ABT RISE Weekend Workshops Open to Students Across America

In keeping with its commitment to fostering inclusion and increasing diversity in ballet, American Ballet Theatre will host ABT RISE Weekend Workshop, April 10 and 11, 2021, a series of dance classes for 2 nd and 3rd grade students across the United States, offered free of charge. The two-day weekend workshop, conducted virtually and taught by ABT dancers, faculty, and teaching artists, will introduce children to classical ballet and offer classes in character dance, jazz, modern, acting, and mime. Students will also have a special opportunity to learn an excerpt from ABT's expansive repertory and participate in a "Meet the Artist" discussion with an ABT dancer.

ABT RISE Workshops thrive on the support and participation of ABT Company dancers who serve as ABT RISE Ambassadors. "I am honored to be an ABT RISE Ambassador and to share my passion for classical ballet with future generations of dancers and ballet lovers," said ABT dancer Courtney Lavine. "Our goal is to provide a 'day in the life experience,' while showing the students that ballet is for everyone."

ABT RISE Workshops provide access to training for students from populations historically underrepresented in classical ballet. Eligibility is limited to 2nd and 3rd grade students in the United States, with a goal of enrolling students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The April 10 and 11 workshops will be held from 1:00 P.M. to 4:30 P.M. ET. Commitment for the entirety of the weekend is required and space is limited.

ABT RISE, Representation and Inclusion Sustain Excellence, is a reinvigorated institutional commitment to increasing diversity throughout American Ballet Theatre. Through initiatives existing and growing under the ABT RISE umbrella, ABT will champion, enhance, and support inclusion and diversity on its stages, in the studios and classrooms where ABT operates, behind the scenes in ABT's administrative staff and creative teams, as well as in the audiences and communities ABT serves in New York City and around the world.

To apply for the ABT RISE Weekend Workshop, please click here. Applications must be received by March 11, 2021 to be considered. For more information, please email schoolprograms@abt.org.