Students must commit to training for the duration of the Junior Division Summer Intensive Program. We do not allow partial participation or late arrival to the program.

Students who will be 16 years of age by the start of the Junior Division Summer Intensive Program should audition for the Professional Division Summer Intensive Program, even if they are 15 at the time they apply.

Admission is by submission of an online application and video audition. Please refer to the video audition guidelines for specifications on video requirements.

Students will be notified within 2-3 weeks of their live audition.

• Complete applications received by January 21st will receive results by January 28th.
• Complete applications received by February 4th will receive results by February 18th.
• Complete applications received by February 25th will receive results by March 11th.
• Complete applications received by March 11th will receive results by March 28th.
• Complete applications received by April 1st will receive results by April 14th.

Yes. The Junior Division staff will host a mandatory Parent & Student Orientation Meeting in June. Date: To be determined.

Yes. The Dress Code will be announced later in the Spring.

Due to strict Covid safety protocols, parents or visitors are not permitted to enter The Ailey School building.

All students who have auditioned in person or by video audition have been placed in the appropriate levels by the audition panel.   

Junior Division students attend 15 classes per week. Classes take place Monday through Friday.

Students have 2 to 3 classes per day. Classes take place between 8:30am and 1:00pm Monday through Friday.  

No, students will receive and must register for a pre-assigned schedule of 15 classes per week.

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.

No. Make-up classes are not offered.

Yes. Students may be selected to receive a merit-based scholarship to the Junior Division Summer Intensive Program. Scholarship awards are applied to tuition only.

Housing is available to students who will be 14 years old (or older) by April 1st at Fordham University’s McMahon Hall. A separate application is available on a first-come, first-serve basis to accepted students who submit a deposit.

No, there is currently not an option to train virtually for the Junior Division Summer Intensive Program.

No. New York Forward states the following:

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.

Please be sure to carefully review the information found on our Health & Safety FAQ page.

Yes, all students, staff, faculty, administration, and visitors to the Joan Weill Center for Dance must be fully vaccinated* and boosted 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. 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 Summer Intensive, the fall term, and the spring 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 aileyforward@alvinailey.org.  A copy of the test result must also be sent 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 COVID-19 test at many local pharmacies, or at one of the sites listed below. Valid Health Insurance may be required at some testing sites.

NYC Health and Hospitals>Free tests available.

NYC Health Express Testing - Free tests available

LABQ 24-hr PCR results>

CareCube Same Day PCR results

Mount Sinai Hospital Urgent Care>

NYC.gov - testing sites>

No, entry is not possible without the results. We understand that at different times during the pandemic, receiving test results have taken longer than others. Ailey requires negative test results to enter the building.

No, saliva tests will not be accepted. A ‘nasal swab PCR test’ is the most accurate and the only acceptable test for entry to the Ailey building. If you obtain a "rapid test" you must make certain to ask if the test is a 'nasal swab, PCR test' and not an antibody or antigen test. Students will not be allowed to return to school without submitting result from a ‘nasal swab PCR Test.’

Yes. For the safety of everyone in the building, all students, faculty, musicians, administrative staff, and company dancers are always required to wear a surgical mask in the studios and in public areas of the building.  Ailey will also have enough disposable masks, gloves, face shields (upon special request), hand sanitizers, and wipes on hand for everyone in the building. 

Ailey also 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.  Ailey does NOT recommend gaitors, fleece, or bandanas. Fabric masks should be washed at home frequently. 

The HealthCheck by Stratum app is a health screening app used to screen for potential COVID-19 related symptoms prior to students entering the building. Your child must complete the HealthCheck screening in the app the morning before leaving home.

If it is determined that students are completing the HealthCheck app just prior to entering the Ailey building, admittance will be denied. If students receive a yellow or red notification admittance to the building will be denied.

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

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.

Symptoms of COVID-19 include, but are not limited to the following:    

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose 
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea 

For individuals who have completed the primary series of an FDA-authorized or WHO-authorized vaccine and, if eligible, have been boosted: 

You do NOT need to quarantine. Wear a mask for 10-days when in public and monitor your symptoms. If you have no symptoms, get tested on day 5 after exposure (day of exposure is day 0). If you develop symptoms, get tested immediately, continue to self-monitor as guided by the CDC and Government regulations, and isolate yourself until you get your results. 

Regardless of your vaccination status, anyone who tests positive must do the following:  

• Send an email immediately to aileyforward@alvinailey.org to inform us of your positive test result. 

• Isolate yourself at home for 5 days. 

• If you have been fever-free for 24 hours and have no symptoms, or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house. If you still have a fever or your symptoms are not resolving, you are required to remain in isolation until your fever resolves. 

• All those who test positive, as well as those who have been in direct contact with a someone who tested positive, will receive communication from The Ailey School further instructions.  

• If you have been cleared by The Ailey School to exit isolation and return to the Ailey building after 5 days of isolation, you will be required to double mask (2 layers of mask protection) for 5 additional days.   

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 the  school year, 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.

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