Curriculum & Schedules

At the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, our students are trained with ABT’s National Training Curriculum, which combines scientific principles with elements of classical French, Italian, and Russian schools of ballet. The goal of our Curriculum is to train students to use their bodies correctly by educating them on anatomy, kinetics, coordination, and alignment. Artistically, our Curriculum strives to provide for students both a rich knowledge of classical ballet technique and the ability to adapt to all styles of dance.

As each level follows our carefully planned Curriculum throughout the year, students are expected to attend all their assigned classes. Students enrolled in the Children’s Division are not permitted to seek outside ballet training or lessons.

ABT MENtor

Launched in the fall of 2017, under the direction of ABT JKO School Artistic Director Cynthia Harvey, ABT MENtor is an initiative intended to support our male students in the ABT JKO School as they progress through the ABT Training Ladder.

Male students will participate in seminars and workshops with current and former professional dancers in American Ballet Theatre and other prestigious companies, as well as observe the Pre-Professional Division and ABT Studio Company.

ABT MENtor strives to develop a supportive and educational environment for the boys and their families in Levels 1A through 3B of the Children’s Division. Boys in Levels 2 and 3 take a separate 1.5 hour boys’ technique class each week as part of the ABT MENtor program.

Enrollment

Pre-Primary & Primary Levels

For students ages 3-7 (includes only 7 -year-olds who will turn 8 after December 1)

Pre-Primary and Primary levels at the ABT JKO School require no prior dance experience. Placement in each level is based solely on child’s date of birth.

For the 2021-2022 school year, class sizes will be strictly limited in accordance with Covid-19 safety protocols. Due to these new guidelines and revised class sizes, enrollment in the Children’s Division will be extremely limited. For Fall 2021, the ABT JKO School is not accepting new students for Primary A, B or C levels. If additional in-person or virtual classes are added for the Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 semesters, information will be updated here.

Children’s Division Pre-Primary & Primary Levels:

Note: Students who turn 8 by December 1 must attend an Open Audition for Level 1A+

Open Auditions

For students ages 7-12 (includes only 7-year-olds who will turn 8 by December 1)

Auditions are required for students who wish to enroll in Levels 1A through 3B of the ABT JKO School. These levels are for students ages seven to twelve with previous ballet training. Upon acceptance, students will be placed into the appropriate level by the Artistic Faculty.

The ABT JKO School Children’s Division held virtual auditions on August 9 & 10, 2021. We currently have no further scheduled auditions for the 2021-2022 school year. Please check back for future audition dates or contact [email protected].

Faculty & Accompanists

American Ballet Theatre strives to provide educational programming of the highest quality, and it all starts with our faculty. ABT JKO School faculty includes members of the ABT Artistic Staff, ABT Alumni and graduates of the ABT/NYU Master’s Program in Ballet Pedagogy.

All Children’s Division faculty members are certified in each level of the National Training Curriculum.

Faculty

Accompanists

Each class at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School is accompanied by one of our accomplished musicians.

Michael Cherry, Stephanie Chun, John Epperson, Misha Golubitsky, Shimako Horii, Sofiya Leavsie, Dmitry Polischuk, Tim Prepscius, Victor See Yuen, Mihoko Suzuki, Laura Tishchenko, Mira Tsidulko