For some high school students, the thrill of dancing away from home doesn't end when the summer is over. In fact, those who attend residential performing arts high schools live in dorms, work with esteemed guest artists and faculty, and spend half of every school day in a dance studio—from September to May. Offering a true conservatory experience, these schools can transform your technique and provide unique performing and choreographic opportunities.
Of course, there are some drawbacks: In most cases, boarding school means you're living away from home—and your home dance studio—and you might not be as likely to attend the latest "It" convention or take as many classes outside the classical ballet and modern canon. And the cost of tuition plus room and board can be prohibitive. But if you've got your sights set on a college or conservatory program, or are aiming for a company trainee position post-high school, considering a year-round high school for dance might be worth it. Here are five residential performing arts high schools you should know about.
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Offering both high school and college-level programs, University of North Carolina School of the Arts allows dancers the opportunity to concentrate in either classical ballet starting in 9th grade, or contemporary dance in 11th grade.
Located: Winston-Salem, NC
Student Body: 101 dancers out of more than 260 high school students total; there are more than 1,000 additional students on campus in the college and graduate school programs. 20 percent of the high school dancers commute to campus.
Financial Aid: Residents of North Carolina receive free tuition. Merit-based scholarships are granted, and some need-based scholarships are also available.
Faculty: 16 full-time dance teachers; recent guest artists include American Ballet Theatre principals Misty Copeland and Isabella Boylston, and choreographers Doug Varone and Helen Pickett.
Alumni Activities: Most students continue on to college dance programs throughout the U.S., including University of Southern California, SUNY Purchase, and Butler University, while some have headed directly to dance companies. Yaman Kelemet, a 2017 graduate, is now a soloist with the Slovenian National Ballet, and Sierra Armstrong, who trained at UNCSA's preparatory program before attending its high school, joined ABT's studio company in 2016 and is now in the corps de ballet.
Fast Track: "Each year, several high school graduates return to UNCSA for college," says dean of dance and former ABT principal Susan Jaffe. "Students who completed at least one year of high school at UNCSA can earn a BFA here in three years."
Famous Grads: ABT's Gillian Murphy and Blaine Hoven, New York City Ballet's Claire Kretzschmar and Megan LeCrone, and choreographers Camille A. Brown and Trey McIntyre
Idyllwild Arts Academy
About a two-hour drive from L.A., Idyllwild Arts Academy first opened its doors in 1946. In addition to dance, the school's 318 residential high school students can major in varied arts programs such as creative writing, fashion design, or film and digital media.
Located: Idyllwild, CA
Student Body: There are 30 dance students, and most live on campus. Out of the school's total population, 278 students board, while the others live in the area.
Financial Aid: Available; scholarships are based on talent, academic merit, and need.
Summer Study: Idyllwild offers summer intensives for dancers ages 9 to 18, and while attending one won't necessarily give you a leg up on acceptance to the year-round program, "it's a great way to be introduced to life at Idyllwild and get to know faculty and current academy students," says Andrea Chesley of the school's dance and theater admissions office.
Faculty: Eight full-time faculty members; recent guest instructors include former New York City Ballet principal Jock Soto, former Limón Dance Company member Dante Puleio, and former Paul Taylor Dance Company member Orion Duckstein.
Alumni Activities: "100 percent of our students attend a university, conservatory, or professional program," says Chesley. Recent grads include Hamburg Ballet's Ricardo Urbina, Princess Grace Award winner and AXIS Dance company member Lani Dickinson, and Brooklynettes dancer (and former DS cover girl!) Anna Smyczynski.
Interlochen Arts Academy
The boarding arts high school—just one piece of the performing-arts puzzle at Interlochen that also includes multiple summer programs, continuing-ed arts courses for adults, a public radio station, and a renowned presenting organization—offers a ballet-based program for dancers in grades 9 through 12. There's also an optional postgraduate year that allows students to more fully prepare for college, conservatory, or professional life. "It's a robust program that's centered on classical ballet technique," says director of dance Joseph Morrissey. "It's catered to students who want to go to college for dance, or who are hoping to join a dance company in the near future."
Located: Interlochen, MI
Student Body: 42 dance majors; 500 total high school students. 94 percent of students live at Interlochen; 6 percent commute.
Financial Aid: Available; scholarships are also available.
Faculty: Four full-time faculty members; guest artists and instructors during the 2017–18 year included former Merce Cunningham Dance Company member Dylan Crossman, hip-hop choreographer Kenya Clay, Limón Dance Foundation répétiteur Pablo Francisco Ruvalcaba, New York City Ballet's Craig Hall, and contemporary choreographer Loni Landon.
Alumni Activities: Roughly 90 percent of graduates enroll in some of the best college/conservatory dance programs; in the last three years, students have gone on to attend Juilliard, SUNY Purchase, New World School of the Arts, and San Francisco Conservatory.
Famous grads: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Fana Tesfagiorgis, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Alice Klock, choreographer Sydney Skybetter, Dance Theatre of Harlem's Derek Brockington
St. Paul’s School
St. Paul's School is one of the most prestigious academic boarding schools in the country—and it happens to have a pretty stellar dance program, too. While the school's emphasis on scholastic rigor differs from other performing arts schools, students must audition for acceptance to the dance program, and many go on to pursue dance in higher education.
Located: Concord, NH
Student Body: Of 530 total students, there are 15 to 18 full-time St. Paul's School Ballet Company (SPSBC) members, an audition-only year-round program that can be used as athletic participation credit at the varsity level. 100 percent of students—and all faculty members—live on campus.
Financial Aid: Need-based financial aid is available; seven regional merit-based scholarships are also available.
Faculty: Two full-time faculty members; visiting artists in 2018 included former Merce Cunningham Dance Company member Jamie Scott, Twyla Tharp Dance's Alex Brady, and BalletX's Caili Quan.
New Familiar Face: Former ABT Studio Company director (and former Dance Spirit editor in chief) Kate Lydon joined the faculty of St. Paul's School this year, with a goal to provide SPS students with "top-notch ballet training and a thriving visiting-artist program," she says. "I want the dance program to be a place filled with intentional work, inclusivity, creativity, joy, and respect."
Alumni Activities: "Recent SPSBC students have attended top-tier universities with dance programs, including Barnard College, Columbia University, and Princeton," says faculty member Courtney Peix-Barros.
Walnut Hill School for the Arts
Located just outside of Boston, Walnut Hill School for the Arts emphasizes classical technique, with dancers taking one ballet class, plus pointe or men's technique, each day. While two-thirds of the graduates head to college for dance, select students participate in the Butler Fellowship program at Ballet Austin, a two-year traineeship that allows students to rehearse, perform, and tour with the company and Ballet Austin II. "We're able to offer opportunities—because we're a school for the arts, with five arts majors—that students might not otherwise get at their home studios," says director of dance Michael Owen. For example, Walnut Hill offers a choreography elective that pairs junior-year dancers with young composers in the music department, allowing them to collaborate.
Located: Natick, MA
Student Body: 50 to 55 dance students; 285 total students. 80 percent of students live on campus.
Financial Aid: Need-based aid is available; the school does not offer merit-based scholarships.
Faculty: 13 full-time dance instructors; the dance department welcomes 12 to 14 guest teachers each year.
Alumni Activities: Roughly two-thirds of students head to college for dance. In addition to the Butler Fellowship with Ballet Austin, Walnut Hill also partners with the dance division at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee, offering high school graduates the opportunity to earn a BFA in dance performance in three years instead of four.
Famous Grads: San Francisco Ballet's Joseph Walsh, L.A. Contemporary Dance Company co-founder Kate Hutter, and Zoe Scofield of zoe | juniper
A version of this story appeared in the December 2018 issue of Dance Spirit with the title "Living And Studying Where You Dance."