JOFFREY ACADEMY OF DANCE LAUNCHES NEW CONTEMPORARY BALLET TRAINEE PROGRAM

 JOFFREY ACADEMY OF DANCE LAUNCHES NEW
CONTEMPORARY BALLET TRAINEE PROGRAM

CHICAGO – Ashley Wheater
MBE, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic
Director of The Joffrey Ballet, proudly
announces the launch of the Joffrey
Academy Contemporary Ballet Trainee
Program, the first full-time contemporary
ballet training program offered
by a classical ballet company in the
United States. The innovative program
creates pathways towards professional
opportunities in contemporary ballet
and will be launched in fall 2022 under
new leadership in the Joffrey Academy,
Official School of The Joffrey
Ballet, with the appointment of Katlin
Michael ¬Bourgeois as the inaugural
Head of the Contemporary Ballet
Trainee Program and former Joffrey
Artist Oğulcan Borova as the new
Head of Studio Company and Ballet
Trainees. Bourgeois and Borova begin
their new roles on Aug. 22, nearly
one year after the Joffrey Academy of
Dance opened its new studio space and
training facilities at 1920 S. Wabash
Avenue as part of the Company’s “Joffrey
for All” strategic growth plan.

The Joffrey’s new Contemporary
Ballet Trainee Program, the first of
its kind for the Joffrey, is intended to
cultivate a versatile set of skills for
future professionals in the field of professional
dance, specifically related to
contemporary ballet training. Students
will continue to focus on the foundations
of classical ballet (technique,
pointe work, partnering), in addition to
the defining characteristics of contemporary
training: improvisation and
floor work. The Contemporary Ballet
Trainee Program provides dancers a
holistic training model that emphasizes
a vast range of techniques.

Prior to this role, Bourgeois (they/
them) served as faculty at the Joffrey
Academy for three years training students
in contemporary techniques as
well as setting choreographic works.
They graduated from Alonzo King
LINES Ballet Training Program in
2014 and began a dancing career that
allowed them to dance with Dance
Theatre of San Francisco, DanceWorks
Chicago, FLOCK Works, Hubbard
Street 2, M/Motions, The Cambrians,
and others. Katlin started their own
project dance company, “Ensemble180,”
in 2018 and has been an
active educator locally, regionally, and
internationally for almost a decade.

Borova (he/him) joins the Joffrey
Academy from the National Ballet of
Finland as a Ballet Master. Prior to
that he served as a Ballet Master at
Cincinnati Ballet. From 2011-2015,
he danced with The Joffrey Ballet,
where he performed principal roles in
the several productions including Don
Quixote, La Bayadere, Prodigal Son,
and The Nutcracker. He holds several
dance awards including a Bronze
Medal at the Varna International Ballet
Competition, Gold Medal at the New
York International Ballet Competition,
Gold Medal at the Seoul International
Ballet Competition, and High Achievement
Recognition from the Dokuz
Eylül University, where he studied in
the conservatory’s dance department.

A Growing Academy and a “Joffrey
for All”

The Joffrey Academy of Dance,
Official School of The Joffrey Ballet,
is committed to providing students of
all ages, levels, and backgrounds who
have a desire to dance with an exceptional
education built on a foundation
of classical ballet. The establishment
of the Contemporary Ballet Trainee
program accompanies the recent
opening of the new Joffrey studios in
the South Loop, which in its first year
has allowed the Joffrey to offer more
classes, provide more teaching opportunities,
and reach more students in
the Chicago region with a passion for
dance than at any time in its history,
while also increasing revenue through
scholarship support.

With the talents cultivated at the
Joffrey Academy, students can pursue
careers as professional dancers at companies
throughout the world, higher
education opportunities in dance, or
success in other fields. Through the
Joffrey Academy’s programs, students
develop a diverse set of skills
including artistry, creativity, discipline,
and confidence. The Joffrey
Academy’s high-quality educational
programming forms future audiences
and support for the Joffrey and
builds the organization’s reputation
worldwide. The Academy occupies
approximately 17,000 square feet
between its two locations downtown
and in the South Loop. The Academy’s
state-of-the-art studios meet the
highest technical standard of dance
flooring and professional-grade
sound systems.

The Contemporary Ballet
Trainee Program is a direct outcome
from the expansive and inclusive
“Joffrey for All” strategic plan created
in 2020 under the leadership of
Wheater and Greg Cameron, President
and Chief Executive Officer.

Set for completion in 2025, “Jof -
frey for All” is a five-year initiative
redesigning educational programming
at the Joffrey Academy and
Joffrey Community Engagement. The
mission to create a “Joffrey for All” is
supported by a three-tiered approach
for a holistic Joffrey education, from
a prospective student’s first exposure
to dance, to scholarships and further
training, to a professional contract
with The Joffrey Ballet or other major
professional dance company.

To learn more about the Joffrey
Academy of Dance and its programs
visit joffrey.org/academy.

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