PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOUNG DANCERS

OBT is dedicated to fostering talent and developing young artists. Both our Pre-Professional Division and Apprentice Program provide students with a progressive agenda to prepare them for the rigors and demands of a professional career. It is preferable that students in both these programs have completed high school.

Admission into both the Pre-Professional Division and the Apprentice Program is by invitation only, at the discretion of the Artistic Director and upon recommendation of the School Director. Preference is given to students enrolled in the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre for a year or more.

PRE-PROFESSIONAL DIVISION

The Pre-Professional Division (PD) is the most advanced level of study in the School. It prepares our students to take the next step in their professional careers with confidence and skill. The PD’s take class with the Company three days a week. They are also the first of the advanced students to be chosen for performance opportunities with the Company, and are groomed for apprenticeships with Oregon Ballet Theatre and other dance companies around the world. In selecting Pre-Professional Division students, preference is given to advanced students in the School.

APPRENTICE PROGRAM

The Apprentice Program is the bridge between a talented student’s training and the beginning of a professional career. Apprentices take company class every day. They also rehearse and perform with the Company and School of Oregon Ballet Theatre. In selecting Apprentices, preference is given to the Pre-Professional Division students.

Both the Apprentices and the PD’s participate in their own touring program, which brings dance to underserved schools in the Portland Metro Area.

“Working with the apprentices is a chance for me to get to know them as dancers and see how they adapt to our repertoire and the demands of a performance season.  After completion of the program they are ready to meet the challenges of ballet in the 21st century, and have the tools that will help them create a successful professional career.”

- Christopher Stowell
Artistic Director

“Our Apprentices emerge polished and articulate.  The program is an opportunity for young dancers to become familiarized with the daily life of a ballet professional and hone the artistry and technique that can only be gained through experience.”