My summer internship at ABT has been an incredible opportunity. My tasks as a Training Programs Intern for the ABT JKO School vary not just from one day to the next, but also within a day itself. For example, I can start the day by creating master calendars of the studio space for the upcoming school year and end the day by watching a dress rehearsal of Swan Lake at The Metropolitan Opera House.
Interning at ABT is a unique experience. One hears live piano music extending out of a dance studio into one’s office. Faculty and students alike constantly stop by to check in and chat with administrators in the office. Interns play two truths and a lie during orientation. Interning at ABT is filled with glamor and all the work behind the glamor. It is a peek behind the curtain.
My favorite moment so far was assisting with the ABTKids event, where about 3,000 public school students came to watch the company perform a special showcase just for them. All of the educational staff assists at this annual event with everyone having a role in creating a dazzling introduction to ballet for these children. It speaks to the mission of ABT: “to create, to present, to preserve, and to extend the great repertoire of classical dancing, through exciting performances and educational programming of the highest quality, presented to the widest possible audience.”
Whether I’m changing the locks in the locker room, creating a flier for the JKO School uniform, or inventorying the costumes in the green room, every task works towards fulfilling ABT’s crucial mission and I am so grateful and honored to be a part of it!
Mary Cott
Training Programs Intern
Summer 2019
abtinterns 
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