Summer Intensive Auditions & Admission

Summer Course
June 29 – July 31, 2026
for students ages 12-18

SAB’s 5-week Summer Course provides dancers with an enriching experience inside the ballet studio and beyond. Students take classes six days per week from SAB’s renowned faculty in the School’s beautiful Lincoln Center facility. The curriculum includes Ballet Technique, Pointe, Partnering, Variations, Character, Contemporary, Music, Weight Training and Pilates; plus a host of wellness programs. Most students reside in SAB’s on-site residence hall, cared for by the School’s professional Student Life staff. In the evenings and on weekends, SAB’s after-class program introduces students to New York’s finest cultural and recreational offerings, from performances by world-renowned dance companies to Broadway musicals and trips to museums, historical landmarks and cultural institutions.

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New York Junior Session
June 22 – June 27, 2026
for students ages 10-12

The New York Junior Session is a week-long immersive experience at SAB’s headquarters in Manhattan. Students will take daily classes with SAB’s faculty and guest teachers including principal dancers from New York City Ballet. They’ll have the opportunity to explore SAB’s state-of-the-art facilities on Lincoln Center’s pristine campus. In addition to daily technique classes, the curriculum includes variations, beginning and intermediate pointe, Pilates, conditioning, and character classes. Students also participate in an array of wellness seminars and cultural enrichment activities. It’s a wonderful chance for aspiring young dancers to come see what SAB is all about.

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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, 2026) 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.

New this year, SAB invites applicants to apply for need-based financial assistance to help cover the cost of tuition and/or Room & Board for its summer programs. This is separate from and in addition to SAB’s merit-based scholarships which are determined by our faculty at the time of audition. You can apply for and receive financial aid regardless of whether you are awarded a merit-based scholarship. Applicants who are admitted to our summer programs will be notified of their financial aid amount and/or merit scholarship award, if any, when they receive their invitation.

APPLYING FOR AID

If interested in applying for aid, applicants must do so as part of their online audition registration in advance of their audition. You will not be able to later decide to apply for aid after submitting your online registration. Additionally, walk-in applicants are not eligible to apply for aid.

When registering online for an audition, you will be asked if you would like to apply for financial aid. Those who answer “yes” will be prompted to provide the following information/documents. (We encourage families interested in applying for aid to have these items ready prior to beginning the registration form.)

• Household income for 2024
• Anticipated household income for 2025
• Number of dependents
• Your most recent federal tax return (Form 1040) or equivalent documentation. (Provided via upload)

Note that supporting documentation is required for all financial aid applications. Please redact social security numbers before uploading.

SAB prefers that you upload your required documents when completing your application. Those who complete their application in November and December can opt to submit their documents after registration up until December 31. Please refer to your registration confirmation e-mail for instructions on how to submit your documents after registration (but on or before December 31).  Applicants who register for an audition and apply for aid after December 31 MUST include the necessary documentation as part of their audition registration form.

Note: Documents submitted to the School of American Ballet for financial aid applications will be stored either in our PowerSchool Enrollment database, if uploaded at the time of registration, or our Microsoft SharePoint service, if submitted after registration. All documents are encrypted in transit and at rest and will be deleted from our systems after our financial aid review process is complete. 

SAB offers several opportunities for students to audition for our summer intensive programs. Students can join us for in-person auditions at one of 16 locations across the US on our National Audition Tour or on select dates at our headquarters New York. Students who are unable to attend an audition in person are invited to apply by video.

Audition Fees:
In-person audition, online registration: $43 (must be paid via credit card at the time of registration)
In person audition, walk-in: $50 (National Audition Tour only)
Video Application: $55 (must be paid upon submitting your video application)

• Online registration is required for all NYC audition dates and optional for National Audition Tour cities. All applicants are strongly encouraged to register online. The benefits of online registration include a discounted audition fee, expedited audition result notification, and the opportunity to apply for need-based financial aid. Those who register but later decide not to attend the audition will not be penalized in any way (but will forfeit the pre-paid audition fee). The fee for applicants who register online is $43 and must be paid at the time of registration.
• Walk-in applicants (who do not register online) are welcome at all National Audition Tour cities. Walk-in applicants will not be admitted at our NYC audition dates. The audition fee for walk-in applicants on the National Audition Tour is $50 and may be paid by cash or credit card on site. Walk in applicants are not eligible to apply for need-based financial aid.
• Both merit-based scholarships and need-based financial aid are available for SAB’s summer programs. Merit-based scholarships are determined at the time of audition. Students do not need to apply in advance for merit-based scholarships. However, if students want to be considered for need-based financial aid, they must indicate this on their audition registration form and submit required information and documentation. View more information about applying here. 
• 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 do not need to bring pointe shoes and should attend the audition time(s) designated for NY Junior Session only. (No pointe work will be given at these designated auditions) 
• 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, 2026 and 12 year olds who will still be 12 on June 27, 2026 may audition for both the New York Junior Session and the five-week Summer Course at any audition location.
• Current SAB Winter Term students should NOT apply for our summer programs. 

Audition registration is now open. Please note the following before proceeding to the registration form.

• Families must create an online account to complete the application form. You may use the same account to register multiple siblings. Families who have applied before may use the same login.
• You must pay the $43 audition fee or $55 video application fee at the time you submit the form. Please have billing information ready.
• Applicants who wish to be considered for financial aid must apply as part of their audition registration. Visit this link for more information about applying.
• You should complete only ONE registration form. If you wish to switch locations or later decide to apply by video, simply notify us at auditions@sab.org.
• Completing a registration form does not obligate you to attend the audition. While SAB hopes that all who register will be able to audition, we understand that plans may change. You will not be penalized in any future auditions with SAB for not attending an audition for which you registered. Please remember, however, that pre-paid audition fees are non-refundable.

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: