Several of our recent Joffrey Ballet School success stories shared a similar thread: they were dancers who started with us as students in our summer intensives, who were then selected to join us for our year round trainee program. Which begs the question – what exactly IS our year round trainee program and why is it one of the best ways for a young dancer to take the next step in their dance career?
What is a Year Round Dance Trainee?
First, it’s important to acknowledge that many top ballet schools around the country have year round trainee programs. Their goal is to train dancers to work professionally in top companies and productions nationwide. Often, the programs offer high school or college credit and are considered a form or vocational training.
However, the vast majority of those programs are focused on a single discipline, such as classical or contemporary ballet. They also typically are offered in a single location.
Only the Joffrey offers a year round trainee program with multiple dance disciplines and in multiple locations. Trainees that choose us for year round training may study in New York City or Dallas, Texas. Both programs build from a base of classical ballet and make access to development in a variety of dance forms available to each dancer.
Our goal is to create a versatile – and highly employable – dancer. After all, the goal of a professional dancer is to actually work as a dancer, choreographer or instructor. That’s the goal of our trainee program as well.
Learn more about the program: https://www.joffreyballetschool.com/programs/trainee-programs/
New York Trainee Program
Our year round trainee program in New York City offers two main training tracks:
- Classical
- Jazz and Contemporary.
The programs are accredited by the National Association of Dance Schools and are open to dancers between the ages of 13 and 25.
The trainee program is 4 years in length, however most dancers will find full time work as dancers by the end of years two or three. We offer a BFA option with NJCU (New Jersey City University) that allows dancers with two years of high school or that have earned their diploma to earn a BFA from NJCU while studying dance with us. For students still in high school, we’ve partnered with The Keystone School to provide a high school academic experience and the opportunity to earn a diploma while earning credit for their dance study.
Joffrey Ballet School – Trainee Program | Become A Trainee | Full Video from Joffrey Ballet School on Vimeo.
NYC Ballet Program
Our Ballet program is led by Artistic Director Era Jouravlev, former Principal Dancer of the New Jersey Ballet and Perm State Opera and Ballet Theater and student of the Perm State Choreography Academy in Russia. Mrs. Jouravlev’s focus is to develop pre-professional dancers with classical and contemporary ballet background whose training is both consistent with classical principles as well as versatile enough to develop a dancer who can work in any dance company.
Trainees will train and study for approximately 28 to 32 clock hours per week, focusing on courses such as Ballet technique; Pointe and Variations; Ballet Repertory; Pas de deux; Character; Horton Technique; Cunningham Technique; Limon Technique; Contemporary Dance; Jazz; Performance Studies; Choreographic Workshops, Kinetic Studies (Body Conditioning); Ballet Methodology; Career Planning; Critical Analysis; Music; Anatomy; Dance History; Health and Nutrition. 4,369 clock hours are required to complete the program, which will take between 4 and 6 years.
There are also numerous performance opportunities, including In-Studio performance of classwork in October, a production of the Nutcracker in December, a Choreography Workshop in February and a final Spring performance in May.
NYC Jazz and Contemporary Trainee Program
Our Jazz and Contemporary (J&C) trainee program is led by Artistic Director Angelica Stiskin, an internationally renowned choreographer, performer and dance educator who has worked with the likes of Justin Bieber, the Disney Shake it Up girls, Mia Michaels, Billy Larsen and many others.
The Jazz and Contemporary program is focused on turning out versatile professional dancers who are able to perform a number of dance styles and earn a place working in the world of Concert dance, Broadway shows, Commercial industrials, and National and International tours.
As with the ballet program, Jazz and Contemporary trainees will dance and study from 9 to 5 daily, for approximately 28 to 32 clock hours per week. Completion of the program requires 4,352 clock hours, which are broken out into five main components:
- Jazz and Contemporary dance technique, which includes modern and jazz;
- Ballet dance technique;
- Allied dance studies. which includes improv, hip hop, theater dance and street ;
- Allied theory studies, which includes dance history, mentoring / career planning, health and nutrition, anatomy or music; and
-
Performance studies, which includes more than 500 hours of rehearsals and performances.
Learn more about the program: https://www.joffreyballetschool.com/programs/trainee-programs/
Related Posts
How a Summer Dance Intensive Can Help You Train for a Dance Competition
What are the Top Ballet Schools in America?
Four Reasons Why a Summer Dance Intensive is Safer than a Dance Competition
How To Prevent & Recover From Dance Injuries (Tips from Kerrie Flynn, LMT)
Joffrey Ballet School Success Story: Harold Trent Butler
Joffrey Summer Dance Intensive Success Story: Aidan Wolf
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.
