Kaatsbaan Cultural Park to Presen Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive in Summer 2024

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is pleased to announce the Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive (KBI), from July 1 - August 24, 2024. For more information and to register to audition, visit https://kaatsbaan.org/about-kaatsbaan-ballet-intensive.

KBI is a great opportunity to train with a specially curated group of accomplished international dance artists in group ballet classes. Along with KBI Artistic Director Paloma Herrera, faculty and guest teachers include Martine van Hamel, Kevin McKenzie, Beth Ferrell, Gemma Bond and Adrienne Schulte, as well as returning KBI teacher Lorin Mathis, among others. Training will include daily ballet technique classes, and opportunities to fine-tune classical solos and corps de ballet repertoire.

This unique training program is designed for young dancers between the ages of 13 and 18 (who have at least two years of pointe work) to develop exceptional technical skills, artistic refinement, and a sophisticated approach to repertoire, with the ultimate goal of preparing attendees for a career in the arts.

Auditions will be held in December 2023 and January 2024. There are three options for how to audition:

In-Person

January 13 & 14, 2024 in New York City

Four in-person audition sessions led by Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensives' Artistic Director Paloma Herrera, with Kevin McKenzie and Martine van Hamel in attendance.

January 15, 2024 at Kaatsbaan in Tivoli

One in-person audition sessions led by Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensives' Artistic Director Paloma Herrera, with Kevin McKenzie and Martine van Hamel in attendance.

Live Zoom

Six live zoom audition sessions are available between January 6, 2024 and February 11, 2024.

Video Submission

Accepted December 1, 2023 through March 8, 2024.

Dancers have the choice between two- or three-week sessions, either as a residential student in onsite boarding or as a day student, in the beautiful Hudson Valley in Upstate New York. Three-week sessions are $7,394 for residential students and $3,884 for day students, and two-week sessions are $4,950 for residential students and $2,606 for day students. KBI has a no refund policy. Insurance may be purchased upon registration.

Session I (3 weeks)

July 1-July 20, 2024

Session II (2 weeks)

July 22-August 3, 2024

Session III (3 weeks)

August 5-August 24, 2024

Tuition Includes:

• Daily classes with world-renowned faculty, 6 days per week

• All-star faculty including Paloma Herrera, Lorin Mathis, Martine van Hamel, Kevin McKenzie, Beth Ferrell, and Gemma Bond.

• Pianists collaborating with dancers throughout the program

• End of session showcase, featuring classical repertoire and KBI dancer material developed under the guidance of Choreography Guest Artist.

• A limited-edition leotard or pair of shorts from the Chameleon by April Giangeruso Kaatsbaan collection

Housing and Meal Plan Includes:

• Housing at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park's Dancer's Inn, fully supervised

• Full meal plan (includes breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

• Activities, including on and off-site trips

• Laundry & incidentals

Email balletintensive@kaatsbaan.org for all questions.

All participants in KBI 2024 must be fully vaccinated, and those eligible to receive a Covid booster shot must do so. Negative Covid tests will not be accepted as an alternative to vaccination.

Chameleon by April Giangeruso is the official sponsor of Kaatsbaan Ballet Intensive 2024.

Paloma Herrera was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and began her training at the age of seven. In January 1991, having just turned 15 years old, she moved to New York and continued her studies at the School of American Ballet. After only six months, she joined the American Ballet Theatre and, in 1995, became the youngest Principal Dancer in American Ballet Theatre history at age 19. She has appeared in ballets ranging from Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, and Swan Lake, to Apollo, The Prodigal Son, and Stepping Stones. She has appeared as Guest Artist with great ballet companies around the world, including New York City Ballet, Kirov Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, Teatro Colon, and National Ballet of Cuba, to name a few. She retired from American Ballet Theatre at the end of November 2015, right before turning 40. Since that, she moved back to her home, Buenos Aires, Argentina, and continued to teach all over the world.

In 2016, she wrote her autobiography that was presented at Feria del Libro in 2017. That same year, she also launched her own perfume Paloma Herrera, in 2019 her second fragrance Paloma Herrera Passion, and in 2022 her third fragrance Paloma Herrera Fantasy.

In Argentina she received the award: Konex de Platino, Maria Ruanova and distinctions by the Honorable Camara de Diputados de La Nación, Medalla del Bicentenario by the government of the Buenos Aires city, among many others, and since 2012 she is a member of the gallery of popular idols of the Argentine Government House.

In 2017, she became the artistic director of Ballet Estable del Teatro Colon, where the company has grown immensely since she arrived. She resigned in 2022.

About Kaatsbaan Cultural Park

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park continues to deepen its mission to provide an extraordinary environment for cultural innovation and excellence with two annual outdoor festivals, year-round education programs, and creative residencies for artists at all stages of their professional careers. As both an incubator for creativity and presenter for diverse world-class artists in dance, theater, music, film, poetry, culinary, media, and visual arts, Kaatsbaan provides artists with state-of-the-art dance studios, accommodations, an indoor theater, and two outdoor stages. Sitting on 153 Hudson River-adjacent acres, Kaatsbaan is free of urban facilities' space and time constraints, allowing for exciting levels of artistic exploration, creative action, and achievement - just two hours north of New York City. Kaatsbaan Cultural Park is committed to the advancement of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the arts as it aims to present, promote, and embrace programming that accurately reflects its society. We encourage a broadly diverse group of individuals to participate in our programs and join our Board and Staff and insist on being inclusive of all peoples regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, socio-economic background, physical or mental ability. For more information, please visit www.kaatsbaan.org.

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