What is a dance intensive?

A dance intensive is a short, concentrated block of dance training — typically a week to six weeks — run by a studio, ballet school, university, conservatory, or professional company. Days are long and full: technique classes in the morning, repertory, conditioning, and electives through the afternoon, often closing with a performance or showcase. Most pre-professional intensives require an audition, by video or in person. The words 'intensive' and 'camp' are used interchangeably in the dance world; younger and recreational programmes tend to be called camps.

How many dance intensives are listed, and how current are they?

DanceFinder lists 1,002 upcoming dance intensives from 503 providers across 51 states and provinces, drawn from a catalogue of 2,188 programmes. Listings are refreshed weekly from each provider's own website, and programmes whose end date has passed drop out of every browse view automatically.

Are there dance intensives outside the summer?

Yes. 453 of the upcoming programmes run in summer (June to August), but 104 run in winter — Christmas and New Year workshops, January and February break intensives — and more run over spring break. Winter intensives are the fastest-growing part of the catalogue and the easiest to miss, because almost every provider markets them late.

Which dance intensives offer housing?

262 of the upcoming programmes publish housing of some kind, and 125 are fully residential — the dancer lives on campus or in a programme hotel for the duration. Residential programmes cluster at universities, conservatories, and the large company schools; most studio and regional programmes are day programmes. Each listing states which it is.

How much does a dance intensive cost?

Tuition ranges from free community programmes through roughly $300–1,500 for a week-long studio programme, to $3,000–6,000 for a multi-week residential pre-professional intensive at a university or major company. Housing, meals, and registration fees are usually charged separately. Filter by cost on the explore page, and always confirm the figure with the provider before paying — published prices go stale faster than any other field.

Is DanceFinder free to use?

Yes. The whole directory is free to browse and filter, with no account required. An account only adds saving programmes to a shortlist and deadline reminders.

Intensives

Dance intensives across the US and Canada

Summer intensives, winter and spring-break workshops, pre-professional programmes and kids' dance camps — 1,002 of them, from 503 studios, ballet schools, conservatories, universities and companies. Browse by where you are, what you dance, or when you are free.

1,002
Upcoming programs
503
Providers
51
States & provinces
351
Cities & towns

Search and filter every program View on map Summer dance camps Submit a program

Browse the catalogue

DEC62026

Teen Immersion Project

Boston Dance Theater

Watertown, MAAges 13-18

Professional Company

$200

How to choose a dance intensive

The useful distinction is not the word on the brochure — intensive, camp, workshop, summer program all describe the same thing — but who runs it and what the dancer leaves with. A studio or regional programme is usually a day programme of one to two weeks, open enrolment or a placement class, and the right choice for a dancer building hours and confidence. A company or conservatory intensive runs three to six weeks, almost always auditions, often houses dancers on campus, and is where company apprenticeships and trainee places are actually filled. A university programme sits between the two and doubles as a campus visit — worth weighing if a BFA is on the horizon, which is what our college dance directory and the guide to college summer intensives are for.

Three things decide the shortlist more often than reputation does. Dates, because intensives overlap and a dancer can rarely do two: 453 upcoming programmes start in June, July or August, and they collide. Housing, because it decides how far from home a 14-year-old can realistically go — 262 of the programmes here publish housing and 125 are fully residential, so the rest are commutes. And the audition calendar, which runs months ahead of the programme: a summer place is frequently decided the previous autumn, and winter intensives are the exception that are often still open weeks beforehand.

We publish what each provider publishes, and nothing we cannot source — which is why some listings show a cost and a daily schedule and others show neither. A blank field means the provider has not posted it, never that we have guessed.

Frequently asked questions

What is a dance intensive?: A dance intensive is a short, concentrated block of dance training — typically a week to six weeks — run by a studio, ballet school, university, conservatory, or professional company. Days are long and full: technique classes in the morning, repertory, conditioning, and electives through the afternoon, often closing with a performance or showcase. Most pre-professional intensives require an audition, by video or in person. The words 'intensive' and 'camp' are used interchangeably in the dance world; younger and recreational programmes tend to be called camps.
How many dance intensives are listed, and how current are they?: DanceFinder lists 1,002 upcoming dance intensives from 503 providers across 51 states and provinces, drawn from a catalogue of 2,188 programmes. Listings are refreshed weekly from each provider's own website, and programmes whose end date has passed drop out of every browse view automatically.
Are there dance intensives outside the summer?: Yes. 453 of the upcoming programmes run in summer (June to August), but 104 run in winter — Christmas and New Year workshops, January and February break intensives — and more run over spring break. Winter intensives are the fastest-growing part of the catalogue and the easiest to miss, because almost every provider markets them late.
Which dance intensives offer housing?: 262 of the upcoming programmes publish housing of some kind, and 125 are fully residential — the dancer lives on campus or in a programme hotel for the duration. Residential programmes cluster at universities, conservatories, and the large company schools; most studio and regional programmes are day programmes. Each listing states which it is.
How much does a dance intensive cost?: Tuition ranges from free community programmes through roughly $300–1,500 for a week-long studio programme, to $3,000–6,000 for a multi-week residential pre-professional intensive at a university or major company. Housing, meals, and registration fees are usually charged separately. Filter by cost on the explore page, and always confirm the figure with the provider before paying — published prices go stale faster than any other field.
Is DanceFinder free to use?: Yes. The whole directory is free to browse and filter, with no account required. An account only adds saving programmes to a shortlist and deadline reminders.

Search all 1,002 dance intensives

We gather and verify this data from each provider’s own website, but it changes constantly. Always confirm dates, ages, cost, housing, and audition requirements directly with the programme before registering or paying any fees.