The Ailey School

No. Students who are not able to commit for a 6-week period have the option of enrolling for the first 3-weeks of the summer. All students must begin their enrollment on June 27 and commit to the entire duration of the enrollment option they have selected.

Yes, a negative PCR test will be required. Antigen or antibody tests are not acceptable. The nasal swab PCR test is the only test we will accept.
The test must be dated no more than 5 days prior to the first day of class (not later than June 21).  

Please refer to Ailey Forward for the latest safety information.

Yes. Students are encouraged to bring their own mask that can be washed and re-used daily.  Ailey will also have enough disposable masks, gloves, face shields (upon special request), hand sanitizers, and wipes on hand for everyone in the building.

Yes. For the safety of everyone in the building, all dancers, students, faculty, musicians and staff are always required to wear a mask. All staff in The Joan Weill Center for Dance are always also required to wear a mask regardless of single office occupancy.  Staff required to circulate in public areas are required to wear KN95 masks and these are provided by Ailey.

Ailey recommends that everyone returning to the building consult NY Forward and CDC to learn about masks in order to make personal decisions. However, Ailey does NOT recommend Gaitors, fleece, or bandanas.  Ailey does recommend at least two layers of cloth in masks.  Masks should be washed at home frequently.

Yes. The Ailey School uses the HealthCheck by Stratum, used to screen for potential COVID-19 related symptoms prior to students entering the building. Every day, students must complete the HealthCheck screening in the app before departing from home, 2 hours prior to the start of class. Only those students who receive a green notification at the end of the screening will be admitted to enter the building.

Healthcheck user instructions>
Healthcheck password reset>
Healthcheck FAQ's>

Please refer to Ailey Forward for the latest safety information.

Yes, students must take their temperature every morning prior to logging into the HealthCheck app. All students are required to have a digital thermometer.

Yes. Members of Ailey’s security staff will be present to assist as you take your no-touch temperature on temple or wrist. If you register a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, you will not be permitted to proceed into the building.

Please refer to Ailey Forward for the latest safety information.

We are complying with COVID-19 safety precautions and are keeping class sizes to no more than 20 students per cohort. Classes of this size will also allow faculty to have better interaction and make more focused evaluations of students work.

Please refer to Ailey Forward for the latest safety information.

Yes, a limited number of spaces will be available at the Ludlow Residence, a short subway commute from The Ailey School. Space is prioritized for out-of-state students and those who do not permanently reside within a reasonable commuting distance to The Ailey School. Housing applications will be sent to all accepted students.

Yes. Merit-based scholarships for the 6-week session* may be awarded to students who exhibit the highest potential at their audition.  We regret that need-based financial aid is not available for the Summer Intensive.

*Scholarships are not available for the 3-week session.

Yes, International Students who live outside of the U.S. may submit a video audition. Students should contact the International Student Advisor for guidance on the correct visa to obtain for short-term, avocational study in the U.S.

Professional Division Students are permitted to wear colorful form fitting dance attire of their choice while adhering to the guidelines listed in the Summer Intensive Student Handbook. 

All students who have attended an audition have been placed in the appropriate levels by the audition panel.   

Students should keep in mind that levels at The Ailey School do not correspond to the levels at other schools. Therefore, the level you attend at your current school has no bearing on the level you will be placed in at The Ailey School.

Yes, all students, staff, faculty, administration, and visitors to the Joan Weill Center for Dance must be fully vaccinated* for Covid-19 with an approved vaccine, as described in the Vaccination Policy. *Fully vaccinated means that two weeks have passed since you received two doses of a two-dose vaccine, or a single dose of a one-dose vaccine considered effective by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) and/or the World Health Organization (“WHO”). For answers to questions such as, "When am I fully vaccinated?" and "If I am fully vaccinated, do I have to quarantine if I am exposed to an individual who tests positive for Covid-19?", visit the Center for Disease Control (CDC)

Students requesting an exemption should send an email the following people for further instructions, depending on your Division:

• Junior Division Students contact Dawn Tricarico, Associate Director of the Junior Division, at dtricarico@alvinailey.org.
• Professional Division Students contact JoAnne Ruggeri, Director of Admissions, at jruggeri@alvinailey.org.

Yes. Ailey’s app is Healthcheck. This is a separate app from the health screening app utilized by Fordham University (for BFA students) and separate from the health attestation kiosk (SPLAN) located at the Ludlow Residence (for students residing at Ludlow).

Healthcheck user instructions>
Healthcheck password reset>
Healthcheck FAQ’s>

Yes. All Junior Division and Professional Division students must get a COVID-19 PCR Test (not an antigen test) 5 or less days prior to their first class at the beginning of the 2021 Summer Intensive, the fall 2021 term, and the spring 2022 term.

• Junior Division students must email test results to the Dawn Tricarico, Junior Division Associate Director, at dtricarico@alvinailey.org. If your test results are not returned by the time you are scheduled to begin classes at The Ailey School, contact Ms. Tricarico, immediately. JD Testing Protocol
• Professional Division students must email test results to Michela Boschetto, the Assistant to the School Co-Director, at mboschetto@alvinailey.org. If your test results are not returned by the time you are scheduled to begin classes at The Ailey School, contact Ms. Boschetto, immediately. PD Testing Protocol

Test results must show the following information:
Student’s full name; date of birth; type of COVID test (PCR); test result; date of test. 

Incomplete tests will not be accepted.
Students should refer to NY Forward for the most current travel and testing advisories.

Students can get a free COVID-19 test at many local pharmacies, or at one of the sites listed at the following links:

LABQ 24-hr PCR results>

CareCube Same Day PCR results

Mount Sinai Hospital Urgent Care>

NYC Health and Hospitals>

NYC.gov - testing sites>

Yes. Students are encouraged to bring their own mask that can be washed and re-used daily. Ailey will also have enough disposable masks, gloves, face shields (upon special request), hand sanitizers, and wipes on hand for everyone in the building.

Yes. For the safety of everyone in the building, all students, faculty, musicians, administrative staff, and company dancers are always required to wear a mask in the studios and in public areas of the building. Ailey recommends that everyone entering the building consult NY Forward and CDC to learn about cloth masks in order to make personal decisions regarding mask usage. However, Ailey does NOT recommend Gaitors, fleece, or bandanas. Fabric masks should be washed at home frequently.

Yes.  You will be required to take your no contact temperature prior to proceeding into the building. If you register a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, you will not be permitted to proceed into the building.

Yes.  You will be required to take your no contact temperature prior to proceeding into the building. If you register a temperature of 100.4 degrees or higher, you will not be permitted to proceed into the building.

All those who test positive will be required to quarantine for 10 days. Ailey will be in communication with all those impacted with further instructions. 

Contact tracing methods are in place to track the spread of infection through the HealthCheck app.  If a student (or instructor) tests positive for COVID-19, that person must quarantine for 10 days. Those in direct contact with this individual must receive a COVID-19 PCR test within 3-5 days of exposure; there is no need to quarantine while waiting for results. If the PCR test returns positive, a 10-day quarantine is required as recommended by the CDC. 

In the event that a quarantine is necessary, communication will be forthcoming, but Ailey’s fully vaccinated community allows for in-person instruction to continue. 

Yes, we encourage all students, faculty, musicians and staff to receive their annual flu shots.

Ailey is following all Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Dance USA guidelines on cleaning and air flow. Details can be found in Ailey Forward. In brief, Ailey will clean all studios with electrostatic sprayers, use CDC approved cleaning supplies, and maximize airflow and air filters (Merv 13 and higher) in the HVAC system. Bathrooms are fully hands-free including toilet seat activated flushing devices.

We suggest you make a check-list to be certain you have covered some essential things, such as:

• Make sure you have a digital thermometer to monitor your temperature daily.
• Contact your primary care physician to see if they provide telehealth services.
• Make sure your health insurance is up to date, valid for the full duration of your enrollment at The Ailey School and is valid in New York State.
• Have enough CDC-recommended face masks for daily wear at The Ailey School.
• Have a supply of small bottles of hand sanitizer you can carry with you daily.
• Bring a basic First Aid Kit with you (ie: pain reliever/fever reducer, a supply of any personal medications you are prescribed to take by a physician, etc.). 
• Make sure your Emergency Contact person is listed in your cell phone under I.C.E. (In Case of Emergency)
• Make sure The Ailey School has your current telephone number and email on file, as well as that of your emergency contact person.

No. New York Forward states: The travel guidelines require all New Yorkers, as well as those visiting from out-of-state or another country, to take personal responsibility for compliance in the best interest of public health and safety. Asymptomatic travelers entering New York from another country, U.S. state, or territory are no longer required to test or quarantine as of April 10, 2021. Quarantine, consistent with the CDC recommendations, is still recommended for all travelers who are not fully vaccinated or have not recovered from laboratory confirmed COVID-19 during the previous 3 months. Symptomatic travelers must immediately self-isolate and contact the local health department or their healthcare providers to determine if they should seek COVID-19 testing. All travelers entering New York from a state that is not a contiguous state who have been outside of New York for more than 24 hours must complete the Traveler Health Form. Contiguous states to New York are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont.

Students are encouraged to email aileyforward@alvinailey.org for ongoing questions, which will be kept confidential. Please use the subject line STUDENT COVID QUESTION.

Additionally, your school leaders are here to hear! Students can email their Faculty Advisor, School Staff, or The Ailey School Co-Directors with questions.

Please visit the following links for information:

New York Forward>
Center for Disease Control>
World Health Organization>