September 26, 2024
#SAB90 – The Precursor to the National Audition Tour Begins
Over the past 90 years, the School of American Ballet has contributed immeasurably to the artistic life of America: giving birth to an internationally acclaimed ballet company, shaping generations of finely trained dancers, and establishing an American style of classical ballet that stands alongside the French and Russian classical traditions. Learn more about the School’s history and influence as we share monumental moments in honor of #SAB90.
In 1959, The Ford Foundation commissioned Ballet Society to study the quality of ballet instruction throughout the nation in order to “strengthen professional ballet in the United States.” This survey resulted in the distribution of grants to assist schools across the country. SAB received direct funding that allowed the School to establish a national scholarship program with the aim of attracting the most talented students across the US.
One of the first fifteen students given a scholarship to train at the School of American Ballet was Roberta Sue Ficker of Cincinnati. She would continue on to join New York City Ballet, under the name Suzanne Farrell, and lead an extraordinary career.
The Ford Foundation’s impact extended beyond scholarships. Recognizing the need to elevate ballet instruction nationwide, SAB, with Balanchine at the helm, created Teachers’ Seminars. These seminars brought Balanchine’s unique teaching methods and knowledge, honed in Russia, to ballet instructors across the US. The first of eight seminars took place in 1960, attracting sixty to seventy teachers per year.
Support from the Ford Foundation remained in effect for a decade and these new resources transformed SAB into a nationally recognized organization. Balanchine and select faculty members began traveling the country and recruiting dancers for the School of American Ballet in what was the precursor of the School’s annual National Audition Tour, which continues to this day.
Today, the National Audition Tour serves as the gateway to SAB’s Summer Course, a five-week intensive program attracting dancers from all over the US. Interestingly, the Summer Course itself has a rich history. The School held it’s first Summer Course in 1938 in Bermuda, initially as a summer escape for dancers and faculty from New York’s heat. After World War II, the program found a permanent home in New York City, offering a condensed version of the Winter Term curriculum. The Ford Foundation grants, coupled with the national outreach program, significantly bolstered Summer Course enrollment, attracting students from outside New York who couldn’t commit to full-time training.
Summer training at the school continued for many years thereafter, before facing another landmark shift in 1991 – the establishment of on-site residences for non-local students. With the capacity to house dancers in the School’s facilities, SAB was able to provide a comprehensive training experience for dancers of the highest caliber.
The initial Ford Foundation grant and ongoing support empowered Balanchine to transform SAB from a local institution to a powerhouse of national influence. By attracting the best dancers to the Summer Course, and subsequently to year-round training, the program nurtured many of SAB’s most celebrated alumni.
Read More about our history, and stay tuned for the next edition of #SAB90