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Dancer Training
ABT Studio Company
ABT Studio Company
American Ballet Theatre Studio Company seeks to develop the next generation of ballet dancers, choreographers and audiences.
The central mission of ABT Studio Company is to prepare its exceptionally promising dancers (ages 17-21) for careers in American Ballet Theatre’s main Company or other leading ballet companies worldwide. ABT Studio Company serves as the crucial vehicle for transitioning from student to professional performer. Nearly 80% of current American Ballet Theatre dancers are alumni of ABT Studio Company, including twelve Principal Dancers and seven Soloists.
Each season, ABT Studio Company commissions emerging and/or established choreographers to create new works on Studio Company dancers, serving as a platform for new choreography.
ABT Studio Company engages the broadest possible ballet audience by performing classical, neoclassical and contemporary repertoire in a range of venues around the globe.
Lead Corporate Partner of ABT Studio Company
About Studio Company
Photo: Rosalie O'Conner
Training
Under ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie and ABT Studio Company Artistic Director Sascha Radetsky, ABT Studio Company members participate in an extensive schedule of classes and rehearsals. Classes include classical ballet technique, partnering, pointe, men’s technique, character, variations, acting, dance history, music, Pilates, and men’s and women’s strength training. Workshops in nutrition, health and wellness, stress management, injury prevention, and audition preparation are also included in the curriculum. ABT Studio Company dancers train Monday through Saturday at American Ballet Theatre and ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School facilities.
Photo: Rosalie O' Connor
Repertory
ABT Studio Company dancers work closely with members of ABT’s Artistic Staff and guest faculty to learn ABT repertoire and other masterworks of the classical and neoclassical canons. ABT Studio Company also supports the development of choreographic talent, engaging a wide variety of choreographers to create original pieces on the dancers each season. Performances feature a dynamic mixed program of classical excerpts and new works.
Tarantella, Choreography by George Balanchine © The Balanchine Trust. Photo: Kyle Froman
Performances & Touring
ABT Studio Company dancers gain experience by bringing the professionalism and artistry of ABT to a wide audience through touring, residencies, and cultural exchanges, throughout the US and abroad.
Community Engagement
ABT Studio Company is dedicated to developing the next generation of audience members and aspiring dancers. In addition to providing the highest quality training for its dancers, ABT Studio Company acts as ABT’s principal outreach arm by participating in educational and community engagement activities throughout New York City and beyond.
Current Dancers
ABT Studio Company Dancers
for the 2020-2021 Season
Upcoming Studio Company Performances
ABT Studio Company’s 2020-2021 season tours and performances have been postponed due to Covid-19. The dancers gathered offsite in fall 2020 to safely quarantine and form a “creative bubble.” During this time, ABT Studio Company rehearsed and filmed nine ballets, which will be shared in a two-night virtual event on February 9 and 10, 2021. Additional information about ABT Studio Company’s digital offerings will be posted on this page as it becomes available.
Visit ABT Studio Company’s Instagram page or the ABT Studio Company section of ABT’s YouTube Channel for more digital content.
Please visit ABT’s Covid-19 updates page for additional information.
Upcoming
Feb
09
ABT Studio Company Winter FestivalAct I
7:00 pm
Filmed in the Fall of 2020 at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, New York, this two-night virtual event highlights ABT Studio Company’s commitment to cultivating both innovative new choreography and a promising new generation of dancers.
Feb
10
ABT Studio Company Winter FestivalAct II
7:00 pm
Filmed in the Fall of 2020 at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, New York, this two-night virtual event highlights ABT Studio Company’s commitment to cultivating both innovative new choreography and a promising new generation of dancers.
Faculty
Photo: Fabrizio Ferri
Kevin McKenzie
ABT Artistic Director
Photo: Kyle Froman
Sascha Radetsky
Artistic Director, ABT Studio Company
Photo: Carlotta Forsberg.
Karin Averty
Rehearsal Director, ABT Studio Company
Choreographers
ABT Studio Company seeks to nurture choreographic talent, commissioning choreographers at various stages of their careers to create new works on the group. Choreographers for the 2019-2020 season included Stefanie Batten Bland, Amy Hall Garner, Jessica Lang and Lauren Lovette, and Hope Boykin choreographed a new work in fall 2020.
ABT Studio Company is proud to participate in the ABT Women’s Movement, developing new works by female choreographers each season.
Other recent ABT Studio Company choreographers include Gemma Bond, Ma Cong, Dana Genshaft, Larry Keigwin, Benjamin Millepied, Marco Pelle, Claudia Schreier, Ethan Stiefel and George Williamson.
Auditions
2021-2022 Season
To audition for ABT Studio Company’s 2021-2022 season, you must be between the ages of 16 and 20 years old on September 1, 2021 and have reached an advanced level of ballet training. Space in ABT Studio Company is extremely limited. Video auditions are accepted on a rolling basis starting on September 1, 2020. Other than submitting a video audition or attending an open audition, auditions are by invitation only.
Open Auditions
Due to Covid-19, no open auditions are scheduled at this time. Please check back for updates.
Video Auditions
Video Auditions for the 2021-2022 season will be accepted on a rolling basis starting on September 1, 2020. We will accept video auditions until all spots for the 2021-2022 season have been filled.
To apply by video:
- Video auditions must be submitted via the Accept’d portal after September 1, 2020.
- An audition fee of $36.50 will be required to complete your video audition (credit card only).
- To start an application, please click here and select “ABT Studio Company: Video Audition” from the “Start an Application” menu. Please carefully review video guidelines prior to submission. You will be required to upload a video of classwork (variations optional), a full-body photo in first arabesque, a resume, and a headshot.
- Selected dancers may be contacted following the receipt of video audition materials. If the Artistic Staff would like to see more from you, they will follow up directly via the email address you supply on the Accept’d platform. Please note that submitting a video audition does not guarantee follow up.
Present ABT Studio Company
The vibrant young dancers of ABT Studio Company bring the artistry, professionalism, and innovation of American Ballet Theatre to a worldwide audience. The highly mobile ABT Studio Company serves as an ambassador for American Ballet Theatre by touring to venues large and small. In recent years, the Studio Company has performed in such international cities as London, Athens, Manila, and St. Petersburg, and toured to a wide variety of US performing arts centers, college campuses, and outdoor festivals. ABT Studio Company programs feature a dynamic blend of masterworks from the classical and neoclassical canons alongside contemporary and newly commissioned works.
ABT Studio Company is highly mobile and adaptable to venues of various sizes. Performance engagements can be supplemented and customized with additional activities to fit the needs of presenters and local communities. Popular engagements include school or family performances, master classes with the ABT Studio Company Artistic Director or Rehearsal Director, post-performance talkback and Q&A sessions, and meet-and-greets.
Presenters who are interested in engaging ABT Studio Company should contact the following:
For USA and Canada: ABT Studio Company is represented by CAMI Music for bookings in North America. Please contact Theresa Vibberts at [email protected]. Visit our CAMI page for more information.
For locations outside of USA and Canada: Please contact ABT Studio Company Managing Director Claire Florian at [email protected] to discuss international engagements.
Alumni
Nearly 80% of current American Ballet Theatre dancers are alumni of ABT Studio Company. ABT Studio Company graduates have also gone on to dance for other leading companies in the United States and abroad.
Dancers currently in American Ballet Theatre who started their careers in ABT Studio Company (formerly ABT II) include:
Corps de Ballet
- Sierra Armstrong
- Lauren Bonfiglio
- Kathryn Boren
- Jacob Clerico
- Zimmi Coker
- Luigi Crispino
- Jarod Curley
- Michael de la Nuez
- Brittany DeGrofft
- Léa Fleytoux
- Scout Forsythe
- April Giangeruso
- Carlos Gonzalez
- Breanne Granlund
- Kiely Groenewegen
- Connor Holloway
- Andrii Ishchuk
- Anabel Katsnelson
- Erica Lall
- Courtney Lavine
Contact Us
For additional ABT Studio Company or ABT Studio Company audition inquiries please contact the ABT Studio Company Managing Director.
Contact UsFAQs
To view our most frequently asked questions about ABT Studio Company, please click below.
View our FAQs