COMPANY EXPERIENCE
JUNE 9-22, 2023 | Ages 16+
2-Week Workshop
Elevate your training with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s rigorous Company Experience Workshop, designed by professionals for the pre-professional dancer.
Now entering its tenth year, the workshop offers a two-week immersive bridge into the next step in dancers’ journeys. Over two weeks of intensive rehearsal and mentoring in both classical and contemporary repertoire from PBT company members (including many alumni of the program), PBT Faculty and guest artists, Company Experience dancers gain the skills they need to move confidently into their futures as professional dancers.
It is an amazing company where you can clearly see they care for their dancers and the environment is nothing but supportive and fun! –2022 CE Dancer
Program Overview
On the first day of the program, dancers participate in an audition process to be cast in three distinctly different types of pieces reflective of the PBT company and repertoire: a classical piece, a contemporary piece and a new work created specifically for Company Experience dancers.
For the majority of the program, dancers follow a daily schedule allowing them to immerse themselves into the daily life of a dancer.
Daily Schedule
9:15 – 10:45 a.m. – Class
11 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Classical Repertoire
12:30 – 2 p.m. – Contemporary Repertoire
2 – 3 p.m. – Lunch
3 – 4:30 p.m. – New Choreography
4:30 – 6 p.m. – New Choreography
Dancers will work with
PBT Company Rehearsal Directors:
Steven Annegarn
Barbra Bears
PBT Company Dancers:
TBD
PBT School Faculty
- Raymond Rodriguez, Dean of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School
- Marjorie Grundvig, Head of the Pre-Professional Division
- Eun Young Ahn, Head of Curriculum and Student Division
- Christine Schwaner, Full-time PBTS Faculty, Former PBT Principal Dancer
- Alexandra Kochis, PBT School Faculty, Former PBT Principal Dancer
- Erin Halloran, PBT School Faculty, Former PBT Principal Dancer
It was one of the best experiences ever. I LOVED working with the company dancers and guest artists so closely. – 2022 CE Dancer
Repertoire for the 2023 Company Experience has included
Classical work: Susan Jaffe’s Swan Lake Act I Waltz
New Choreography: Works from Company Artists
Contemporary work: Susan Jaffe’s Bolero
Performance at PBT Studios
PBT’s largest studio set up with risers and curtains
In-person, families are invited to attend. Reservations required.
Friday, June 21, 2024
More Information
Auditions
For full details about our audition tour, please see our audition page.
Deadlines/dates
Audition registration: Registration closes at 9 a.m. the Friday of each audition weekend for all sites of that weekend.
Company Experience registration: Dancers accepted to the program will have three weeks from the date of their acceptance to register for the program. That deadline will be clearly indicated in the acceptance letter.
Program dates: Monday, June 9 through Friday, June 21, 2024
Move-in/out: Information will be provided
Performances: The program-end showcase will be on Friday, June 21.
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Eligibility: Merit-based scholarships will be awarded at the discretion of our auditioning faculty and will be communicated to students in their acceptance letters. There is no application process for merit-based scholarships–any auditioning student will be considered for merit-based scholarships.
Need-based financial aid is available via application for dancers whose household income is less than 300% of the federal poverty guidelines for their household size. Dancers who do not meet this requirement are not eligible for financial aid and will not be considered.
Process: Dancers interested in need-based financial aid should apply upon acceptance to the Company Experience program. A link to the application form will be included in all acceptance letters. This short form will require a few pieces of information about the dancer’s household, as well as the inclusion of verifying documentation (W2 forms).
Deadlines: Dancers applying for financial aid should not register for the Company Experience program by the deadline given in their acceptance letter. Instead, they should consider that date as their deadline to apply for financial aid.
All financial aid applications will be considered together after the conclusion of the audition tour. Financial aid decisions will be communicated no later than March 10. Dancers will have two weeks from the time of their financial aid determination to register for the program.
For additional questions, please visit our Summer FAQ page.