This fall, the celebrated collaboration that grew out of that conversation, the joint Ailey/Fordham BFA Program, marks its 25th anniversary. Two and a half decades ago, the two institutions opened their doors to the first cohort of students that would receive conservatory-level dance training paired with a robust liberal arts education.

Whether you’re thinking of attending your first summer program or are a summer study veteran looking for a new challenge, there’s a wealth of options. How can you ensure an exciting and enriching experience?

For years, young dancers fresh out of high school who wanted to continue their training were faced with a choice: Join a trainee program or enroll as a dance major at a four-year university. Nowadays, the options are vast, ranging from one-year postgraduate training programs and second company positions to unique partnerships between lauded dance […]

On a summer afternoon at The Ailey School’s studios, a group of students go through a sequence of Horton exercises, radiating concentration and strength as they tilt to one side, arms outstretched and leg parallel to the ground. Later, in a studio down the hall, a theater dance class rehearses a lively medley of Broadway […]

Coming this fall to the ever-expanding Ailey organization is an intriguing new event: the Choreography Unlocked festival. From Oct. 12–14 and 26–28, the Joan Weill Center for Dance will host workshops, performances and panel discussions. It is an extension of Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab, an annual residency fellowship for four emerging and mid-career choreographers, […]

In a competitive dance world where students train to conquer the next big thing, it can feel like historic modern techniques—from Graham to Horton to Cunningham—just aren’t a priority. But the truth is, these styles are just as relevant today as when they were created. University of Taipei students in José Limón’s work. PC Yi-Chun […]

These young dancers started their own initiatives to give back—and learned a lot in return. JUNTOS dancers performing for young students in Nicaragua. Photo by Joanna Poz-Molesky, Courtesy Poz-Molesky. In 2010, then-college senior Joanna Poz-Molesky took the stage in a packed theater in Guatemala. It was a momentous occasion. A decade earlier, she had been […]