University of North Carolina School of the Arts And American Ballet Theatre Expand Educational Partnership

The School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) and American Ballet Theatre (ABT) have extended and expanded their partnership, adding opportunities for students that will enhance their readiness and career opportunities as they forge their dance careers.

UNCSA has been an exclusive educational affiliate of ABT since 2011, through which all UNCSA faculty are certified in the ABT National Training Curriculum (NTC) from primary through partnering levels, and ABT dancers and staff come to UNCSA to work with students and present master classes. The expanded partnership will add opportunities for UNCSA student dancers to learn the NTC during their regular course of study, providing critical teaching skills that will serve graduates as they pursue their dance careers.

Both organizations will benefit from an annual faculty exchange program. This fall, UNCSA welcomes ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School faculty member Cornell Callender for a week of instruction, while the ABT JKO School will host UNCSA faculty member Jennet Zerbe. Additionally, UNCSA students will have the opportunity to audition on campus for the ABT Summer Intensive and will be considered for scholarships.

Also, as part of the partnership, a position has been added for one UNCSA B.F.A. student to participate in American Ballet Theatre's Internship Program each fall semester. The student will assist the National Training Curriculum team and support ABT student examinations. The ABT Internship Program was established in fall 2010 to provide preprofessional nonprofit work experience for university students and recent graduates.

“We are thrilled to be extending our valuable partnership with American Ballet Theatre, an organization that UNCSA has had close ties to throughout its history,” said Endalyn T. Outlaw, dean of the School of Dance at UNCSA.  “The new elements of our partnership will provide our students with expanded career opportunities in pedagogy and arts administration, an area of focus for the School of Dance as we prepare our students for a wide range of career paths. We are grateful to ABT for their continued collaboration and dedication to the dancers of tomorrow.”

“I am especially proud of the partnership between ABT and the School of Dance at UNCSA, with both organizations having played a significant role in my professional journey,” said American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Susan Jaffe. “I'm confident these new programmatic advances will only further enhance the high-level training and support being provided to the next generation of dance professionals.”

The ABT partnership is one of a growing number of professional affiliations in the School of Dance at UNCSA, including the recently launched partnership with Dance Theatre of Harlem which was made possible with funding and programmatic support by the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts.

“At UNCSA we are committed to connecting our students to professional organizations and providing real-world experiences and networking opportunities that will serve them as they embark on their careers,” Outlaw added.

The ABT National Training Curriculum is a program for the development and training of young students that embraces sound ballet principles and incorporates elements of the French, Italian, and Russian schools of training. ABT's NTC assists beginning through advanced teachers in training dance students to use their bodies correctly by focusing on kinetics, coordination, anatomy, and proper body alignment. Artistically, the NTC strives to provide dance students with a rich knowledge of classical ballet technique and the ability to adapt to all styles and techniques of dance.

ABT and UNCSA

American Ballet Theatre Artistic Director Susan Jaffe served as dean of the School of Dance at UNCSA from 2012-2020. UNCSA alumni who have gone on to dance at ABT include Principal Dancers Gillian Murphy, Patrick Bissell, Victor Barbee and Keith Roberts, Soloists Maria Riccetto, Blaine Hoven and Christine Spizzo (who also served on the Dance faculty), and corps de ballet members David Loring, Julio Bragado-Young, John Michael Schert, Joseph Phillips, Kelley Potter, Isaac Stappas, and current Company members Sierra Armstrong and Andrew Robare. Current UNCSA ballet faculty members Jennet Zerbe and Laura Martin were former members of ABT. ABT Lighting Director Brad Fields is an alumnus of the UNCSA School of Design and Production.

American Ballet Theatre was created by Lucia Chase and Oliver Smith in 1940. Miss Chase's son, Alex C. Ewing, served as chancellor of UNCSA for 10 years from 1990 to 2000, as well as interim dean of the School of Dance in 2007. Former ABT Principal Dancer Ethan Stiefel served as dean of UNCSA's School of Dance from 2008-2011.

About ABT

American Ballet Theatre is one of the greatest dance companies in the world. Revered as a national treasure since its founding season in 1940, its mission is to create, present, preserve, and extend the great repertoire of classical dancing for the widest possible audience. Headquartered in New York City, ABT is the only cultural institution of its size and stature to extensively tour, enchanting audiences for eight decades in 50 U.S. states, 45 countries, and over 480 cities worldwide. ABT's repertoire includes full-length classics from the 19th century, the finest works from the early 20th century, and acclaimed contemporary masterpieces. In 2006, by an act of Congress, ABT was designated America's National Ballet Company.

About the School of Dance at UNCSA

The School of Dance at UNCSA is one of the world's premier dance schools employing a distinctive conservatory approach to developing and teaching talented young performers. Hands-on training from world-class resident faculty members and professional dancers offers a thorough yet nurturing approach for the next generation of performers to become technically sound, artistically sensitive and versatile professional dancers. Students concentrate in either classical ballet or contemporary dance, but train and perform in both, with numerous performance opportunities that allow them to explore a diverse repertory. Additionally, there is an affiliate Preparatory Dance Program in ballet for rising third- through ninth-graders, and summer dance intensives and dance festivals for children and adults. 

Classical ballet graduates have enjoyed successful careers in dance, including becoming soloists, principal dancers, choreographers and artistic directors with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet, among many others. Graduates of the contemporary dance program enjoy careers as dancers and choreographers for companies such as the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and the Martha Graham Ensemble, along with their own companies. UNCSA alumni include Camille A. Brown, Kyle Davis, Kevin Lee-Y Green, Blaine Hoven, Juel D. Lane, Trey McIntyre, Gillian Murphy, Anthony Santos, Helen Simoneau and Dwana Smallwood, among many others.

About UNCSA

The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is a top-ranked arts conservatory and America's first state-supported arts school. The nation's only public university of five arts disciplines on one campus, UNCSA prepares emerging artists for careers in dance, design and production, drama, filmmaking, and music at the undergraduate through post-graduate levels, as well as through a specialized high school with free tuition for in-state residents. UNCSA provides industry-leading instruction in an inclusive environment where students are encouraged to leverage the arts as a mechanism for change. Interdisciplinary opportunities arising from the unique arts ecosystem on campus at UNCSA prepare artists to enter an evolving global arts and entertainment industry. Established by the N.C. General Assembly in 1963, the School of the Arts opened in Winston-Salem (“The City of Arts and Innovation”) in 1965 and became part of the University of North Carolina System when it was formed in 1972. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu.

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