Updated October, 2026

You’ve probably heard people throw around the term “SI.” I know when I first heard this, I sort of scratched my head. SI is short for summer intensive. Summer intensives are programs that run anywhere from two to six weeks during the summer, where dancers train all day. They are typically administered by company affiliated programs and unaffiliated conservatories, although smaller studios offer them as well. This post is the starting point for our Summer Intensive Boot Camp. We have everything you need to plan your audition season, handle acceptances (and rejections) as well as how to get ready to actually attend a program.

Auditions Are Usually Required

For most company affiliated programs and conservatories, students must audition to be accepted. The bigger programs conduct national audition tours to recruit talent from across the country, as well as internationally. There are two ways to audition for a summer intensive. The first is to attend an in-person audition. The other way is to submit a video audition. 

In-person auditions usually require pre-registration along with the submission of a few photos. The most common photos requested are a head-shot and a shot with your dancer in a first arabesque. They may be asked to upload these at registration or bring hard copies to the audition. Be sure to read and follow the directions laid out by each school for which your dancer is applying. 

The other way to audition is by filming a video and submitting it to each summer program your dancer is interested in. Instructions for creating and submitting a video audition are also available on each program’s website. Here is an example from the Cincinnati Ballet’s website. For advice on photos and filming an audition video, we sat down with Emily Brunner, a professional dance photographer, to get her advice on how to show your best self.

Most Summer Intensives Start At Age 12

Summer intensives are usually open to dancers ages 12 and up. However, more and more schools are offering what is known as “young dancer programs.” These are usually for dancers ages 9-12. There are typically fewer dancing hours and it’s sometimes balanced with other activities like swimming, outings to a movie, etc. There are many excellent young dancer programs if this is something your family thinks would be appropriate for your child at that age.

During full summer intensives (those for ages 12 and up), dancers take three to four classes each day and are in the studios from around 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 or 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Classes are often held on Saturdays, as well. So, it’s important that your dancer arrives at a summer program in good enough shape to handle the long days.

The end of a summer intensive may culminate with a parent observation class, a small demonstration of what was learned or a full performance. If your dancer is craving those performance opportunities, look for programs that offer this. Most program websites will state what the end of the program looks like. Houston Ballet is an example of one summer program that offers an end of session performance.

Are Summer Intensives Necessary?

You’re probably asking yourself why kids go to these intensives and whether or not they’re necessary. The short answer is that it depends. Ballet students go to summer intensives for a variety of reasons. Some are looking to improve their technique quickly. Others are looking for year-round placement at that school. For the younger dancers, it can be like summer camp. Kids who do sports may attend a summer basketball camp, for example, at a local university. Think of ballet summer intensives for younger kids as analogous to going to your local soccer or basketball camp.

Once your dancer gets to be about 14, going to summer programs is a good, and often necessary, idea. Not only will they get exposed to different teachers than they would during the year, they also get a sense of the talent out there. If your student wants a professional career, they always need to be looking to get on a bigger stage. Attending summer programs helps determine where they may fit in the ballet world.

In addition to U.S. summer programs, many European schools offer summer intensives. The ones in Europe tend to be shorter, which allows dancers to attend multiple programs during one summer. For example, a dancer could attend five weeks at SAB, the School of American Ballet, and then the last two weeks at the Royal Ballet School in London. Or, a dancer could attend multiple European programs in a single summer. 

There are advantages and disadvantages to attending multiple programs in a summer and it’s often dependent on what your dancer’s goals are. 

What’s In Our Summer Intensive Boot Camp?

Our Summer Intensive Boot Camp has tools for researching all of the programs out there (hint: use our summer intensive reviews), a spreadsheet template you can download to keep track of auditions, as well as articles that tackle all aspects of auditioning for and handling acceptances and rejections. We also cover the importance of thinking strategically about summer intensives and what matters at certain ages.

The Boot Camp also features several podcast episodes. In our kickoff conversation, we go over what to expect during the summer intensive research process, audition strategies, and we talk a lot about what younger dancers should look for vs. what older dancers should look for.

We also chat with Robert Fulton, the co-founder of Ballet Scout, about how best to research summer intensives. And, as mentioned above, professional dance photographer Emily Brunner sits down with us to walk through tips and tricks for shooting audition photos and videos. Then we hear from two adjudicators, those folks who actually run the auditions and make decisions about whom to admit.

In the first of those interviews, Kelly Myernick of Houston Ballet Academy talks to us about what she looks for in students, what she loves to see, the pros and cons of video auditions and more. In the second, we chat with Lauren Fadeley-Veyette, then principal of Kansas City Ballet School. Lauren talks about how she likes to run an audition, how video auditions are viewed, the benefits of auditions like the National Summer Intensive Audition, where multiple schools see the same students, as well as how the school determines scholarships..

Since we first launched the Boot Camp, we’ve added a whole section on specialized summer programs, with directors from six schools talking about their company experiences, choreographic workshops and more. You can find links to all the episodes on our Summer Intensive Boot Camp landing page. And if everyone around you seems to be heading to Europe, we’ve got a post on whether European summer intensives are worth it.

We wrap things up by talking about how to handle acceptances, rejections and scholarships and choosing which program to attend. You’ll also hear from Deidre Byrne of Maryland Youth Ballet about how her school counsels its own students on where to go for summer training. We hope you find all of this helpful and that it pulls back the curtain a bit on this crazy world.

As always, feel free to reach out to us with any questions you might have!