Dance

Are you an artist whose hopes, dreams, and inspiration manifest through motion and movement? Dancers at Idyllwild Arts receive an unparalleled experience that combines dance training in various styles balanced by insightful mentorship and an uplifting community that nurtures passion and strengthens resilience.

A student practicing ballet.
Two dancers.

Curriculum

Our multi-discipline dance program boasts cutting-edge training in ballet, modern, contemporary, jazz, commercial dance, and hip-hop techniques. Our program is built around the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum, which combines artistic training with the fundamentals of dancer health and child development, training dance students to use their bodies correctly by focusing on kinetics, coordination, anatomy, and proper body alignment. Artistically, the National Training Curriculum 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.

Our esteemed faculty are visionary artists with an unyielding commitment to excellence, including ABT NTC Fellows, commercial dancers, Broadway performers, dance company founders, professional artistic directors, and award-winning choreographers.

A dancer.
Three dancers.
A dancer poses in front of the Idyllwild Arts sign.
A dancer.
Two dancers.
A dancer.

Philosophy

The Idyllwild Arts Dance Department strives to develop resilient dance artists who can be productive members of the professional dance community. The Idyllwild Arts Dance faculty nurtures students to define themselves as individual artists in the dance community, able to work in many facets of the dance industry.

Academy Courses Include

  • Anatomy and Kinesiology
  • Ballet
  • Pointe Class
  • Men’s Class
  • Pas de Deux
  • Dance History
  • Jazz Dance
  • Hip Hop
  • Modern/Contemporary Dance
  • Dance Composition
  • Senior Seminar
  • Tap Dance

Opportunities

Dance major students can participate in well-known rigorous competitions such as Youth America Grand Prix and The Music Center of Los Angeles’s Spotlight Competition .

Apart from competitions, students can participate in the Palm Springs International Dance Festival, Pasadena Dance Festival, Tri-Arts Festival, and more.

Students have the unique opportunity to participate with various professional dance companies in the region including Inland Pacific Ballet, City Ballet of Los Angeles, and Nickerson-Rossi Dance.

Dance major students can participate in two mainstage dance concerts each year, as well as choreograph student-led productions.

Students can begin to learn the art and skill of teaching dance by volunteering to teach classes within Idyllwild Arts Academy’s Children’s Dance Program.

Audition/Portfolio Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you can apply and be accepted to IAA’s Dance Department if you are already attending high school. You will have an Arts Certificate upon graduation that reflects your time with us.

The audition is the primary qualifier for admissions and placement into our Dance Department. The Dance Department, the Office of Admission and Student Services will review all materials in your application, including academics and extracurricular involvement.

Your acceptance into the programs is based on many factors including your technical and artistic skill sets/potential, willingness to learn, and your personal commitment.

Performance opportunities at IAA are fluid with new opportunities being created each semester–here’s some things to consider, just to name a few:

  • Fall Dance Concert
  • Spring Dance Concert
  • Student Choreography Concert
  • AEL Dance Concert
  • Solos and Duets Concert
  • Palm Springs International Dance Festival
  • San Pedro Dance Festival
  • Performances outside of Idyllwild with various pre-professional organizations

Youth America Grand Prix and the Spotlight Competition at the Music Center are two dance competition opportunities offered by the Dance Department.

You do not have to audition in person and may send a filmed audition which will be reviewed by our Dance Faculty. Zoom interviews are required if you cannot come to our campus.

We are all here to support your journey of studying at IAA no matter where you come from in the world. We are a global community. If you are unable to audition in person on a campus tour, you can audition via filmed submissions.

You will need to complete a language assessment if English is not your first language. All other details of student visas and transitioning to an American School are handled by our admissions team.

Many of our dancers go on to a college dance program after graduation from IAA, but those who are ready pursue employment in a dance company straight out of high school.

Featured Dance Alumni

Ricardo Urbina headshot.

Ricardo Urbina

2015, Dancer Hamburg Ballet

Carlos Martinez headshot.

Carlos Martinez

2018, Dancer First State Ballet

Gina Galetto headshot.

Gina Galetto

2012, Dancer Celebrity Cruises

Alejandra Alicona headshot.

Alejandra Alicona

2018, Ballet De Monterrey

Cemiyon Barber headshot.

Cemiyon Barber

2017, Freelance Dancer/Model NYC

Braulio Alvarez headshot.

Braulio Alvarez

2007, Soloist Tokyo Ballet

Anna Hull headshot.

Anna Hull

2017, Freelance Dancer NYC

Nicole Powell headshot.

Nicole Powell

2008, Dancer with Santa Barbara Dance Theater and owner of CSD School of Performing Arts

A dancer.

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