Programs

2026 Session

NYCI is seeking applications for participation in our 2026 choreographic session. Three choreographers will be selected to become resident Fellows creating new work with dancers from New York City Ballet. Fellows will have the opportunity to choose their own music and access resources that deepen engagement with those musical selections. Each Fellow will be paired with a consulting dramaturg to support the creative process and will collaborate with a filmmaker to produce a dance film of their work in progress.

Next Session: August 3- 16, 2026

SAB Session

The SAB Session is part of a six-week collaborative partnership between the Institute and the School of American Ballet (SAB) that invites an emerging choreographer to develop and set a new work on the advanced students of SAB. Over the course of the residency, the selected choreographer works closely with students in the studio, offering an immersive creative process that emphasizes experimentation, musicality, and artistic voice.

The session culminates in a week-long in-studio showing as part of SAB’s Winter Choreographic Showcase for invited guests.

The SAB Session also includes supplemental workshops and artist engagements designed to deepen students’ artistic exploration and strengthen the ongoing partnership between the Institute and the School of American Ballet.

Next Session: December 2026- Exact dates TBD

Both Sessions culminate in studio showings for an invited audience and the production of a dance film of the work in progress.

Applications open January 20

Applications close March 2

Selected Fellows will be announced April 13

Apply Now

The following resources are provided to participating Fellows:

  • Travel to and from New York, housing accommodation during the two-week session, and per diem

  • Approximately three hours per day of rehearsal time in New York City Ballet’s rehearsal studios with either New York City Ballet dancers or advanced students from the School of American Ballet

  • Opportunities to attend live performances throughout NYC with facilitated dialogue between Fellows and established artists and industry leaders

  • The production of a dance film for each new ballet created with NYCI

  • An informal showing of the works-in-progress for an invited audience

  • Additional networking opportunities

First Steps

First Steps is a New York City Ballet initiative designed specifically for NYCB dancers to take their first steps into the craft of choreography. The program provides dancers with dedicated studio space, time, and institutional support to explore dance-making alongside their fellow artists. Designed as a low-pressure, exploratory environment, First Steps encourages creative risk-taking and experimentation, offering an entry point for dancers to begin developing their choreographic voices and expanding their artistic practice beyond performance.

NYCI Extension

NYCI Extension is a program designed to support NYCI alumni choreographers who have received commissions from New York City Ballet. Created in collaboration with NYCB, the program provides an extension week of dedicated time, studio space, dancers, and resources beyond the choreographers’ scheduled NYCB rehearsal periods. By offering additional research and development support, NYCI Extension deepens the creative process and strengthens the pathway from early choreographic exploration to fully realized work on NYCB’s mainstage.