Our signature Summer Intensives offer rigorous training in classical, contemporary, commercial techniques, and culturally specific dance forms, with repertory and performance opportunities. Classes are taught by the CityDance Conservatory Ballet Master, the Choreographer-in-Residence, and our exceptional faculty in collaboration with visiting artists and companies. Past artists include PHILADANCO!, Koresh Dance Company, Ballet Hispanico, Baye & Asa, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Gallim, CityDance Conservatory Intensives are open to serious dance students ages 9 – 19.

In the summer of 2025, the CityDance Conservatory will also offer its Young Training Program Intensive for students ages 7 to 9. This program will run for 6 weeks and will feature afternoon classes in ballet, modern, and jazz.

NEW Summer Intensives Audition: February 9, 2025

The Music Center at Strathmore

12 pm | 7 – 9 years old

1:30 pm | 10 – 12 years old

3:15 pm | 13 + years old

Video Auditions for Summer 2025

Video Requirements by Age Category:

7-10 Years:

– Video from a dance class
– Short video of improvisation or performance

11+ Years:

Ballet Requirements:

– Ballet Barre: pliés, tendus, jetés, rond de jambes, frappés, fondus, grands battements (both sides)
– Ballet Center: développés, pirouettes, petits and grands allegros
– Pointe Work:** if applicable

Modern Requirements:

– Short warm-up including floor work with contractions, spirals, and leg extensions, along with center technique using a parallel base

– Contemporary movement phrases, sequences, and/or progressions

– Demonstration of any additional genre, if applicable

– Dancers who have competed with a solo in YAGP or other competitions may include a video link of their performance. Please email summer@citydance.net for questions.

Dress Code

Ballet:
– Leotard, pink tights and ballet shoes, or skin-toned tights and shoes (pointe shoes if applicable)
– Fitted ballet shirt, ballet tights, and ballet slippers
– Hair should be in a neat bun or secured out of the face and off the neck
Jazz/Modern:
– Leotard, fitted dance shorts; jazz shoes or bare feet
– Fitted shirt, biker shorts; jazz shoes or bare feet
– Hair should be in a bun, secured out of the face and off the neck

 

CityDance Conservatory is an audition-entry program that selects students based on evaluated potential, technical accomplishments, and demonstrated determination to pursue professional dance careers. Our intake and evaluation process assesses each student’s talent individually, considering their past training and goals. While we allow for rolling admissions in our year-round program, starting in CityDance Conservatory during our Summer Intensives or in September maximizes training, growth, and performance opportunities. Limited merit scholarships are available for students who show exceptional talent and commitment.

 

In the photo: CityDance Alumni Makani Yerg ’19 (Junior Ballet at Ballet Zurich), Simon Tischler ’24 (The John Cranko Schule), Richard Frye ’22 (NYU Tisch).

Credit: David Nguyen

Check out our past Summer Intensives!

Summer 2024

Testimonials

“I’ve met so many new teachers and choreographers and have made a lot of new friendships. I feel like I’ve grown so much just in the past two weeks that I’ve been here.”

Ashley

CityDance Summer Intensive Student

“Working with so many different choreographers from different backgrounds is so inspirational. It gives me the motive to be able to push myself to be the best person I can be so that one day I can reach up to their level.”

Chris

Summer Intensive Student

“You have students coming from all over, on top of the already set standard of students that are here all year round. So it brings this new kind of hunger and this new excitement to have a plethora of teachers that CityDance offers, which is very unique, to having ballet all day long and then all of these different modern techniques and trainings in the afternoon, on top of being able to train technically but then learn rep from all of these major companies and all of these major instructors I think it is amazing, and I think it’s something that’s very unique to City Dance.”

Mikaela Fenton

CityDance Summer Intensive Guest Artist, PHILADANCO! Company Dancer

“We’re here teaching rep, we’re here teaching classes. We have a similar schedule during the intensive as what we do as Company members during the week. Very intense dancing, lots of practicing, lots of rehearsals!”

Joseph Cotler

CityDance Summer Intensive Guest Artist, Koresh Dance Company Member

“There’s a spirit here that is about making the arts alive and connecting these young people to the arts in a powerful way. I love walking through the studios and seeing the focus and determination.”

Virginia Johnson

CityDance Summer Intensive Guest Artist, Artistic Director of Dance Theatre of Harlem

 “I loved having an opportunity to look at these young folks and was really taken by how much they’ve learned.  It’s not easy…and they learned it in less than a week, so kudos to everyone here at CityDance. This has been an amazing time here and I just want to keep working with these kids…because what I saw in them was an appetite for dance, and when you see an appetite for an art form, whatever art for, you have to nurture it.”

Eduardo Vilaro

Artistic Director & CEO, Ballet Hispánico

“CityDance is the rare pre-professional school offering professional guest artist residencies, a facet of the program whose importance cannot be overstated. The program exposes students to a range of dance styles and methodologies, broadening each student’s scope of knowledge within the field, preparing and inspiring them for the future, and uniquely preparing them to tackle the challenges of the professional dance world.”

Donald Byrd

Artistic Director of Spectrum Dance Theater

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