Looking back on my internship at ABT this summer I am incredibly grateful for the experiences and knowledge I have gained over the last few weeks. Growing up admiring the dancers and staff at ABT, later attending the JKO school, and moving to South Carolina to study dance in a university setting, I never would have guessed I’d find myself back at ABT.
As much as I wish we could have experienced the energy that radiates throughout the building at 890 Broadway, everyone I had encountered during my internship was working hard to ensure things continued to run smoothly from all different locations. As an intern for the JKO School, I was assigned multiple different administrative projects, as well as proctored many Zoom classes for the summer intensive. Getting to learn the ins and outs of what goes into a summer at ABT on Zoom and preparing for the new year certainly kept me busy. I won’t forget one of the first meetings with the Education Department, the staff was discussing the successes of the past year, the upcoming tour for the company and all things JKO. After my fellow intern and I were introduced, Sascha Radetsky, who had been one of my teachers at JKO, made a comment that really resonated with me. He said, “no matter where you go, you are always part of the ABT family”.
This really hit home for me because leaving New York and deciding to branch into the administrative side of the dance world seemed intimidating at first. However, it is clear that ABT runs as one big family with so many moving parts that wouldn’t be nearly as successful without one another. I think this energy exudes throughout the whole company, with everyone being supportive of one another, having common passions and goals, and wanting nothing less than for the company to succeed. Throughout the internship, it was made clear to us interns that we were not only valued, but we were needed within whichever department we were able to help in. All the staff wanted us to leave with more knowledge than we came and provided us with a plethora of valuable information to carry into future internships and job opportunities. Although we couldn’t meet within the hustle and bustle of NYC, my summer with JKO certainly did not fall short of any expectations, and I am grateful to have played a small part in the ABT community.
Gillian Berry
JKO School Intern
Summer 2021
abtinterns 
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