National Visiting Fellows Program
Each year, the School of American Ballet (SAB) invites U.S.-based classical ballet instructors with a proven commitment to teaching students from diverse backgrounds to apply for the National Visiting Fellows Program.
Visiting Fellows are invited to attend two all-expenses-paid sessions during SAB’s Winter Term, where they observe a range of SAB classes, meet with faculty to discuss SAB’s curriculum and strategies for progression, teach SAB students and receive faculty feedback, and discuss relevant topics in dance education with administrative staff and faculty. In addition, the home school of each Visiting Fellow receives a monetary award of $5,000 to strengthen existing educational programs or to establish new opportunities for student support.
Applications are now open for the 2025-26 National Visiting Fellows Program! Read on for program and application details and apply today.
Program Details and Criteria
The School of American Ballet welcomes applications from classical ballet teachers of all backgrounds to apply for the Visiting Fellows Program. Applicants will be selected based on various qualifications, including, but not limited to, teaching quality, information about the community served, and the individual’s commitment to serving diverse student populations. The School of American Ballet encourages submissions from applicants with diverse backgrounds.
Program Structure:
- Observe a complete range of SAB Winter Term classes.
- Attend curricula and technique demonstrations with students and faculty.
- Meet with SAB faculty members to discuss training methods and other relevant topics.
- Serve as a Teaching Assistant for select Children’s Division classes in partnership with an SAB Faculty member.
- Provide Zoom access for SAB Faculty to virtually observe a live class at your home studio between fall and spring sessions.
- Teach an Upper Children’s or Intermediate Division class utilizing the SAB curriculum and receive feedback from SAB faculty.
- Meet with School Leadership to discuss administrative operations and building an inclusive environment for today’s ballet students.
Program Benefits:
- Two, all-expense paid trips to New York City for the fall and spring sessions.
- $5,000 grant to support existing or new programming for participant’s affiliated school.
- $1,000 weekly stipend for each onsite residency at SAB.
- $250 stipend for virtual class observation and 1:1 with SAB faculty during Winter Term.
- One complimentary ticket to a New York City Ballet performance (provided fellowship visit occurs during NYCB season).
2025-26 Visiting Fellows Dates
Fall 2025
October 27-November 1, 2025 (travel to NYC October 26)
Winter 2026
Virtual class observation to take place February/March 2026
Spring 2026
April 27-May 2, 2026 (travel to NYC April 26)
Eligibility Requirements
To be eligible for the fellowship, you must:
- Be at least 21 years old and have a minimum of five years of teaching experience in classical ballet.
- Be currently employed by a U.S.-based dance academy or studio. Non-U.S. citizens are welcome to apply, if the affiliated school or studio is in the United States. Artistic directors are welcome to apply.
- Have a demonstrated and documented commitment to serving students from diverse backgrounds in ballet.
Contact Elise Drew León, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, at fellows@sab.org for more information.
How to Apply
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Résumé or CV
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Include dance training, professional performing experience (if applicable), and teaching experience. |
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Description of current position/title and organization
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Provide an overview of organization’s training programs and a summary of the student body demographics.
Include a written description of classes you teach, including class type (ballet, pointe, etc.), class level (beginner, intermediate, etc.), class size, and ages taught. |
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Statement of Intent
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In a few sentences, explain your interest in participating in the Fellowship and your commitment to providing dancers from underrepresented backgrounds in ballet with opportunities to develop their potential towards professional careers. |
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Letter of Support
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Provide a letter from your organization’s artistic leadership* indicating support for your application. *Not applicable if applicant is an Artistic/School Director |
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Video Teaching Sample (guidelines below)
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Recorded in-person ballet classes are requested and should highlight teacher’s ability to give clear directions and corrections to their students, rather than promote student performance. Video sample is meant to demonstrate how the applicant teaches their students and how they prepare and develop students for the rigors of classical ballet.
Video sample should be recorded and uploaded to an online hosting service such as Vimeo or YouTube. You will be required to include a url link to your video(s) in the application. |
Video Teaching Sample Guidelines
The video teaching sample is a critical part of the application and should demonstrate the applicant’s ability to effectively teach and develop students. Recorded in-person ballet classes should highlight the applicant’s ability to give clear directions and corrections to students, rather than promote student performance. Applicants will be evaluated on how they teach and communicate information to students.
Consider the following in preparing your video:
- Submit a complete ballet class (90 minutes), including barre and center work for students you currently teach. Select the age group you feel most comfortable teaching.
- If applicable, include 30 minutes of beginner pointe work for students you currently teach. Applicants who do not teach pointe will still receive full consideration.
- Applicant and students should be visible throughout the class.
- Applicant’s instructions should be audible and clear and not overpowered by music or other background noises.
- Applicant should emphasize their ability to give clear directions and corrections that will develop their students, rather than highlight students’ ability and performance.
We request all videos be uploaded to a streaming service such as YouTube or Vimeo prior to submitting the online application. You will be required to provide a link/url to your final video(s) in the application. Links that require the video to be downloaded are not accepted. Additionally, please do not provide links that require an invitation to a specific email address to view (such as in the “private” setting for YouTube uploads).
Note that you do not need to compromise your privacy to submit a video. To keep your videos private on YouTube, choose the “unlisted” setting (instead of the default “public” setting) when you upload your video. An “unlisted” video will not be publicly viewable in your YouTube channel and cannot be found through a YouTube search. Vimeo users can update their privacy settings by selecting “People with the private link” under “Who can watch.” This will hide the video from your Vimeo channel and searches. For an added layer of privacy on Vimeo, you can add a password by selecting “people with the password,” which you must then provide on the SAB application.
Note that in order to upload a video longer than 15 minutes on YouTube, you must verify your account. Instructions for doing so are included here.
If you have difficulty providing a video through one of these services, please contact fellows@sab.org to inquire about alternative submission methods.
Apply Now!Roster of National Visiting Fellows and Alumni Benefits
The National Visiting Fellows Program began in 2015. Since it began, SAB has awarded fellowships to over 40 teaching professionals across the United States. Past Fellows remain connected to SAB and are welcome to return for ongoing class observations and to engage with SAB faculty and staff. Additional benefits for program alumni include invitations to special SAB events, access to SAB master classes and workshops nationwide, employment opportunities with studios affiliated with program alumni, and access to annual school updates from SAB.
Visit the link below to view the full roster of National Visiting Fellows including the 2024-2025 cohort.