Our acclaimed faculty focuses on individualized instruction for each student, drawing from extensive professional performing careers and solid pedagogical backgrounds in their respective schools of training. Their expertise paired with the MCB School syllabus creates a rigorous, comprehensive training program that develops a strong classical technique, refinement and musicality.

Company artistic staff, including Rehearsal Director(s) and Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, will periodically teach the Pre-Professional Division students in order to share their knowledge and expertise, observe their progress, and consider them for Apprentice positions with the Company. Principal Company members also teach students on occasion.

For more information regarding our esteemed Faculty, please visit our Faculty page

The Pre-Professional Division is divided into two levels that meet six times a week and train approximately 20 – 25 hours per week. The Pre-Professional curriculum includes Men’s and Women’s Ballet Technique, Pointe, Variations, Pas de Deux, Repertory, Spanish Dance, Contemporary Dance and Choreography classes. Supplemental training classes are offered in Pilates, Progressive Ballet Technique and Weight Training for Men. All technique classes are taught to live piano accompaniment, a critical element in developing a student’s understanding of the relationship between music and movement.

• Pre-Professional I – Students attend classes six days a week. Classes are scheduled to start in the early afternoon through early evening.
• Pre-Professional II – Students attend classes six days a week. Classes are scheduled from morning through the afternoon.

MCB School demonstrates a commitment to the holistic development of each dancer through an array of academic, career planning and wellness services.

We provide each student with:

Masterclass Series

Miami City Ballet School’s Masterclass Series is part of our Pre-Professional Program. This series was created to further enrich our curriculum by exposing MCB School students to a wider range of artistic styles and repertory. These masterclasses will provide our most advanced students with a unique opportunity to engage with and learn from acclaimed Guest Master Teachers who have made celebrated impacts within the world of dance and the performing arts.

MCB Mentor Program

The Mentorship Program strives to bridge the transition between students to professional life.

Topics covered inherent in the dance world include; confidence building, understanding the unknown, overcoming obstacles, strategies to stay focused, how to approach the stage, professionalism, summer intensive auditions, and company auditions.

Injury Prevention and Nutrition Seminars

Miami City Ballet School partners with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Sports Health Program to bring dance medicine, injury prevention, and nutrition education to the students. Seminars and workshops include guided exercises, self-care strategies, and nutrition recommendations to reduce injury risk and improve dance performance. Students will learn the importance of connecting with their bodies to promote a healthy dance career.

Additional Services

• A weight-training room with various gym equipment for Men’s personalized weight training class and individual use. Note: students must always be accompanied by staff member when accessing the gym to equipment.
• Career assistance to prepare Pre-Professional II students for auditions by instructing them how to research dance companies and college dance programs, write a resume and cover letter, and create and submit audition videos.
• International student services offered by our professional, multilingual staff who assists with visa-related inquiries, orients students and parents, and facilitates adjustment to life in the United States.

Miami City Ballet School is authorized under federal law to enroll non-immigrant students.

Housing & Student Life

Tradewinds Apartment Housing: Supervised Housing is offered during the 23/24 School Year for students ages 14+. Space at the Tradewinds Apartments is extremely limited and is available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Students ages 14 and up have the option of staying at the Tradewinds Apartments. These apartment-style residences are fully furnished and equipped. In addition to 24-hour building security, full-time supervision with two Housing Manager(s) are available around the clock to meet our students’ needs. It is important to note that meals are not included in the Tradewinds Housing Fee.

Tradewinds Housing Handbook

HOUSING FEE: $11,000 for the months of September 5th – June 3rd for the School Year Term plus $800 security deposit. Meals are not included.

Important note about housing: Students who will need housing have many options in the areas surrounding the location where the programs are offered. Housing is at the parent’s sole cost and expense. Tradewinds Apartments is an optional housing opportunity offered through Miami City Ballet. This unit houses four students to a room. 

Option 1: Many families choose to enroll their students in correspondence or online high school programs. Miami City Ballet School does not have a partnership with any particular program. Our staff can assist you with options that have worked well with our students.

Option 2: Over the years, many of our year-round students have chosen to enroll in the Miami Beach Senior High School, which allows students to complete their academic studies while participating in the Pre-Professional Division. Students may also enroll in online academic courses.

Miami Beach Senior High (MBSH) is located at 2231 Prairie Avenue in Miami Beach, two blocks from the Miami City Ballet School dormitory and studios. The school is part of the Miami-Dade County Public School system, which is the fourth largest school district in the country.

• After initial registration, students will meet with a MBSH counselor to discuss scheduling, coursework and academic programs.
• Miami Beach High allows our Pre-Professional II students to pair early morning classes with online coursework.

In 2009, MBSH was recognized as a magnet school.  Some of the academic programs offered at MBSH include:

• Advanced Placement Courses
• Scholars Academy
• International Baccalaureate Program
• ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

Admission into the Pre-Professional Division (ages 14 and up) requires an audition.

For more information on how to audition visit our Audition page or email [email protected].

Students may audition and will be considered for entry into the Pre-Professional Division based upon availability throughout the term of the school year. Limited partial and full scholarships are available based on merit and awarded at the discretion of the School Artistic Director.

Students may only register for the Pre-Professional Division if they have auditioned and have been accepted into the program. Students will be provided the Registration Packet for the Pre-Professional Division upon acceptance. Once received, please follow the instructions for online registration.

Student Workshop Performance
For Pre-Professional I & II students
Each spring, students from the Pre-Professional Division I & II will perform in the Student Workshop Performances, giving them the opportunity to perform in Balanchine ballets, works from the classical repertoire, and/or original works by faculty members.

MCB School Ensemble
For Pre-Professional II students
The MCB School Ensemble performs in MCB’s signature education and outreach program, Ballet for Young People, as well as in other special events and public performances at some of South Florida’s premier performing arts venues such as Adrienne Arsht Center, South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center and Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, among others.

Apprentices & Company Performances
For Pre-Professional II students
The Apprentice Program allows select students, chosen by MCB Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez, to take class, rehearse and perform with the Company during the season. Apprentices are considered for company positions with Miami City Ballet.

Additionally, students from Pre-Professional II Division, during the school year, are considered by the Miami City Ballet’s Artistic Director & Rehearsal Directors to learn, rehearse, and/or perform with the company in select ballets during the company season.

Choreographic Workshop
For Pre-Professional I & II students
This workshop for students is the culmination of a yearlong Choreography class that is part of the program’s curriculum, and students are responsible for all aspects of envision and choreographing their pieces including musical choice, choreography, lighting and costume design. At the end of the year, we highlight the original choreography created and performed by the students

This Choreography class and presentation is a wonderful opportunity for our students to explore the role of Choreographer by creating pieces on their fellow classmates and presenting the finished works at the end of the year. In this creative studio environment, our students often find a new approach to their dancing and even a new talent for creating dances.

We have several alumni who began choreographing through this weekly class and are now commissioned choreographers creating works for other schools and companies. To spotlight one:

Durante Verzola, who recently joined MCB School in 2022 as Faculty Member and School Choreographer, still continues to grow in his choreographic career and is producing new works every year, most recently for Joffrey Studio Company and Miami City Ballet. Over the years, he has choreographed pieces for Miami City Ballet School, Pennsylvania Ballet II, Ballet Dallas, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, Goucher College, School of Pennsylvania Ballet, Peabody Dance, and Ballet Conservatory of South Texas.

Pre-Professional I: $6,950

• Non-refundable $100 registration fee
• Non-refundable $60 performance fee
• Non-refundable $350 supplemental training fee

Pre-Professional II: $7,250

• Non-refundable $100 registration fee
• Non-refundable $60 performance fee
• Non-refundable $350 supplemental training fee
• Non-refundable $200 ensemble fee

Payment options available upon registration