TRAINEE PROGRAM
Train professionally. Create rigorously. Take the next step toward your career in the arts.
ABOUT
Boston Dance Theater Trainee Program
bridges the gap between a dancer’s formative training and professional or collegiate pursuits. BDT’s philosophy and process stretches the self-imposed limits of developing artists both physically and mentally as performers and co-creators, emboldening them to fearlessly take their place in the 21st century dance landscape.
CONTACT
Jessie J Stinnett
Program Director
director@bostondancetheater.com
Henoch Spinola
Program Manager
Sean Pfeiffer
Program Administrator
PROGRAM
The Trainee Program is a full time, 11-month educational experience that is immersive and designed for pre-professional dancers aged 17-24 who aspire to join a professional dance company and want to take a gap year between high school or college and entering the professional world. The year consists of 3 trimesters (approximately 39 weeks) during which trainees take company class, rehearse, perform, create, and teach alongside BDT’s main company.
Since 2018 the BDT trainee cohort has performed repertory works at:
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Starlight Theater
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Rose Kennedy Greenway Boston
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The Institute of Contemporary Art Boston
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Goethe-Institut Boston
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Providence College
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Dance For World Community Festival
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Somerville ArtBeat Festival
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Newport Dance Festival
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North Hill Retirement Community
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Allston-Brighton branch of the Boston Public Library
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3S ArtSpace
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Salem Arts Festival
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DanceNow Boston
In addition to regular class and rehearsal hours, trainees receive 1:1 mentorship with co-artistic director Jessie Jeanne Stinnett. At the conclusion of the training year, each trainee will be fully prepared to embark on auditions. With Stinnett, the trainee will develop their audition package that is targeted toward the companies or universities that are most suitable for the trainee’s artistic voice.
A unique and distinguishing characteristic of BDT’s training program is that all trainees engage directly with the main company on a daily basis. Trainees and Core Members train together, rehearse together, and trainees understudy company members in all creative residencies. This means that the trainee will have the privilege to engage directly with choreographers that BDT commissions, and will be able to list this invaluable experience on their CV. Our alumni have worked with world-renowned choreographers and rehearsal directors including Itzik Galili, Elisabeth Gibiat, Maleek Washington, Sidra Bell, Junichi Fukuda, Brett Perry, Grace Whitworth, and Yin Yue.
2026/27 ACADEMIC YEAR
SPRING 2026
April 27 - August 6
FALL 2026
August 17 - November 20
WINTER 2027
January 11 - April 9
Dancers attend classes Mon - Fri, approx 32 hours per week.
CURRICULUM
Core:
Contemporary
Modern
Ballet
Improvisation
Composition/Choreography
Boston Dance Theater Repertory
Career Planning + Coaching
Dance Entrepreneurship
Additional:
Contemporary Partnering
Gaga
Breaking
Floor work / Flying Low Technique
Floor barre
Yoga
Pilates
Somatics + Experiential Anatomy
Repertory:
Itzik Galili (Stuttgart Ballet, Rambert Ballet)
Sidra Bell (Sidra Bell Dance NY)
Yin Yue (Yin Yue Dance Company)
Shannon Gillen (VIM VIGOR)
Marco Goecke (Nederlands Dans Theater)
Micaela Taylor (TL Collective)
Mathieu Geffre (National Company Wales)
Babatunji Johnson (Lines Ballet)
Rena Butler (Hubbard Street Chicago)
Rosie Herrera (Rosie Herrera Dance Theater)
Junichi Fukuda (Fukudance)
Maleek Washington (Camille A. Brown)
Isvel Bello (Malpaso Dance Company)
Roya Carreras (Roya Carreras + Artists)
Eligibility:
Dancers must be aged 17 or older at the start of the audition to be considered.
Dancers must complete their high school diploma or equivalent before starting the program.
International Dancers:
BDT is not an accredited institution and, therefore, cannot provide international visas. Though responsibility falls to the student to secure a visa, BDT staff is available to advise and support you in the process. For more information, visit the resources linked BELOW:
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Tuition & Costs:
Please visit the 2024-25 Trainee Program FAQ for more information on tuition & costs.
Estimated cost of Living 2019 (not including tuition).
Community Agreements
Please review BDT's Community Agreements when applying.
SCHOLARSHIP - BIPOC Dance Artists
Boston Dance Theater accepts funds from generous donors to provide tuition scholarships to deserving applicants who demonstrate outstanding promise in dance. Scholarship applications are currently limited to BIPOC-identifying dance artists.
These scholarships apply to TUITION only for the Trainee Program. Scholarships are awarded based on available funds and may vary by cycle.
AUDITION
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Acceptance into Boston Dance Theater Trainee Program is by audition only.
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Dancers must be aged 17 or older at the audition to be considered.
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Dancers must complete their high school diploma or equivalent before starting the program.
NO AUDITION FEES
Applications accepted: Rolling basis
Late consideration, space permitting
Required materials:
All prospective students must complete the audition registration form. You will be asked to provide the following:
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Headshot
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Video sample(s)
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Letter of motivation
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Statement of intended outcomes
There are 3 ways to audition for the BDT Trainee Program:
Procedure:
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Register for a virtual or video audition
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After you have auditioned, acceptance letters are sent out on a rolling basis. You should hear from us within 2-4 weeks following your audition.
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Once accepted, to reserve your spot in the program you must sign and return all Registration Documents (Letter of Agreement, Cosigner Forms, Physician Release Form) + pay non-refundable down payment (due date will be included with letter of agreement).
MEET THE TRAINEES
Liana Demers
Gisella Paez
Gillian Fletcher
Amelia Dunn
ALUMNI
BDT Trainee Program Alumni have moved on to dance with:
Boston Dance Theater
Guerilla Opera
Ballet Bloom Project
Modern Connections Collective
Adelphi University
Kairos Dance Theater
New Mexico Ballet Company
Bosoma Dance Company
SALT2
and many more!
If you are interested in being connected with a Trainee Program Alum and hear more about their experience, please email:
TRAINEE PROGRAM ALUMNI FUND
Support the next generation of artists through
Boston Dance Theater’s Alumni Fund.
The Alumni Fund is a new initiative created to ensure that future trainees can access this transformative program, regardless of financial barriers. Each year, dancers come through BDT’s Trainee Program and go on to meaningful next steps in their careers - carrying forward the training, mentorship, and community they experienced here. This fund is about extending that impact and making those opportunities possible for others.
A full year of tuition for the Trainee Program is $13,000. Through the power of collective giving, we aim to make that cost achievable. Small, recurring monthly donations - whether $5, $10, or $20 - can make a meaningful impact over time.
For example, if just 28 supporters give $20 a month for two years, a full year of tuition can be covered for one dancer.
If you’ve witnessed the impact of this work, or believe in expanding access to high-level dance training, we invite you to join us. Your support directly invests in the future of emerging artists.
