The Dance Academy is part of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, which also includes Youth Dance programs. Led by Artistic Director Janie Taylor, the Dance Academy is a rigorous pre-professional ballet training program that honors the great traditions of classical ballet. Training offers a focus on the Balanchine style of ballet and includes the exploration of diverse dance genres to train well-rounded artists.
Our holistic artistic education shapes dancers as thinkers, artists, and performers as they experience life in the cultural heart of a global city. The small class size allows for each dancer to develop in their own way, through mentorship and personalized guidance that nurtures their unique gifts and prepares them for a professional career in dance. Attending the Colburn Dance Academy requires a high level of commitment and passion. We suggest applicants to have studied ballet for a minimum of four years. We train students ages 14–17 in the summer and year-round program.
The Dance Academy is for dancers who turn 14 before the start of the year-round program, while the summer intensive audition will accept eligible dancers aged 13. Dancers may audition at 12 for the summer intensive but their applications will require a letter of recommendation from a current faculty member and dancers must be prepared to take the full 90-minute audition class on pointe. Dancers who are recovering from injury and would like to audition, should reach out to dance@colburnschool.edu to discuss options.
Colburn Dance Academy Summer Intensive 2025: June 16–June 28, 2025
Colburn Dance Academy Year-Round Program 25-26: August 25, 2025–May 31, 2026
Register To Audition
At the in-person audition, Dance Academy artistic staff will give and observe a full ballet technique class. The class is taught in the Balanchine style and may be two hours in length.
All dancers will be assessed on the following:
Dancers who train en pointe will be asked to wear pointe shoes for the entire audition class.
Video auditions for the 2025–26 Colburn Dance Academy will be accepted until August 11, 2025.
Please note that students are encouraged to send in their videos as early as possible to be considered for the limited number of spots in the 2025–26 Colburn Dance Academy.
Videos should be uploaded to a privacy-enabled video sharing service including YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox or other similar platforms, and emailed to dance@colburnschool.edu with the password. Videos should include the following content with a preferred limit of 15 minutes in length.
All students must include the following:
*Dancers who train en pointe should wear pointe shoes and include a diagonal turning combination
Video Audition Dress Code
Contact Gavin Kelley at gkelley@colburnschool.edu or 213-621-1085 to inquire about residential availability.