Support America’s National Ballet Company® DONATE
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.
Photo: Rosalie O'Conner
Training
Under ABT Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie and ABT Studio Company Artistic Director Kate Lydon, ABT Studio Company members participate in an extensive schedule of classes and rehearsals, including classical ballet technique, partnering, pointe, men’s technique, character, variations, mime and acting, dance history, 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 canon. ABT Studio Company is an incubator for emerging choreographic talent. Recent and upcoming choreographers commissioned to create for ABT Studio Company include Gemma Bond, Dana Genshaft, Jessica Lang, Lauren Lovette, Liam Scarlett, Ethan Stiefel and George Williamson.
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.
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
Jun
17
ABT Studio Company at the Summer Nostos Festival
8:30 pm / Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
In Stavros Niarchos Hall.
ABT Studio Company will perform a mixed program of 2017-2018 season repertory.
Jun
19
ABT Studio Company at the Summer Nostos Festival
8:30 pm / Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
At the Canal Stage at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
ABT Studio Company will perform Le Jeune by Lauren Lovette in an outdoor program shared with the students of the Greek National Opera Dance School.
Faculty
Studio Company faculty members for the 2017-2018 season include:
Choreographers
ABT Studio Company serves as an incubator for choreographic talent, commissioning choreographers at various stages of their careers to create new works on the group. Choreographers for the 2017-2018 season include Lauren Lovette, Marco Pelle, Jessica Lang, Ma Cong, and Benjamin Millepied.
Other recent choreographers include Gemma Bond, Dana Genshaft, Liam Scarlett, Ethan Stiefel and George Williamson.
Auditions
2018-2019 Season
To audition for ABT Studio Company, you must be between the ages of 16 and 20 years old by September 1, 2018 and have reached an advanced level of ballet training. Space in ABT Studio Company is extremely limited. Video auditions are accepted year-round.
Open Auditions
Open Auditions for the 2018-2019 season will take place during the ABT Summer Intensive National Audition Tour in New York (January 7 or February 4) and San Francisco (January 21). Dancers who wish to audition for the ABT Studio Company should attend the audition for their age group on these dates. Please see the National Audition Tour site for more information.
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 abtstudiocompany@abt.org.
Video Auditions
Video Auditions (10-minute maximum) are accepted year-round.
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 to view 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.
- You will be contacted directly via the email address you supply on the Accept’d platform if the Artistic Staff would like to see more from you.
Click here to submit a video audition for ABT Studio Company.
Please note that variations and performance footage are not required for video auditions.
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. Featuring 12 dancers and no sets, the group is highly mobile and able to perform its wide range of repertory in venues of any size.
The Studio Company tours in one-week increments that include full-length performances, narrated school or family performances, lecture/demonstrations, master classes, post-performance talkbacks, and more. Each engagement is tailored to fit the presenter’s and local community’s needs.
Presenters who are interested in engaging ABT Studio Company are welcome to contact ABT Studio Company Manager Claire Florian at abtstudiocompany@abt.org for more information.
Contact Us
Alumni
Over two thirds 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
- Hanna Bass
- Aran Bell
- Gisele Bethea
- Lauren Bonfiglio
- Kathryn Boren
- Luigi Crispino
- Gray Davis
- Brittany DeGrofft
- Zhong-Jing Fang
- Scout Forsythe
- April Giangeruso
- Carlos Gonzalez
- Breanne Granlund
- Kiely Groenewegen
- Melanie Hamrick
- Courtlyn Hanson
- Connor Holloway
- Catherine Hurlin
- Andrii Ishchuk
- Anabel Katsnelson
- Erica Lall
- Courtney Lavine
- Virginia Lensi
- Carolyn Lippert
- Isadora Loyola
- Xuelan Lu
- Tyler Maloney
- Hannah Marshall
- Kaho Ogawa
- Garegin Pogossian
- Kelley Potter
- Wan Yue Qiao
- Rachel Richardson
- Jose Sebastian
- Gabe Stone Shayer
- Courtney Shealy
- Nathan Vendt
- Paulina Waski
- Katherine Williams
- Remy Young
- Jin Zhang
- Zhiyao Zhang
Contact Us
For additional ABT Studio Company or ABT Studio Company audition inquiries please contact ABT’s Studio Company Manager.
Contact UsFAQs
To view our most frequently asked questions about ABT Studio Company, please click below.
View our FAQs