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.

Auditions for 2024 Summer programs have passed. Information about how to audition for 2025 Summer Course and New York Junior Session will become available in late 2024.

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, 2024) 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 2024 Summer Course, students must be no younger than 12 and no older than 18 as of July 31, 2024.  To apply for the 2024 New York Junior Session, students must be no younger than 10 as of July 31, 2024 and no older than 12 on the last day of the program, June 29, 2024. Twelve year olds who meet the age requirements outlined above may apply for and, if accepted, attend both programs.

COVID-19 Policies
Vaccination against Covid-19 is strongly recommended for students attending our summer programs but will NOT be required for our 2024 summer programs. 

National Audition Tour

SAB will hold auditions at locations across the United States during weekends in January. Pre-registration will begin in early November and is strongly recommended for the National Audition Tour locations but not required. The benefits of pre-registration include a discounted audition fee and expedited audition results. View the 2024 National Audition Tour cities and dates below.

Atlanta — January 21

Boston — January 27 – Rescheduled

Charlotte — January 13

Chicago — January 21

Dallas — January 7

Denver (Littleton) — January 13

Los Angeles — January 7

Miami — January 15

New Orleans — January 6

New York – January 3-25

Orange County, CA — January 6

Philadelphia — January 21

Pittsburgh — January 28

San Francisco — January 14

Seattle — January 15

Tampa — January 14

Washington, D.C. — January 20

Auditions at SAB in New York

The School holds summer program auditions at our headquarters in New York City by appointment on specific days in January. Because of limited space, Pre-registration is required for all auditions taking place at SAB.

Apply By Video

SAB offers the opportunity for students who are unable to attend an in-person audition to submit a video application for our summer programs. The deadline to submit a video application is January 28, 2024. Visit the link below for audition video guidelines.

International Applicants

International applicants are welcome to apply by video for our 2024 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.

Note: 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.

Learn More about Submitting a Video Application

General Audition Information

  • Pre-registration is required for all NYC audition dates and optional for National Audition Tour cities. All applicants are strongly encouraged to pre-register. The benefits of pre-registration include a discounted audition fee 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 the pre-paid audition fee). The fee for all pre-registered in-person applicants is $43 and must be paid at the time of registration.
  • Walk-in applicants (who did not pre-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.
  • 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, 2024 and 12 year olds who will still be 12 on June 29, 2024 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. A detailed schedule of audition results distribution can be found at the link below.

Audition Tour and NYC Applicants
  • Pre-registered applicants will receive their results approximately 1 week after their audition.
  • Students who do not pre-register will receive their results up to 3 weeks after their audition date.
Video Applicants
  • International students who apply by video will receive their results on a rolling basis beginning in mid-January.
  • US-based students who apply by video will receive their results on a rolling basis beginning the week of January 29. Videos submitted on the Jan. 28 deadline may receive results as late as February 16.

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.

2024 Digital Summer Brochure

Browse our 2024 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: