SAB OVERVIEW

The School of American Ballet (SAB) at Lincoln Center, founded by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, is the preeminent ballet school in the country. Our mission is to train professional dancers for careers in classical ballet.

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION

At the School of American Ballet, we believe that diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical components of a successful and thriving workplace. We strive to create an environment that values and respects the diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of all our employees, students, parents, and stakeholders. SAB is an Equal Opportunity Employer and committed to an equitable and inclusive program and a diverse faculty, staff, and student body. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply.

NATIONAL VISITING FELLOWS PROGRAM

The School of American Ballet (SAB) invites U.S.-based classical ballet instructors with a proven commitment to teaching students from diverse backgrounds to apply for the National Visiting Fellows Program.

Visiting Fellows are invited to attend two all-expenses-paid sessions during SAB’s Winter Term, where they observe a range of SAB classes, meet with faculty to discuss SAB’s curriculum and strategies for progression, teach SAB students and receive faculty feedback, and discuss relevant topics in dance education with administrative staff and faculty. In addition, the home school of each Visiting Fellow receives a monetary award of $5,000, to be applied to current or future diversity-related initiatives.

Applicants will be selected based on various qualifications, including, but not limited to, teaching quality, demographics of the community served, and commitment to serving students of color and/or underrepresented communities. The School of American Ballet encourages submissions from diverse applicants. Fellows will be selected and notified by early August.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Applications must be submitted by June 30, 2024.

DATES OF 2024-2025 FELLOWSHIP

Fall: October 21-October 26, 2024 (travel to NYC October 20)
Winter: Virtual class observation to take place February/March 2025
Spring: April 28-May 3, 2025 (travel to NYC April 27)

PROGRAM STRUCTURE

Observe a complete range of SAB Winter Term classes.
Attend curricula and technique demonstrations with students and faculty.
Meet with SAB faculty members to discuss training methods and other relevant topics.
Serve as a Teaching Assistant for select Children’s Division classes in partnership with an SAB Faculty member.
Provide Zoom access for SAB Faculty to virtually observe a live class at your home studio between fall and spring sessions.
Teach an Upper Children's or Intermediate Division class utilizing the SAB curriculum and receive feedback from SAB faculty.
Meet with School Leadership to discuss administrative operations and topics of diversity and inclusion in ballet.

Requirements

TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE FELLOWSHIP, YOU MUST

Be at least 21 years old and have a minimum of five years teaching experience in classical ballet.
Be currently employed by a U.S.-based dance academy or studio. Non-U.S. citizens are welcome to apply, if the affiliated school or studio is in the United States. Artistic directors are welcome to apply.
Have a demonstrated and documented commitment to serving underrepresented communities in ballet and/or students of color.
Have the full support of your home institution.

 

Application Requirements

LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM ORGANIZATION

Include a letter from your organization’s artistic leadership acknowledging your application and indicating their support for you to participate in the Fellowship if selected. (Not applicable for applicant’s currently serving as Artistic/School Directors).

VIDEO TEACHING SAMPLE

Recorded in-person ballet classes are requested and should highlight applicant's ability to give clear directions and corrections to their students, rather than promote student performance. Video sample is meant to demonstrate how the applicant teaches their students and how they prepare and develop students for the rigors of classical ballet. Applicants will be evaluated on how they teach and communicate information to students.

We request all videos be uploaded to a streaming service such as YouTube or Vimeo prior to submitting the online application. You will be required to provide a link/url to your final video(s) in the application. Links that require the video to be downloaded are not accepted. Additionally, please do not provide links that require an invitation to a specific email address to view (such as in the “private” setting for YouTube uploads).

Note that you do not need to compromise your privacy in order to submit a video. To keep your videos private on YouTube, choose the “unlisted” setting (instead of the default “public” setting) when you upload your video. An “unlisted” video will not be publicly viewable in your YouTube channel and cannot be found through a YouTube search. Vimeo users can update their privacy settings by selecting “People with the private link” under “Who can watch”. This will hide the video from your Vimeo channel and searches. For an added layer of privacy on Vimeo, you can add a password by selecting “people with the password,” which you must then provide on the application.

For Video Guidelines, click here.

Benefits

-Two, all-expense paid trips to New York City for the fall and spring sessions.
-$5,000 grant to support diversity initiatives for participant’s affiliated school.
-$1,000 weekly stipend for each onsite residency at SAB.
-$250 stipend for virtual class observation and 1:1 with SAB faculty during Winter session.
-One complimentary ticket to a New York City Ballet performance (provided fellowship visit occurs during NYCB season).

For more information and to apply, click here.