Summer Auditions & Admission
Study in the School of American Ballet’s summer programs is for dedicated ballet students between the ages of 10 and 18 years old. Admission to our summer programs is by audition only. Our flagship five-week Summer Course in NYC for 12 to 18 year olds offers intensive exposure to SAB’s year-round training syllabus and provides an opportunity for students to experience the unparalleled cultural offerings of New York City. The New York Junior Session for 10-12 year olds offers an abbreviated introduction to SAB’s curriculum and faculty at SAB’s Lincoln Center headquarters in late June.
Admission Criteria
Study in SAB’s Summer Course is for intermediate and advanced students, 12 to 18 years old who are at a stage of technical advancement proportionate to their age and who have the physical qualifications suited to the demands of classical dance. Twelve year olds must already be training on pointe by the time of their Summer Course audition.
For admission to the New York Junior Session, students 10 or younger (including 9 year olds who will be 10 by July 31, 2023) are expected to have completed a minimum of 1-1/2 years of training by the time of their audition. Eleven year olds should have completed a minimum of 2 years of training, and 12 year olds should be training at the intermediate level. Previous pointe work is not required for admission to this program.
Age Criteria
To apply for the 2023 Summer Course, students must be no younger than 12 and no older than 18 as of July 31, 2023. To apply for the 2023 New York Junior Session, students must be no younger than 10 as of July 31, 2023 and no older than 12 on the last day of the program, June 24, 2023. Students who will be 12 as of July 31 may apply for and, if accepted, attend both programs.
Covid-19 Vaccination Policy
Vaccination against COVID-19 will be required for all enrolled 2023 summer students. SAB does not require that applicants be vaccinated against COVID-19 at the time of their audition. However, our National Audition Tour host facilities may have vaccination requirements for visitors that auditioning students and chaperones will need to abide by. Please refer to our list of audition cities here for any vaccination requirements as set forth by the host venue. Enrolling students must present proof of vaccination to SAB by May 1, 2023. Only medical exemptions to this policy will be considered.
Summer Auditions
Auditions for SAB’s 2023 summer programs have now passed. You may reference 2023 audition information below as an example of the many options available annually for students interested in auditioning for our summer programs. Details about the 2024 summer recruiting season will be available in late 2023. Join our audition mailing list to be notified when new information is available.
National Audition Tour
SAB will visit 16 cities across the United States during weekends in January 2023. Pre-registration is strongly recommended for the National Audition Tour locations.
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Atlanta – January 22 Boston – January 8 Charlotte – January 22 Chicago – January 8 Dallas – January 14 Denver (Littleton) – January 7 Los Angeles – January 7 Miami – January 29 New Orleans – January 21 |
New York City* – January 4-27 Orange County, CA – January 8 Philadelphia – January 16 Pittsburgh – January 16 San Francisco – January 15 Seattle – January 16 Tampa – January 29 Washington, D.C. – January 15 |
*Auditions at SAB by appointment on select dates in January. See below for more details about auditioning at SAB.
National Audition Tour Fees
Pre-paid online: $40 (This must be paid by credit card at the time of pre-registration)
At the audition site*: $50 (This fee applies both to applicants who do not register in advance AND to applicants who pre-register online but do not pay at the time of pre-registration.)
Note: All National Audition Tour auditions have now passed. Thank you to all who joined us this January. Join our audition mailing list to be notified when 2024 audition information is available.
Learn More about the National Audition TourAuditions at SAB
SAB holds summer program auditions at our headquarters in New York City by appointment on specific days in January. Pre-registration is required for all auditions taking place at SAB.
Fees for Auditions at SAB
Pre-paid online: $40 (This must be paid by credit card at the time of pre-registration)
At the audition site*: $50 (This fee applies to applicants who pre-registered but did not pay at the time of pre-registration. Pre-registration is required for all NYC audition dates.)
Note: All summer auditions at SAB have now passed. Thank you to all who joined us this January. Join our audition mailing list to be notified when 2024 audition information is available.
*Fees collected at the audition site must be paid by cash or check (written out to “School of American Ballet”). Credit Cards are not accepted at the audition sites.
Learn More about Auditions at SABApply by Video
Note: The deadline to submit video applications has now passed. Thank you to all who applied this January. Join our audition mailing list to be notified when 2024 audition information is available.
Video Application Fee:
$50 (This must be paid by credit card online at the time you submit your application.)
International Applicants
International applicants are welcome to apply by video for our 2023 summer programs. We encourage international applicants interested in year-round training in our Winter Term to first apply to our summer programs. Students from SAB’s Summer Course are automatically considered for training in our year-round program. The deadline to apply by video is January 29, 2023.
Accepted international students will receive student visa guidance from SAB. More information will be given at the time of enrollment. Note: there is no obligation to attend our summer programs if accepted. We understand that academic calendars in some countries may not be compatible with our summer training dates.
Note: The deadline to submit video applications has now passed. Thank you to all who applied this January. Join our audition mailing list to be notified when 2024 audition information is available.
Learn more about applying by videoGeneral Audition Information
- Pre-registration is required for all NYC audition dates and optional for National Audition Tour dates. All applicants are strongly encouraged to pre-register. The benefits of pre-registration include access to discounted audition fees and expedited audition result notification. Those who preregister but later decide not to attend the audition will not be penalized in any way (but will forfeit any pre-paid audition fees).
- You may pre-register for any audition without pre-paying the audition fee. However, the only way to receive the discounted audition fee is to pay at the time you submit your pre-registration form. There are no other opportunities to “pre-pay.” Those who do not pre-pay the fee at the time they submit the pre-registration form will need to pay at audition in the form of cash, check or money order. Credit cards will not be accepted on-site. You will owe the on-site rate of $50.
- Walk-in applicants (who did not pre-register) are welcome at all National Audition Tour cities. Walk-in applicants will not be admitted at our NYC audition dates.
- All applicants must show official proof of birth at the time of the audition. Only a birth certificate, passport, or state-issued ID will be acceptable as proof. Applicants without one of these documents may not be permitted to audition.
- Recommendation letters, photographs and resumes are not accepted for in-person applicants.
- Students auditioning for the girls training track in the 5-week Summer Course must bring pointe shoes to the audition. Students ages 10-12 who are only applying to the New York Junior Session should only bring pointe shoes if they have begun studying on pointe.
- Observation of auditions is not permitted.
- Students should audition in the age group that is equal to their age at the time of the audition (not the age they will be during the program). Nine-year-olds (who will be 10 by July 31) should audition in the slot designated for 10 year olds.
- Eleven year olds who will be 12 by July 31, 2023 and 12 year olds who will still be 12 on June 24, 2023 may audition for both the New York Junior Session and the five-week Summer Course at any audition location.
- Scholarships for SAB’s summer programs are available. They are awarded on a case-by-case basis and are determined at the time of audition. Students will be notified of any scholarship awards upon acceptance. There is no separate application for Summer Course scholarships.
- Current SAB Winter Term students should NOT apply for our summer programs.
Audition Results
All summer applicants receive their results via email. Students who pre-register for an in-person audition will receive their results within a week of their audition. Students who apply on site receive their results up to 3 weeks after their audition. International students who apply by video will receive their results on a rolling basis beginning in mid January. US students who apply by video will receive their results on a rolling basis beginning the week of February 6. All results should be disseminated by the beginning of March. A detailed schedule of result timing will be published on our summer admissions page in early January.
Note: Accepted students will have approximately 10 days after receiving their acceptance letter to complete their initial enrollment steps and submit a non-refundable deposit to hold their position in the program.
2023 Digital Summer Brochure
Browse our 2023 Digital Summer Brochure and learn more about our 5-week Summer Course and 1-Week New York Junior Session.
NOTICE OF NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY
The School of American Ballet has a nondiscrimination policy with respect to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. It does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, sexual orientation, national origin or any other protected characteristic in administration of its education policies, admissions policies, scholarship programs or any other school-administered programs.
Summer Auditions sponsored by:
