Prospective students above the age of 8 must audition for acceptance by attending an open audition or submitting a video audition.
Students under the age of 8 may enroll during Open Enrollment periods; no audition is necessary.
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Upcoming Open Auditions
2023-2024 School Year Open Audition: Saturday, July 22, 11:00-12:30pm
If interested in auditioning, please complete the registration form and email it to abtgillespieschool@scfta.org. Once your registration has been received, you will receive a confirmation email with additional information. If paying by credit card, we will contact you to finalize payment.
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Video Auditions
Video Audition Submissions will be accepted beginning May 1, 2023.
Prospective students must submit:
- A completed registration form
- A video (ten minutes maximum) which includes:
- Simple barre work followed by basic center combinations which include a tendu exercise, an adagio, pirouettes, small jumps, and grand allegro.
- Ladies (if already on pointe) may demonstrate a simple pointe combination.
- Gentlemen (ages 8 - 12) please demonstrate big jumps, and Gentlemen (ages 12 - 18) please show a jump combination which includes tour en l'air.
- A first arabesque photo (photos should be either 4x6 or 5x7)
Videos and first arabesque photos do not need to be professional quality.
Words from our students & parents
I couldn't be more proud of the incredible schooling that Alaine and her staff provide for the students at the ABT Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center. Not only are they trained with a depth of knowledge and respect for this incredible artform, they are exposed to it frequently and at the highest level with the world class ballet companies that the Center presents. All in all, an invaluable experience for an aspiring artist and student of life in the theater.
We enrolled our then-6-year-old daughter in the ballet program when the school opened. The poise and grace that starts even with the very young children’s classes were apparent. Our daughter stood taller, had more confidence and learned the fundamentals from a young age. That’s so important.
This is the best school for boys ballet training in the OC. My son is 12, and has been dancing in the OC since age 5 with an emphasis on ballet training. He has been at the ABT Gillespie school for 1.5 years. The boys program is now by far the best in the OC...The facilities are state of the art and all classes are accompanied by amazing pianists. The kids love this! The School has an emphasis on good training and performing versus competition. This creates a nurturing environment for a dancer and the kids are very supportive of each other.