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Dancer Training
ABT Studio Company
ABT Studio Company
ABT Studio Company, the highest level of the American Ballet Theatre training ladder, is a classical ensemble of 12 dancers with outstanding potential. The mission of ABT Studio Company is to prepare these young dancers (ages 16-20) for careers in American Ballet Theatre’s main Company or other leading national and international companies. ABT Studio Company serves as the crucial transition from ballet student to professional performer.
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.
View our FacultyPhoto: 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.
Present ABT Studio CompanyPhoto: Richard Corman
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.
View Upcoming Performances
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.
Upcoming Studio Company Performances
Nov
17
ABT Studio Company at Kaatsbaan
7:30 pm / Kaatsbaan International Dance Center
ABT Studio Company performs a variety of mixed repertory at Kaatsbaan International Dance Center in Tivoli, New York.
Faculty
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 2018-2019 season include Stefanie Batten Bland, Claudia Schreier, and Ethan Stiefel.
In fall 2018, the Studio Company will also participate in ABT Incubator, a two-week choreographic program directed by ABT Principal Dancer and Studio Company alumnus David Hallberg, which provides a focused lab to generate and inspire ideas for the creation of new work.
Other recent ABT Studio Company choreographers include Gemma Bond, Ma Cong, Dana Genshaft, Jessica Lang, Lauren Lovette, Benjamin Millepied, Marco Pelle, Liam Scarlett and George Williamson.
Auditions
2019-2020 Season
To audition for ABT Studio Company’s 2019-2020 season, you must be between the ages of 16 and 20 years old by September 1, 2019 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, 2018.
Open Auditions
Open Auditions for the 2019-2020 season will take place during the ABT Summer Intensive National Audition Tour in early 2019. Dancers may audition for Studio Company in San Francisco on January 27, 2019 and in New York on January 6 or February 3, 2019.
For more information, please visit: National Audition Tour.
Dress Code for Open Auditions
Girls: full-length pink tights and black leotard with ballet slippers and pointe shoes.
Boys: white t-shirt or leotard, full-length black tights and ballet slippers.
No legwarmers, skirts, or loose-fitting clothing.
Registration will begin one hour prior to the class for your age group. Please bring a resume (including height and date of birth), a headshot, and a photo in first arabesque.
For more information, please email [email protected].
Video Auditions
Video Auditions (10-minute maximum) for the 2019-2010 season will be accepted on a rolling basis starting on September 1, 2018.
To apply by video:
- Video auditions must be submitted via the Accept’d portal.
- An audition fee of $35 will be required to complete your video audition (credit card only).
- Please click here and click on “guidelines” to 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.
- If the Artistic Staff would like to see more from you, you will be contacted directly via the email address you supply on the Accept’d platform.
Click here to submit a video audition for ABT Studio Company.
Please note that variations and performance footage are not required for video auditions. Selected dancers may be invited to attend an audition in New York with ABT Studio Company following receipt of video audition materials.
Present the Studio Company
ABT Studio Company brings the artistry and virtuosity of American Ballet Theatre to venues around the globe. Studio Company performances feature a versatile, mixed program of beloved classical excerpts and daring new works, with repertory that changes from year to year.
Traveling with 12 dancers, 3 staff, and 1 Production Manager, ABT Studio Company is highly mobile and is adaptable to venues of any size. Most Studio Company performances run between 60 and 90 minutes.
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 Ballet Mistress, post-performance talkback and Q&A sessions, and meet-and-greets.
Presenters who are interested in engaging ABT Studio Company are welcome to contact the ABT Studio Company Managing Director at [email protected] for more information.
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Alumni
Nearly three quarters 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
- Joo Won Ahn
- Nastia Alexandrova
- Sierra Armstrong
- Hanna Bass
- Aran Bell
- Lauren Bonfiglio
- Kathryn Boren
- Zimmi Coker
- Luigi Crispino
- Brittany DeGrofft
- Scout Forsythe
- April Giangeruso
- Carlos Gonzalez
- Breanne Granlund
- Kiely Groenewegen
- Melanie Hamrick
- Courtlyn Hanson
- Connor Holloway
- Simon Hoke
- Andrii Ishchuk
- Anabel Katsnelson
- Erica Lall
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