The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the associate school of the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fir ...

, a ballet company based at the

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

in New York City. The school trains students from the age of six, with professional vocational ballet training for students aged 11–18. Graduates of the school achieve employment with leading ballet companies worldwide, and in the United States with

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

Boston Ballet The Boston Ballet is an American professional classical ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams and Sydney Leonard, and was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. ...

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Fra ...

Miami City Ballet Miami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida, led by artistic director Gonzalo Garcia. MCB was founded in 1985 by Toby Lerner Ansin, a Miami philanthropist. Ansin and the founding board hired Edward Villella ...

Pacific Northwest Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is an American ballet company based in Seattle, Washington. It is said to have the highest per capita attendance in the United States, with 11,000 subscribers in 2004. The company consists of 49 dancers and hosts ...

and

Houston Ballet Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company consists of 59 dancers and produces over 85 performances per year. It is the 5th largest ballet company in the United ...

History

The school was founded by the Russo-Georgian-born

choreographer Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which Motion (physics), motion or Visual appearance, form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A chor ...

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

, and philanthropists

Lincoln Kirstein Lincoln Edward Kirstein (May 4, 1907 – January 5, 1996) was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, philanthropist, and cultural figure in New York City, noted especially as co-founder of the New York City Ballet. He developed and su ...

and

Edward Warburg Edward Mortimer Morris Warburg (June 5, 1908 – September 1992) was an American philanthropist and patron of the arts from New York City. He taught Modern Art at Bryn Mawr College and he was vice director for public affairs of the Metropolitan M ...

in 1934. Balanchine's self- prescribed edict, "But first, a school", is indicative of his adherence to the ideals of the training that was fostered by the

Imperial Ballet School The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. Established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, the academy was known as the Imperial Ballet School until the Soviet era, when, after a brief ...

where he received his training. He realized that most great dance companies were fed by an academy closely associated with it. This practice afforded scores of dancers, well versed in the specifics of his technique and choreographic style. Among the teachers there were many Russian emigres who fled the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

: Pierre Vladimiroff,

Felia Doubrovska Felia Doubrovska (; born as ''Felizata Dlouzhnevska'' in St Petersburg, February 13, 1896 – d. Manhattan, September 18, 1981) was a Russian dancer and teacher. Doubrovska graduated at the Imperial Ballet School in 1913, was member of the Ma ...

, Anatole Oboukhoff,

Hélène Dudin The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the age of six, with professional voc ...

Ludmilla Schollar Ludmilla Frantzevna Schollar (March 15, 1888 – July 10, 1978) was a Russian-American dancer and educator. Biography Born Lyudmila Frantzevna Shollar in Saint Petersburg, Schollar attended the Imperial Theatre School there. She studied with ...

Antonina Tumkovsky The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the age of six, with professional voc ...

, and Alexandra Danilova. Their intention was to establish a major classical ballet company in America, which would lead to the formation of today's New York City Ballet. The school was formed to train and feed dancers into the company. It opened at 637 Madison Avenue with 32 students on January 2, 1934, and the students first performed that June. Seventy-five years later, the School was awarded the

National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...

by President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

Program

Students are chosen through audition. Children's division auditions for the 2007–08 school year included six-year-olds for the first time; previously, the youngest students were required to turn eight in the year they began their studies. Children in the younger divisions are able to perform in various ballets with the company including George Balanchine's famous ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'', ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a Comedy (drama), comedy play written by William Shakespeare in about 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One s ...

'',

Peter Martins Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish former ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and J ...

's ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoje ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, links=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failu ...

'', and '' The Sleeping Beauty''. The most advanced students perform in a workshop at the end of each year where the heads of ballet companies choose several of them to join their companies, including

. This started in 1965, when

Alexandra Danilova Aleksandra Dionisyevna Danilova (''Russian'': Александра Дионисьевна Данилова; November 20, 1903 – July 13, 1997) was a Russian-born prima ballerina, who became an American citizen. In 1989, she was recognized f ...

sought and received approval from Balanchine to produce a spring workshop performance for the students. These workshops have become an important preview for many outstanding dancers. The school also hosts a summer program, where it selects about 200 dance students from across the country to train for five weeks. This summer program is one of the most selective ballet summer programs in the country. The Preparatory and Children's divisions conduct their programs in the afternoon and children are able to attend school as usual. Students in the Intermediate and Advanced divisions (ages 14 to 18), due to more rigorous pre-professional training, usually enrol in an virtual high school program or attend either the

Professional Performing Arts School The Professional Performing Arts School, colloquially known as PPAS, is a public middle and high school specializing in the performing arts, located in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. PPAS maintains professional pa ...

Professional Children's School The Professional Children's School (PCS) is a not-for-profit, college-preparatory school geared toward working and aspiring child actors and dancers in grades four through twelve. The school was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an ac ...

. The SAB requires all students to complete their high school diploma requirements by the time they graduate.

Faculty

As of January 2024, the faculty of The School of American Ballet includes Jonathan Stafford (artistic director and chair of faculty),

Aesha Ash Aesha Ash (born December 30, 1977) is an American ballet dancer and teacher. She danced numerous leading roles as a member of New York City Ballet's corps de ballet and as a soloist with Béjart Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Morphoses/ ...

(associate chair of faculty),

Dena Abergel New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fir ...

Marika Anderson This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Dominika A ...

, Meaghan Dutton-O'Hara, Megan Fairchild, Gonzalo Garcia, Craig Hall, Adam Hendrickson, Arch Higgins, Anthony Huxley,

Sterling Hyltin Sterling Hyltin is an American ballet dancer. She was a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet. Early life and training Hyltin was born in Amarillo, Texas. She wanted to be a figure skater, and would train before school started. However, H ...

, Katrina Killian (children's division manager), Lauren King, Meagan Mann,

Kay Mazzo Kay Mazzo (born January 17, 1946) is an American former ballet dancer and educator. In 1961, she joined Jerome Robbins' company, Ballets USA. The following year, she joined the New York City Ballet and was promoted to principal dancer in 1969. Sh ...

(former chairman of faculty), Christopher Charles McDaniel, Allen Peiffer (professional placement manager),

Suki Schorer Suki Schorer is an American ballet dancer, ballet mistress, teacher, and writer. She danced with George Balanchine's New York City Ballet from 1959 to 1972. Suki Schorer teaches at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New Yor ...

(Brown Foundation senior faculty chair), and

Andrew Scordato This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet New York City Ballet#Soloists, soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet ...

Alumni

According to SAB, alumni of the School of American Ballet make up over 90% of New York City Ballet, all but two of the company mem at present. Some alumni include Mary Ellen Moylan,

Maria Tallchief Maria Tallchief, born Elizabeth Marie Tall Chief ( "Two-Standards"; Osage language, Osage family name: , Osage script: ; January 24, 1925 – April 11, 2013), was an Osage Tribe, Osage and American ballerina. She was America's first major p ...

Tanaquil LeClercq Tanaquil Le Clercq ( ; October 2, 1929 – December 31, 2000) was an American ballet dancer, born in Paris, France, who became a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet at the age of nineteen. Her dancing career ended abruptly when she ...

Francisco Moncion Francisco Moncion (July 6, 1918 – April 1, 1995) was a Dominican-born American ballet dancer and choreographer who was a charter member of the New York City Ballet. Over the course of his long career, spanning some forty years, he created roles ...

, John Clifford,

Nicholas Magallanes Nicholas Magallanes (November 27, 1922 – May 2, 1977) was a Mexican-born American principal dancer and charter member of the New York City Ballet. Along with Francisco Moncion, Maria Tallchief, and Tanaquil Le Clercq, Magallanes was among t ...

Lois Bewley Lois Bewley (1934–2012) was an American dancer, choreographer and designer. She studied at the School of American Ballet before joining the Ballet Russe de Monte-Carlo. After touring with the American Ballet Theatre and the dance companies of ...

, Jacques d'Amboise, Debra Austin,

Margaret Severin-Hansen Margaret Severin-Hansen is an American ballerina. Since 2002, she has been a principal dancer with the Carolina Ballet. She also serves as the co-chairman of the School of Carolina Ballet, as the Director of the Ruth S. Shur Summer Intensive Progr ...

SarahAnne Perel SarahAnne Perel is an American ballerina. Since 2024, she has danced with the Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. Perel was formerly a dancer with Carolina Ballet and Los Angeles Ballet. Early life, education, and training Pe ...

Jillana Jillana (born 1934) is an American ballet dancer and instructor, and a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet. Early life and education Jillana was born Jill Zimmerman in Hackensack, New Jersey. She took lessons in tap and ballet dancin ...

Allegra Kent Allegra Kent (born August 11, 1937) is an American ballet dancer, actress, children's book author and columnist. Life and career Iris Margo Cohen was born to Jewish parents, Harry Herschel and Shirley (née Weissman) Cohen, and later changed her ...

, Arthur Mitchell,

Wilhelmina Frankfurt Wilhelmina Frankfurt is an American ballerina, dance educator, and choreographer. She was a soloist with the New York City Ballet, dancing under the direction of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Peter Martins, until she left the company in 1 ...

Patricia McBride Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's youngest principal. ...

Alicia Holloway Alicia Mae Holloway (born August 31, 1996) is an American ballerina and television personality. Holloway danced as an apprentice with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet before joining the corps de ballet at Dance Theatre of Harlem. She competed in the M ...

Paul Frame Paul E. Frame (born April 16, 1957) is an American chiropractor and retired ballet dancer. Frame danced as a member of the corps de ballet at New York City Ballet for ten years before retiring from the stage. He is currently the resident chiropra ...

Peter Frame Peter Frame (April 16, 1957 – August 30, 2018) was an American ballet dancer and dance teacher. He danced with New York City Ballet from 1976 until 1990 and was elevated to the rank of principal dancer in 1988. He was a faculty member at the ...

Edward Villella Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer of ballet at the time. He has won numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Out ...

Suzanne Farrell Suzanne Farrell (born August 16, 1945) is a former American ballerina and the founder of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Farrell began her ballet training as a child in Cincinnati. In 1960, she received a ...

Kathryn Morgan Kathryn Elizabeth Morgan (born August 17, 1988) is an American ballet dancer. She joined New York City Ballet in 2006 and was promoted to the rank of soloist in 2009. Morgan left New York City Ballet in 2012 due to health complications related t ...

, Garielle Whittle, Helgi Tomasson,

Fernando Bujones Fernando Bujones (March 9, 1955 – November 10, 2005) was an American dancer. Born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents, Bujones is regarded as one of the finest male dancers of the 20th century and hailed as one of the greatest American male da ...

Gelsey Kirkland Gelsey Kirkland (born December 29, 1952) is an American prima ballerina. She received early ballet training at the School of American Ballet. Kirkland joined the New York City Ballet in 1968 at age 15, at the invitation of George Balanchine. She ...

Heather Watts Heather Watts (born Linda Heather Watts; September 27, 1953) is a former ballet dancer and teacher most known for her time with the New York City Ballet. Biography Born in Long Beach, California, (Linda) Heather Watts dreamed as a little girl ...

Merrill Ashley Linda Michelle Merrill (born December 2, 1950), known professionally as Merrill Ashley, is an American former ballet dancer and ''répétiteur''. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1967, was promoted to principal dancer in 1977, and retired i ...

Lourdes Lopez Lourdes Lopez (born 1958) is a Cuban-American ballet company artistic director of Miami City Ballet since 2012 and former principal dancer of New York City Ballet. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation. She received ...

Jock Soto Jock Soto (born 1965)Kisselgoff, Anna. "Not Only a Partner, a Dynamic Interpreter", ''The New York Times'', June 18, 2005. p. B7. is a former American ballet dancer and current ballet instructor. Career Jock Soto danced featured roles in over 40 ...

Peter Boal Peter Boal is artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and director of its affiliated school in Seattle, Washington. He was born in Bedford, New York, in 1965 and began studies at the School of American Ballet (SAB) at age nine. Boal assume ...

, Olivia Boisson,

Alexandra Waterbury Alexandra Waterbury is an American ballet dancer and fashion model. In September 2018 she began a lawsuit against her former boyfriend and his employer—principal dancer Chase Finlay and New York City Ballet—and several other parties, alleging ...

Victoria Rowell Victoria Lynn Rowell (born May 10, 1959) is an American actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. She began her career as a ballet dancer and model before making her acting debut in the 1987 comedy film '' Leonard Part 6''. In 1990, Rowell ...

, Kyra Nichols,

Darci Kistler Darci Kistler (born June 4, 1964) is an American ballerina. She is often said to be the last muse for choreographer George Balanchine. Early life Kistler was born in Riverside, California, the fifth child (with four older brothers) of a medic ...

Patrick Bissell Walter Patrick Bissell (December 1, 1957 – December 29, 1987) was an American ballet dancer. He was a leading principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. On his death at age 30 from a drug overdose, he was described by the artistic ...

Damian Woetzel Damian Woetzel (born May 17, 1967) is an American choreographer. Woetzel was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he performed from 1985 until 2008. He also frequently performed with companies like the Kirov Ballet and Amer ...

Ethan Stiefel Ethan Stiefel (born February 13, 1973) is an American dancer, choreographer, and director. He was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from 1997 until July 2012. He was the artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet from ...

Wendy Whelan Wendy Whelan (; born May 7, 1967) is an American ballet dancer. She was principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and performed with the company for 30 years, and toured in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Whelan has also been an influential gue ...

Alan Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (née Katz; November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celeb ...

Llanchie Stevenson Aminah L. Ahmad (born Rosemary Llanchie Stevenson), formerly known professionally as Llanchie Stevenson, is an American ballet dancer who was the first African-American dancer at Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company, the first African-American ...

, George Lee,

Sarah Hay Sarah Hay (born September 16, 1987) is an American actress and ballerina. She is best known for her role as Claire Robbins in the Starz mini-series '' Flesh and Bone'', she was nominated for a Golden Globe, a Satellite Award and a Critics' Ch ...

, Arlene Shuler, and Paloma Herrera as well as celebrities

Sean Young Mary Sean Young (born November 20, 1959) is an American actress. She is particularly known for working in science fiction films, although she has performed roles in a variety of genres. Young's early roles include the Independent film, indepe ...

Ansel Elgort Ansel Elgort (born March 14, 1994) is an American actor and singer. He began his acting career with a supporting role in the horror film '' Carrie'' (2013). He gained wider recognition for starring as a teenage cancer patient in the romantic d ...

Ashlee Simpson Ashley Nicolle Ross-Næss ( Simpson; born October 3, 1984), also known as Ashlee Simpson, is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. The younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson, she began her career as ...

Gregori Lukas Gregory Lucas Malek-Jones (born May 12, 1990) known professionally as Gregori Lukas is an American recording artist, singer, dancer and actor. Gregori released his debut single "Stay", in March 2013, composed by world renowned composer and con ...

Macaulay Culkin Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor and musician. Considered one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, Culkin has received a Golden Globe Award nomination and other accolades. In 200 ...

Lawrence Leritz Lawrence Leritz (born September 26, 1952) is an American actor, dancer, singer, producer, director, fitness expert and choreographer. Life and career Born in Alton, Illinois, Leritz made his stage debut in the children's chorus of the world stag ...

Vanessa Carlton Vanessa Lee Carlton (born August 16, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her debut album, '' Be Not Nobody'' (2002), was released by A&M Records and peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200. It spawned the hit song " A Tho ...

Yvonne Craig Yvonne Joyce Craig (May 16, 1937 – August 17, 2015) was an American actress who is best known for her role as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl in the 1960s television series ''Batman (TV series), Batman''. Other notable roles in her career include Dorot ...

Megan Mullally Megan Mullally (born November 12, 1958) is an American actress. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom '' Will & Grace'' (1998–2006, 2017–2020), for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outst ...

, Alex Westerman, and

Madeleine Martin Madeleine Martin (born April 15, 1993) is an American actress, known for voicing JoJo Tickle, the title character on the Playhouse Disney children's animated TV series '' JoJo's Circus'' and Fionna Campbell in the Cartoon Network series ''Adve ...

. See also: *Gajewski, Josh (November 7, 2009)
"Acting is OK, but watching the show?"
''The Los Angeles Times''. p. D9.

Mae L. Wien Awards

Lawrence A. Wien, his daughters and their families founded the Mae L. Wien Awards in their mother's name. SAB students are chosen each year on the basis of their outstanding promise and a faculty member is honored for distinguished service. Former

ballet master in chief and SAB chairman of faculty, Peter Martins used to occasionally give a third award to a young choreographer at his discretion.

In popular culture

School of American Ballet is featured in the 2020

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

documentary ''On Pointe'', showing the lives of several students during a year at the school.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1934 establishments in New York City Arts schools in New York City Ballet schools in the United States Dance in New York City Educational institutions established in 1934 Performing arts education in New York City Private schools in Manhattan United States National Medal of Arts recipients Upper East Side