14 December 2007

Dear Parents and Dancers,

The 2008 American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensives audition season is nearly upon us, and I am pleased to share some exciting additions to our programs.

We have been busy processing feedback from our intensives and responding to requests to streamline both our audition notification and our payment and enrollment process. I am happy to announce that audition results will now be given through e-mail and that dancers will be able to enroll in the summer program through Summer Intensive Online on the ABT website. A link will be provided to PayPal for payments, and each dancer can establish a profile to keep up with Summer Intensive key dates and requirements. This should cut down on payment processing delays and greatly enhance communication between ABT, the dancers, and their parents.

Our program sites will continue to have distinct characteristics, but this year we have provided other information to help you choose the most suitable site. In addition to the dates and housing information we traditionally provide, we now have a faculty list for each site, which will give you as much information as possible in making your selection.

• Our Alabama and Texas programs are designed for students who need more emphasis on placement, explanation, strength, structure, refinement, and increasing stamina and vocabulary.
• The Detroit program is geared to challenge the intermediate/advanced student in a professional way to refine and strengthen an already well-built foundation.
• The Orange County program, which again will take place in August, focuses on giving advanced students a chance to train intensively in a professional environment as a preparation for their fall terms.

• a professionally organized performance at the end of the program,
• a repertory piece from ABT’s extensive repertoire,
• choreography customized for the level of expertise,
• expert faculty and master teachers from the ABT organization, and
• specialty classes that may not be available at your local schools.

• Schedule changes to the collegiate program will increase the amount of ballet, bringing it more in line with the other programs, while maintaining the collegiate focus.
• Separate men’s technique classes will be added to all the sites as well as a men’s repertoire piece for the final performances. These classes were tremendously successful in last summer’s NY program.
• All teachers at all the sites will use key elements of ABT’s new National Training Curriculum, which is already in use at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (JKO) School at ABT. With all the teachers sharing the sum of ABT’s expertise and knowledge, we hope to make the dancer’s summer training experience even more successful.
• Another focus this year is to strengthen the relationship with ABT’s New York and satellite sites. To that end, either Franco De Vita (Principal, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre) or Raymond Lukens (Artistic Associate, ABT/NYU Masters Program and JKO Faculty) will be traveling to each site to hold JKO auditions for dancers who are seriously considering the School as their next step. Wes Chapman, Artistic Director of ABT II, will also be teaching and observing at designated sites.