The School of Nashville Ballet is accepting video auditions for its 2026 Summer Intensives, inviting ambitious young artists into one of the city’s most visible cultural institutions

For young dancers imagining the next chapter of their artistic lives, summer in Nashville may offer more than training; it may offer a threshold. The School of Nashville Ballet has opened video auditions for its 2026 Summer Intensives, including the highly selective Company Immersion Intensive and Contemporary Intensive, programs designed to draw emerging talent from across the country.

Video auditions will be accepted until programs reach capacity, with a final deadline of March 20, 2026. The timeline reflects strong national demand for training that pairs classical discipline with the creative expectations of today’s professional stage.

Those accepted into the Company Immersion or Contemporary Intensive will be automatically considered for Nashville Ballet’s Second Company (NB2) and select year-round training programs, making the intensives a potential bridge between study and professional opportunity.

Instruction will be led by Nick Mullikin, Artistic Director and CEO of Nashville Ballet; Dmitri Kulev, incoming Director of NB2 and Head of the Men’s Program; and Jennifer Kulev, School of Nashville Ballet Director, alongside additional guest artists.

“Our summer intensives are designed to mirror the realities of professional ballet,” said Nick Mullikin, Artistic Director and CEO of Nashville Ballet. “Through rigorous training and performance-based experience, we prepare dancers with the technical foundation, discipline and artistic readiness required to take the next step in their professional development.”

Company Immersion Intensive

The five-week Company Immersion Intensive, open to dancers ages 17–22, is tailored for advanced pre-professional artists seeking a close encounter with company life. Participants take daily technique classes and rehearse in a setting that emphasizes artistic stamina, collaboration, and performance readiness, while also working with guest choreographers and Nashville-based musicians.

The program culminates in a live performance production, giving dancers an immersive glimpse into the rhythms and demands of the professional stage.

2026 Summer Intensive Auditions

Company Immersion Intensive & Summer Intensive Sessions I–VI
Video auditions are available through the School of Nashville Ballet audition portal.

All dancers are considered for NB2 and year-round programs.

Contemporary Intensive
Video auditions are available through the School of Nashville Ballet audition portal.

Limited enrollment. Admission by audition.