Pre-Professional Summer Intensive 2026

July 13 – 31, 2026
Application Process begins January 2026.

2026 Summer Intensive Application Download

$25 Audition Fee

The City Ballet of San Diego Summer Intensive is known world wide as one of the finest programs of its kind. Each summer students come from all over the globe to study with our world famous guest artists and our resident faculty. The program is designed to provide superlative training for serious students at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels.

The three-week Intensive is open to intermediate and advanced pre-professional students ages 11-24 with three graded levels. There are limited spaces in each level. Admittance is by audition only. Studio Company and Apprentices for the upcoming season are chosen at the Intensive. Classes include ballet technique, pointe, variations, Pilates, jazz, and contemporary. The Intensive culminates in a free public performance.

Resident Faculty

Artistic Director: Steven Wistrich
Resident Choreographers: Elizabeth Wistrich and Geoff Gonzalez
Company Members: Lucas Ataide, Ariana Gonzalez, Sumire Ito, and Natalie Test

Guest Faculty

Gillian Murphy

Gillian Murphy recently retired from American Ballet Theatre. Her repertoire includes leading roles in all of ABT’s current full-length classics and in shorter works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Jiri Kylian, Antony Tudor, William Forsythe, Martha Graham, Lar Lubovitch, Paul Taylor, Frederick Ashton and Agnes de Mille. Gillian was raised in Florence, South Carolina and received her high school education and advanced dance training under the tutelage of Melissa Hayden at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. As a teenager, Gillian was awarded the Prix de Lausanne Espoir, and she joined American Ballet Theatre in 1996. After being honored with a Princess Grace Foundation Award, Gillian was promoted to Soloist in 1999 and to Principal Dancer in 2002. She starred as Odette/Odile in ABT’s PBS television production of Swan Lake and as Giselle in the New Zealand Film Commission’s movie of Stiefel and Kobborg’s production of Giselle at the Royal New Zealand Ballet, where she was a Principal Guest Artist for three years. Gillian has also appeared onstage in world premieres of new creations by Alexei Ratmansky, Mark Morris, Benjamin Millepied, Jorma Elo, Marcelo Gomes, Aszure Barton, Peter Quanz, Natalie Weir, John Neumeier, Robert Hill, Christopher Wheeldon, Ethan Stiefel, and Twyla Tharp. Gillian has danced as a guest artist throughout the world, performing with the Mariinsky Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, the Staatsballett Berlin, the Kiev Ballet, the Australian Ballet, as a ballerina with the Metropolitan Opera, and in numerous other international engagements and galas. She is a proud charter member of the concert ensemble, Stiefel and Stars. In 2009, Gillian was the recipient of a Princess Grace Statue Award, the organization’s highest honor. In 2014, Gillian received an Honorary Doctorate in the Performing Arts from UNCSA.

Daniel Ulbricht

Daniel Ulbricht was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, and began his dance training at the age of 11 at the Judith Lee Johnson Studio of Dance, studying with Lenny Holmes. He also studied at Les Jeunes Danseurs with Javier Dubraq and attended the Chautauqua Summer Dance Program, training with Jean Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. In 1999, Mr. Ulbricht was invited by the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, to continue his training during their Winter Program. As a student at SAB, Mr. Ulbricht performed with New York City Ballet as a Jester in Peter Martins’ The Sleeping Beauty. In December 2000, he became an apprentice with New York City Ballet and in November 2001 he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. In January 2005, Mr. Ulbricht was promoted to the rank of soloist and principal dancer in May 2007. Mr. Ulbricht is the Creative Director of NYCB’s Family Saturdays program. Additionally, he serves as artistic advisor to Manhattan Youth Ballet and is the artistic director of the New York State Summer School for the Arts in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Auditions

Auditions are accepted by video or in person at City Ballet School.

In-person auditions at City Ballet School must be pre-arranged by email. Please contact the school at school@cityballet.org to arrange a date and time for your audition. You will need to bring all of the items listed below except for the video.

For video auditions, submit the following items to: school@cityballet.org

Fill out the Application (above) completely and submit in PDF format.
A photo in 1st Arabesque on pointe.
A letter of recommendation from your current ballet instructor.
Submit an approximate 10-minute digital video (such as a YouTube link), containing;
- One side only of each barre exercise (plies, tendus, adagio, grand battement)
- Center work (tendus, pirouettes, petit allegro, grand allegro)
- Pointe work (either at the barre or in the center) or a variation from the classical repertoire on pointe
Pay the $25 non-refundable audition fee. (Payable at the link above.)
To hold a spot in the program, send a $400 non-refundable deposit check (personal or cashier’s check) to:
City Ballet – PO Box 99072 – San Diego, CA 92169
Important: Auditions are accepted before the deposit is received; however, we cannot hold a spot in the program without a deposit.

You may also mail all of the above materials and send audition by DVD to the mailing address above.

We will send you an email confirmation when we receive your audition. When the results of your audition are ready, we will notify you by email and send you an email registration packet with further instructions.

Audition Fee

There is a non-refundable Audition Fee of $25 payable at the link above, or by check included with audition materials when mailed.

Tuition

Tuition for the three-week Summer Intensive Program is $1,650 for the Advanced and Intermediate II Levels, and $1,350 for the Intermediate I Level.

A $400 non-refundable tuition deposit must be received for a spot to be held in the program. Balance of tuition is due June 1, 2026 and is non-refundable after May 15, 2026.

Tuition payments accepted by personal check, cashier’s check, or cash only.

Housing

Students are responsible for their own housing during the Summer Intensive. Students 18 years of age and over may stay at local Youth Hostels. Reservations need to be made directly with the selected hostel.

City Ballet of San Diego recommends California Dreams Hostel. Their Pacific Beach location is 743 Emerald St, San Diego, CA 92109, within walking distance to City Ballet’s studios. Call 619-832-1127 or email PBreservations@californiadreamshostel.com to reserve housing for 3 weeks during the Summer Intensive.

Class Schedule

Classes are held Monday through Friday, beginning at 9:00 am and finish at 3:00 pm, followed by two hours of rehearsal until 5:00 pm, in preparation for the performance at the end of the program.

Location

All Classes are held at City Ballet School, located in the Pacific Beach area of San Diego at 941 Garnet Avenue (alley entrance).

For more information email school@cityballet.org

Ballet Under the Stars

The Summer Intensive culminates in a free public performance, Ballet Under the Stars, performed by all of the student participants in the program.

Friday, July 31, 2026 at 8:00 pm

Epstein Family Amphitheater

UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093

City Ballet of San Diego adheres to San Diego County’s Health and Human Services Agency health and safety protocols.

Questions?

If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact City Ballet School Office by email at school@cityballet.org.