Teen Leadership Program at Urbanity Dance

Urbanity’s Teen Leadership Program leverages dance to inspire creative and professional success among Boston high school students ages 14-19. Students receive skills-based training in dance-related fields, designing their own program by pursuing one or more of three program tracks: Teaching Assistant, Choreography and/or Arts Administration. 

Each track enables participants to engage in work experiences, professional development opportunities, mentorship, and skills based training that collectively advance four goals:

  1. Offer holistic support during students’ formative teen years.

  2. Ensure student access to safe after-school and weekend activities.

  3. Remove financial barriers to explore arts careers through paid employment opportunities.

  4. Provide job and career readiness for arts industries and beyond.

The Teen Leadership Program serves teens from Urbanity’s South End neighborhood and across Greater Boston. Students passionate about dance and its many career paths are encouraged to apply. The program welcomes students of all socioeconomic statuses, genders, races, ethnicities, and financial statuses.

Urbanity’s Teen Alumni have gone on to dance professionally with companies including Philadanco and LA Dance Project, while others have become dance teachers, arts administrators, scientists, researchers, political strategists, and nonprofit leaders who are making meaningful contributions in Boston and beyond.

Teaching Assistant Track

Teaching Assistants will assist faculty with classes at The School at Urbanity. Teens are paired with qualified Urbanity faculty members who help them to develop professional skills including classroom management, curriculum development, and teaching pedagogy.

Students may specialize in an area of interest such as Early Childhood Dance Education, or Intergenerational Dance Learning (including Senior Dance and Dance with Parkinson’s). For every class a student assists, one of their own classes is waived (a $22/hr value).

Interested students should email a Letter of Inquiry to School Director Haley Day at haley@urbanitydance.org.

Choreography Track

The Choreography Track is designed for teens seeking to learn more about the craft of dancemaking. The program supports students in developing their voice as a choreographer, receiving mentorship from a professional artist, and producing their own work.

New paid opportunity for teens! Applications due December 5, 2025.

The Foundation Trust Teen Artist Fellowship at Urbanity Dance is a paid, eight-month opportunity (January - August, 2026) for one teen artist to develop their own choreography with personalized mentorship and support. 

The commitment is about 5 hours each week and paid at $17/hour, with a schedule that may be flexibly designed around other obligations. Students will work on site and receive free access to Urbanity’s dance studios to rehearse, build choreography, take class, or meet with their mentor. Up to two hours of direct mentorship each week will also be provided to help them plan, experiment, and refine their ideas. The fellowship culminates in a live showing for the community.  

More information on The Foundation Trust Teen Artist Fellowship Program can be found here.

Arts Administration Track

Students in the Arts Administration Track will join Urbanity’s Arts Administration Internship program, through which they will be paired with a full-time Urbanity staff member in an area of interest such as Marketing, Development, Operations, Education, and Nonprofit Management. Students will directly contribute to Urbanity projects, gaining hands-on skills and experience in areas such as marketing, social media, video editing, event planning, data analysis, board relations, and more. 

Schedules are flexible and self-designed to work for student needs, which may include:

  • In-person and/or hybrid learning options

  • Schedules of 15-35 hours per week

  • A 2-4 week intensive (25-40 hours/week) schedule

  • A semester-long program (fall, spring or summer) of 10-15 hours over 2 days/week

While the internship is currently unpaid, students may receive high school or college credits, pay through the City of Boston. Through Urbanity, they receive free dance lessons during their time as an intern. Interested students may learn more here.


Looking for Classes?

For teens focused on training and performing opportunities, Urbanity offers year-round and summer classes in a variety of styles and levels.

Advanced students may audition for Summer Intensives or join the year-round Junior Apprentice Program, which allows students to train on Sundays with Urbanity 2, our second company of highly-skilled dancers who are also working professionals or pursuing degrees in non-performance fields and industries. Urbanity’s Access for All Program provides need-based tuition assistance for all classes, ensuring equitable access to learning. 

Support Urbanity’s Teen Leadership Program by donating here.