Meet the dancers returning to The Directors' Summer at BBT!
Each summer, Boca Ballet Theatre welcomes dancers from top programs across the country to attend “The Directors’ Summer” workshop. This year, we have several dancers returning to Boca Raton to study under the six guest Artistic Directors joining us for this summer’s intensive! We spoke to these dancers to learn why they chose to return to BBT and what their aspirations are for the future. Here’s what they had to say!
Ina Jane Quandt. Photo by Sorcha Augustine.
Each of the dancers returning to The Directors’ Summer at BBT shared one resounding motivation for attending the intensive: the chance to have close, personalized interactions with each of the visiting artistic directors. Ina Jane Quandt, who is currently a trainee with Ballet Idaho, shared how many traditional auditions for dance companies host as many as 120 dancers. The artistic directors of those companies, she pointed out, may not stay to watch the entirety of class. However, with only 30 dancers attending The Directors’ Summer, each has the opportunity to take multiple classes with the visiting directors, not only getting more individualized instruction but also building a familiarity that could help a dancer land a contract with a professional company one day!
Aaron Williamson. Photo by Sorcha Augustine.
Aaron Williamson, currently a member of Sacramento Ballet’s Second Company, also mentioned how taking classes with these directors helps dancers get a sense of what kind of training, atmosphere, and philosophy a company has. Aaron expressed a particular interest in learning from Michael Novak, the Artistic Director of Paul Taylor Dance Company—a sentiment that was shared by the other dancers we spoke to! Working with a modern dance company allows ballet dancers “to explore new avenues,” Aaron said.
However, this opportunity to work with new teachers is not limited to the visiting artistic directors. Ina shared how valuable it’s been to work with Boca Ballet Theatre’s own faculty members, who offer personalized instruction and the freedom to explore their own artistry. They’re not as strict as some instructors are, Ina shared. Rather, they let you express your “artistic flair.”
Cecilia Schmidt. Photo by Grasshopper Photography.
Cecilia Schmidt, a graduate of Florida State University’s School of Dance and dancer with Tallahassee Ballet, indicated another major draw to The Directors’ Summer this year: the opportunity to perform the entirety of La Bayadère! Often, this ballet is only excerpted, with dancers performing isolated scenes such as “The Kingdom of the Shades.” The dancers we spoke to also mentioned how La Bayadère is rarely staged by ballet companies today, making this summer a valuable opporuntity to learn one of ballet history’s most seminal works in its full context! Cecilia expressed excitement about taking on this challenging production, which is incredibly demanding of all its featured dancers!
Lizzy Steward. Photo by Victoria Bastian.
In addition to having these incredible experiences in the studio and onstage, Lizzy Steward, graduate of San Fransisco Ballet School and student at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Ballet Theater, shared how returning to The Directors’ Summer at BBT also provides the chance to reconnect with other attending dancers and expand her professional network.
Each of these dancers expressed a dream to climb the professional ladder in the ballet world. For many, this means landing a paid contract in the corps de ballet of a professional company. For this reason, The Directors’ Summer at BBT offers the invaluable opporuntity to make strides toward this goal, training with artistic directors like Gil Boggs of Colorado Ballet, Cervilio Amador of Cincinnati Ballet, Peter Boal of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Roy Kaiser of Nevada Ballet, Michael Novak of Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Nan Giordano of Giordano Dance Chicago—all in one location!
We wish them all the best as they train this summer, and we hope you’ll join us in applauding them at our production of La Baydère on August 1–2, 2026! Tickets available in the link below!