing is available. Tuition depends on the location and duration of the intensive, but is approximately $1,575 – $1,675 per week.

Highlights: Located in upstate NY and Long Island, up to 8 weeks of instruction, dancers with 4 years of instruction ages 11 and up admitted. Ballet focused with other disciplines offered for multi-week sessions.

American Ballet Theater – American Ballet Theater offers a 5 week summer dance intensive for advanced dancers between the ages of 12 and 20. ABT also offers intensives in Alabama, Florida, Texas and California. The ABT intensives are focused on classical ballet, using ABT’s National Training Curriculum. Dancers attend 4 classes per day, taught by ABT guest teachers and faculty. Students perform ABT repertory at the end of the intensive. The New York intensive is ABT’s longest and most rigorous and does not offer supervised housing, making this a challenging option for younger dancers traveling to the intensive. Tuition for the 5 weeks is $3,150 plus a $150 activity fee.

Highlights: Classical ballet focus, ABT instructors and curriculum, unsupervised housing.

Joffrey Ballet School – Joffrey offers a full summer – up to 12 weeks! – of summer dance intensives in New York City including Classical, Jazz and Contemporary, Musical Theater, Tap, Hip Hop and many others. Ours are the most diverse intensives in the city and the only ones with fully supervised housing, plus airport pick up and drop off for traveling dancers. Joffrey admits dancers ages 8 and up, with housing available for dancers over 12.

We offer multiple levels of instruction in each session for dancers from beginner through pre-professional. Our world-class instructors represent some of the top dance companies and schools worldwide, guaranteeing exposure to multiple styles and techniques. Our intensives are offered in one week sessions or dancers may stay for multiple sessions from two to seven weeks in length depending on the program. Tuition for our ballet intensives ranges between $799 for one week, $699 for two weeks or $599 for three weeks or more.

Highlights: Multiple dance disciplines and 12 weeks of sessions, younger dancers and all levels admitted, world class faculty, fully supervised housing and airport pickup/dropoff available are just a few of the reasons we believe Joffrey Ballet School offers New York’s best summer dance intensives!.

The Juilliard School – Juilliard offers a three week summer dance intensive from July 12 through 31 for dancers who have completed at least one year of high school and who will not graduate before the end of the intensive. Generally this means they accept dancers between 15 – 17 in 9th, 10th and 11th grade. This intensive is taught by Juilliard faculty, and offers on-campus housing. It is for intermediate to advanced dancers with significant classical ballet training and is intended to provide these students with a taste of what it would be like to attend Juilliard. Tuition is $1,880, room and board is $1,565.

Highlights: For high school students, classical ballet only, housing and classes on Juilliard campus

Martha Graham School – Martha Graham offers a 6 week summer dance intensive for advanced, pre-professional and professional dancers ages 18 and up, focused on teaching Martha Graham Technique™, Martha Graham Repertory, Dance Composition, Ballet, and Contemporary. At the end of the session, student compositions and repertory dance are showcased in an in-studio performance. Pricing for this intensive is offered by the class and number of weeks attended up to a maximum of $2,750. Graham Technique is the only required class; all other classes are electives.

Highlights: For dancers 18 and up, ballet focused, Graham Technique required with other classes as electives; by the class pricing.

School of American Ballet – SAB holds its Summer Course in NYC over 5 weeks from June 29 – August 1 for dancers between the ages of 12 and 18. Students live, eat and train in the SAB facility in Lincoln Center for the arts. Supervision in the dorms is offered, as are chaperoned outings in the evenings. SAB’s summer intensive is focused primarily on teaching the Russian classical ballet style of George Balanchine, and is taught by SAB faculty, many of whom were Balanchine students. Tuition for the intensive is $3,175 for the five week intensive, housing and other fees are additional.

Highlights: Classical ballet focus, middle and high school age focused.

Attending a NYC Summer Dance Intensive

All of these intensives attract the top dancers from North America and around the world, so admissions are highly selective. If you’re interested in attending any of the summer dance intensives listed above, an audition is required. Please visit the website of the schools offering the intensive to learn more about each school’s audition and selection process.

Why Joffrey Offers New York’s Best Summer Dance Intensives

If you’re looking for the intensive that will expose you to the best and most diverse instruction, with the most dance disciplines and techniques, in a New York-based setting that is fully supervised and appropriate for all ages and experience levels, consider the Joffrey.

According to former summer intensive student and current professional dancer Angelina Barbosa, “Out of all the schools I know of that have training programs, Joffrey is the only one that offers such a well rounded program to make you the best dancer possible and where you can get such a well rounded exposure to so many styles of dance.”

Ready to find out for yourself why we’re New York’s top summer dance intensive? Register with Joffrey today and see why we are home to New York’s top summer dance intensive program.

Share on Tumblr

JBS Admin (69 Posts)

Founded in 1953 by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, Joffrey Ballet School maintains the vision of its founders to transform passionate dance students into versatile, individualistic artists able to collaborate and evolve fluidly in a fast-changing society. With an accredited dance program that offers two core areas of study – ballet and jazz/contemporary – JBS is known for its diverse curriculum and has the largest summer intensive training program in the country.