Application Details
Application Details
To see deadlines and application details, and to begin your application, open the fold-out sections below. These details are also available to view on each individual program page.
The School at Jacob’s Pillow will continue to accept and review applications on a rolling basis past the deadline, when space is available.
Be sure to read:
Program Fees & Scholarships
Participation Requirements & Policies
2024 APPLICATION DEADLINES
Jan 29 at 11:59pm EST | Priority Deadline | $45 processing fee
Feb 26 at 11:59pm EST | Regular Deadline | $50 processing fee
After Feb 26 at 11:59pm EST | Rolling Basis* | $55 processing fee
Acceptd offers financial assistance to applicants who meet Application Fee Waiver requirements. Application Fee Waivers are subject to approval by the Acceptd Support team and are granted based on proper documentation, when provided in advance of an application submission. Contact Acceptd Support.
Want free streaming access to a full-length performance from the 2023 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival?
Submit your application by the priority deadline, and you’ll receive free access to stream the Martha Graham Dance Company‘s 2023 performance on Jacob’s Pillow On Demand from January 8 through February 4, 2024.
Application Materials
- Clicking BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION takes you to Acceptd, our application portal where you will upload materials described below.
- Review the Application Guidelines located there in order to submit a complete and competitive application.
- Before submitting, review your work carefully, as only complete applications are considered for acceptance. Scholarship applications, if applicable, must be submitted with you program application. For more information, see below.
- If you need any assistance, contact school@jacobspillow.org.
Program Application Materials to Upload
1. Audition Video
Footage must be of clear viewing quality and preferably shot within three months, or as recent as possible, prior to submission. Media-enhanced, highly edited, or promotional type videos are not reviewed. Adjudicators prefer one concise video with a table of contents; multiple videos will be viewed if contents are properly identified. Use one of the following file types to successfully upload your video(s): MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, MPEG, M2V, MKV, and WEBM.
- Verbal self-introduction, 1 minute maximum
- Your name and current affiliation
- Why this program is important for you this year
- What you are showing on your reel
- Anything you wish to share about your footage: title/choreographer(s) of performance footage, why footage date not as preferred, etc. Remember, we are looking at who you are as a dancer, not where you are dancing.
- Technique sampler, 5 minute maximum. If you wear pointe shoes, wear them in combinations and dance sections.
- Center floor: Tendus, adagio, pirouettes, 1 petit allegro with batterie, 1 grand allegro, tour en l’air for men
- Across-the-floor: include a waltz, pirouettes, jumps, and leaps
- Required: Adagio and a petit and grand allegro; Men include tour en l’air
- Performance sampler, 6 minute maximum
- In-studio footage is preferred over performance footage
- If performance or group footage, identify who is to be viewed
- Identify names of works and choreographers for
- 1 classical variation or repertory excerpt
- 1 contemporary ballet improvisation or variation
- Excerpts should demonstrate a range of dynamics, levels, tempos, and styles
2. Written Statement, in 500 words or less, please share:
- Influences on your current dance work and artistic goals
- Career aspirations and experiences desired to reach them
- How you envision this program impacting your vision of yourself as an artist
3. Résumé/C.V.
4. Photos
- Classical position of your choice in leotard, women should be on pointe
- Headshot
5. If 17 or younger, a Letter of Recommendation is required
- You will be asked to list the name, title, phone, and email of a dance teacher or artist who has agreed to write a Letter of Recommendation. On receipt of an email, he/she/they should be prepared to address the following:
- Technical and performance artistry
- Stamina to participate in rigorous, professional level classes, rehearsals, performances before the public, and evening responsibilities
- Ability to interact, and live, responsibly as a professional in a diverse artist community
Program Application Materials to Upload
1. Audition Video
Footage must be of clear viewing quality and preferably shot within three months, or as recent as possible, prior to submission. Media-enhanced, highly edited, or promotional type videos are not reviewed. Adjudicators prefer one concise video with a table of contents; multiple videos will be viewed if contents are properly identified. Use one of the following file types to successfully upload your video(s): MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, MPEG, M2V, MKV, and WEBM.
- Verbal self-introduction, 1 minute maximum
- Your name and current affiliation
- Why this program is important for you this year
- What you are showing on your reel
- Anything you wish to share about your footage: title/choreographer(s) of performance footage, why footage date not as preferred, etc. Remember, we are looking at who you are as a dancer, not where you are dancing.
- Technique sampler, 5 minute maximum
- Center floor grand pliés, rond de jambe, extensions, and balances
- Across-the-floor progressions with turns, jumps, and leaps
- Performance sampler, 6 minute maximum
- In-studio footage is preferred over performance footage
- If performance or group footage, identify who is to be viewed
- Identify names of works and choreographers for
- 2-3 variations, improvisations, and/or repertory excerpts
- Excerpts should demonstrate a range of dynamics, levels, tempos, and styles
2. Written Statement, in 500 words or less, please share:
- Influences on your current dance work and artistic goals
- Career aspirations and experiences desired to reach them
- How you envision this program impacting your vision of yourself as an artist
3. Résumé/C.V.
4. Photos
- Headshot (required)
- Dance Shot (optional)
5. If 17 or younger, a Letter of Recommendation is required.
- You will be asked to list the name, title, phone, and email of a dance teacher or artist who has agreed to write a Letter of Recommendation. On receipt of an email from Acceptd on behalf of Jacob’s Pillow, he/she/they should be prepared to address the following:
- Technical and performance artistry
- Stamina to participate in rigorous, professional level classes, rehearsals, performances before the public, and evening responsibilities
- Ability to interact, and live, responsibly as a professional in a diverse artist community
- Be ready to list the name, title, phone, and email of a second dance artist or teacher who can speak about your work with staff if needed.
Program Application Materials to Upload
1. Audition Video
Footage must be of clear viewing quality. Use one of the following file types to successfully upload your video(s): MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, MPEG, M2V, MKV, and WEBM.
- Verbal self-introduction, 2 minutes maximum
- Introduce yourself
- Share your current work as a dance artist and how you envision this program supporting your artistic development at this time
- Work Sample no. 1
- Provide a clip that best represents the role you would be entering into this program: as a choreographer/creator or as a performer/movement artist
- If a choreographic work sample, share the complete work, no excerpts
- Provide title, credits, when and where performed
- Work Sample no. 2
- This work should be no more than three years old
- Explain why this work relates to or supports your application to the program
- Provide title, credits, when and where performed
2. Written Statement, in 200 words or less, please share:
- Your vision of being a creative dance artist and how you see new technologies supporting that vision and leading to new pathways to create and experience immersive choreographic work
- How you envision this program impacting your artistic work and the choreographic projects you envision for yourself in the near future
- Whose work interests you today, in dance or in one other art forms
- Optional: If you have creative/artistic inquiry you wish to explore during the program, please briefly share the focus of the choreographic idea
- Finish this statement: “This summer, in thinking about what I know how to do and what I haven’t yet had the opportunity to explore in my life as a dance artist, I’d like to…”
3. Résumé/C.V.
4. Headshot
5. If 17 or younger, a Letter of Recommendation is required
- List the name, title, phone, and email of a dance teacher or artist who has agreed to write a Letter of Recommendation. On receipt of an email, he/she/they should be prepared to address the following:
- Technical, creative, and performance artistry
- Stamina to participate in rigorous, professional level classes, rehearsals, performances before the public, and evening responsibilities
- Ability to interact, and live, responsibly as a professional in a diverse artist community
Program Application Materials to Upload
1. Audition Video
Footage must be of clear viewing quality and preferably shot within SIX months, or as recent as possible, prior to submission. Videos shot outside of a studio, perhaps in a home, garage, or other setting are fine. Media-enhanced, highly edited, or promotional type videos are not reviewed. Adjudicators prefer one concise video with a table of contents; multiple videos will be viewed if contents are properly identified. Use one of the following file types to successfully upload your video(s): MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, MPEG, M2V, MKV, and WEBM.
- Verbal self-introduction, 1 minute maximum
- Your name and current affiliation
- Why this program is important for you this year
- What you are showing on your reel
- Technique sampler, 8 minute maximum. Individualize to your strengths and training; show technique in the foundational genre(s) you train in.
- Center floor and across-the-floor combinations should include a demonstration of proficiency in the dancer’s techniques such as isolations, travel steps, grooves, footwork, technical tap work, extensions, balances, turns, jumps, and leaps. If you use heels or other footwear in your preferred genre(s), include work in this footwear.
- Think of this portion of your video as a sample of foundational elements you are most trained in; demonstrate your competence in the various skills needed to execute these genres.
- Sing 16 bars of two songs, from either standard or contemporary musical theatre works, using only the microphone on video camera.
- Monologue or spoken word of your choice (1 min)
- Performance sampler, 8 minute maximum
- In-studio footage is preferred over performance footage
- Provide a table of contents, identifying names of works and choreographers for 2-3 variations, improvisations, and/or repertory excerpts
- In group footage, please identify how viewers will know which dancer to observe
- Excerpts should demonstrate a range of dynamics, levels, tempos, and styles
- 30-sec freestyle movement, and include a “speciality” move or dance if applicable, show off your strengths as a dancer: street or popular dance styles, body percussion, mime, fire twirling, Cyr wheel, jump rope, etc.
2. Written Statement, in 500 words or less, please share:
- Influences on your current dance work and artistic goals
- Career aspirations and experiences desired to reach them
- How you envision this program impacting your vision of yourself as an artist
3. Résumé/C.V.
4. Photos
- Headshot (required)
- Dance Shot (optional)
5. If 17 or younger, a Letter of Recommendation is required.
- List the name, title, phone, and email of a dance teacher or artist who has agreed to write a Letter of Recommendation. On receipt of an email, he/she/they should be prepared to address the following:
- Technical and performance artistry
- Stamina to participate in rigorous, professional level classes, rehearsals, performances before the public, and evening responsibilities
- Ability to interact, and live, responsibly as a professional in a diverse artist community
Program Application Materials to Upload
1. Audition Video
Footage must be of clear viewing quality. Media-enhanced, highly edited, or promotional type videos are not reviewed. use one of the following file types to successfully upload your video(s): MP4, M4V, AVI, FLV, MOV, WMV, MPG, MPEG, M2V, MKV, and WEBM.
- Verbal self-introduction, 2 minutes maximum
- Introduce yourself
- Share: your current choreographic interests, your choreographic strong points and deficits, how you envision this program impacting your choreographic work, the choreographic projects you envision for yourself in the near future, and whose work interests you today, in dance and in one other art form.
- Work Sample no. 1
- This work should be the piece that you feel best represents you today.
- Share the complete work, no excerpts
- Provide title, credits, when and where performed
- The footage can be from a studio, performance, site-specific, zoom, or other venue shoot.
- Work Sample no. 2
- This work should be no more than three years old
- Share the complete work, no excerpts
- Provide title, credits, when and where performed
- The footage can be from a studio, performance, site-specific, zoom, or other venue shoot.
- Work Sample no. 3 is optional
- A complete work, or an excerpt, of your choice, viewed only if questions arise that may be answered by seeing another work sample.
- Not to exceed 10 minutes in length
2. Written Statement of Proposed Artistic Inquiry
In 200 words or less, please share:
-
- The proposed creative/artistic inquiry you wish to explore during the program. Focus on the choreographic idea(s) to be explored; it is not necessary to have such details as music/composer, length of work, number of dancers, costuming, and other production elements outlined at this point.
- Finish this statement: “This summer, in thinking about what I know how to do and what I haven’t yet had the opportunity to explore in my life as a choreographer, I’d like to…”
3. Headshot
4. Résumé/C.V.
5. Support Material
-
- Selected samples of programs, reviews, and/or articles about your work combined into one PDF document.
Scholarships
The School at Jacob’s Pillow is committed to assisting any dancer needing assistance with program tuition fees. Applications are reviewed need-blind. Scholarship applications are reviewed only following acceptance determinations. A Scholarship Application is located within the Program Application and should be completed at time of submission.
LEARN MORE
2024 Programs
Deadlines
Application Materials
Fees & Scholarships
2024 Programs | At the Pillow
Contemporary Ballet
Contemporary
ChoreoTech Lab
Musical Theatre
Choreography Fellowship
2024 Artist Faculty
The School Experience
Alumni of The School
Perles Family Studio
2024 Workshops & Intensives | Around the Country
Jacob’s Pillow 360
CONTACT US
If you have questions or need additional information, we are happy to help. Please email us at school@jacobspillow.org.
Explore our online Archive resource, Dance Interactive, to experience an invaluable tool able to support your growth as an artist.