Summer intensive scholarships
Places at summer intensives offered by ABA and by participating partner schools, academies and pre-professional programmes.
Beyond the score
Competition with a future in mind.
The award is earned on stage. The opportunity begins beyond it.
Scholarships, invitations, master classes and training opportunities — offered by American Ballet Awards and its partner institutions, and independent of score and placement.
Competition with a future in mind
Awards matter.
What comes next matters more.
Awards matter. Placement matters. The opportunity to stand among the strongest dancers in a competitive field should mean something. But an exceptional competition should also create opportunities for what comes next.
American Ballet Awards connects competitive achievement with education and advancement. Throughout each event, dancers may participate in classes with respected professionals, be considered for scholarships and training opportunities, and gain exposure to programs that can become part of the next chapter of their development.
Our goal is not simply to identify exceptional dancers. It is to help develop them.
Scholarships & training opportunities
Recognition that
opens a door.
Select dancers may be considered for scholarships, invitations, educational experiences and training opportunities provided by American Ballet Awards and participating partner institutions. Available opportunities vary by event and season.
Year-round training scholarships
Support toward a dancer’s continued classical training through the full academic year.
Programme invitations
Invitations from participating institutions to audition, train or take part in a programme.
Workshop & master class scholarships
Access to workshops and master classes beyond the competition weekend itself.
Educational opportunities
Experiences that extend a dancer’s education in ballet beyond the studio they train in.
Special training experiences
Opportunities designed around a particular dancer, programme or event.
Scholarships and training opportunities are independent of competitive score and placement. Not every opportunity is awarded at every ABA event.
Master classes & intensives
Learn from the artists shaping ballet today.
ABA events may include master classes led by distinguished faculty, professional dancers, educators, choreographers, artistic leaders and representatives of participating training programmes — a chance to learn beyond a dancer’s regular training environment and to keep developing across the competition weekend.
- Different teaching perspectives — from professionals outside a dancer’s own studio.
- Observation — faculty and partner representatives see what a performance cannot show: adaptability, work ethic, response to correction and classroom presence.
- Scholarship & opportunity classes — select events include classes, auditions or workshops connected to specific opportunities.
Schedules, age groupings, levels and participation requirements are published for each event. Taking a class never changes a dancer’s competition score or placement.
Training partners
Programs that open their doors.
Academies, conservatories and pre-professional programs across the nation that offer scholarship, audition or summer intensive access to dancers identified at an American Ballet Awards event.
Meridian Ballet Academy
Chicago, IL · Academy
Summer intensive scholarships · year-round trainee audition access
Aurelia Conservatory of Dance
New York, NY · Conservatory
Year-round trainee auditions · full and partial tuition awards
Whitmore Ballet Theatre School
Boston, MA · Pre-professional
Second-company observation · summer intensive placement
Delacroix Academy of Classical Ballet
Atlanta, GA · Academy
Summer intensive scholarships · Junior and Senior divisions
Sable Ballet Conservatory
Dallas, TX · Conservatory
Year-round tuition awards · variations coaching residency
Villanueva Pre-Professional Program
Costa Mesa, CA · Pre-professional
Trainee audition access · partnering and pas de deux intensive
Castellan Ballet Institute
Charlotte, NC · Academy
Summer intensive scholarships · Youth and Junior divisions
Orpheum Youth Ballet
Salt Lake City, UT · Pre-professional
Company class observation · repertoire placement
Industry partners
Those who make it possible.
Brands, foundations and organisations whose support funds the scholarships, the master classes and the stages themselves.
The Whitmore Foundation
Founding scholarship partner
Supports the ABA scholarship and training opportunity programme
Grand Jeté Dancewear
Official dancewear partner
Pointe shoe fittings and dancewear support at every regional event
Aurelia Jewels
Awards partner
Designs and strikes the American Ballet Awards medals
Meridian Private Bank
National Finals partner
Presenting partner of the ABA National Finals in New York
Pointe & Pearl
Master class partner
Supports the master class programme across the regional tour
Sable & Co.
Official photography partner
Stage and portrait photography for every competitor
Rosin Box Media
Broadcast & media partner
Films the National Finals and the season’s award presentations
Castellan
Supporting partner
Supports regional programming across the tour
How dancers are considered
Seen on stage.
Seen in class.
A dancer does not need an Award of Excellence, a Top 10 placement or an Adjudicators’ Honor to be considered. Recipients may be selected on their competition performance, their participation in ABA classes, technical potential, artistry, musicality, work ethic, age, training needs and suitability for a particular programme.
Where an opportunity is offered by a partner school, academy, company, university or training programme, that institution may set its own criteria and retain final authority over who receives it.
Every dancer deserves the opportunity to become more.
Questions
About scholarships & partners.
Dancers are considered from what ABA sees at the event — their competition performance and their participation in ABA classes. Some opportunities at select events are tied to a specific class, audition or workshop, and a partner institution may set its own eligibility criteria. Taking part does not guarantee that a scholarship or invitation will be awarded.
Yes. Scholarships and training opportunities are independent of division, score and placement, and Premiere dancers are considered on exactly the same basis as Virtuoso dancers.
It depends on who offers it. An opportunity provided by a partner institution is generally tied to that institution, which may set its own conditions on age, training level, dates and tuition coverage. The terms of each opportunity are made clear when it is offered.
Yes. A score-based Award, a Top 10 placement, an Adjudicators’ Honor, the Emerging Artist Award and a scholarship or training opportunity are separate forms of recognition, and a dancer may receive more than one from the same event.
Academies, conservatories and pre-professional programs interested in offering scholarship, audition or summer intensive access to ABA dancers are welcome to write to us. Brands, foundations and organisations interested in supporting the scholarship fund, the master class programme or a regional event can reach the same address.
Partner with ABA
Open a door
for the next generation.
We are creating a place where today’s stars can inspire, educate and open doors for the stars of tomorrow. If your program, brand or foundation wants to be part of that, we would like to hear from you.
Partner with ABA
Start a conversation.
American Ballet Awards works with academies, conservatories, companies, universities, pre-professional programmes and industry partners to place scholarships, invitations and training opportunities in front of the right dancers.
Tell us what you would like to offer and who it is for, and we will come back to you with the events and age classifications where it fits.
The award is earned on stage. The opportunity begins beyond it.
- Scholarship & training partners
- Studios and teachers registering dancers
- Adjudication and faculty enquiries
- Venue, media and industry partnerships
Thank you — that has reached us.
A member of the American Ballet Awards team will be in touch. If your enquiry is time-sensitive, write to hello@americanballetawards.com and mention that you have already submitted this form.