NHSDF Student Scholarships

Scholarship Application

Students, please review all pertinent information and forms before submitting your Student Scholarship Application by January 20, 2025. No on-site registrations will be accepted. No exceptions. 

Eligibility

• College scholarships are only open to students in grade 12.
• All other scholarships are open to students in grades 10-12.
• A maximum of 10 students per school may audition.
• Students who are not at a high intermediate or advanced technical level should not audition.
• Students may only audition for scholarships they can accept based on dates, travel and financial obligations.
• Auditioning 12th grade students will be able to choose scholarships that they are interested in on the application. Please refer to the list of scholarships published on January 8, 2025, prior to submitting your scholarship application. Some scholarships will require students to have already applied to the granting college/university prior to attending the festival in February. This information will also be listed on the published document on January 8th. 

List of Available Scholarships

The list of recruiters will be posted here once available. It will be continually updated. The FINAL list of recruiters will be available no later than January 8, 2025. 

Available Scholarships lists - coming soon! 

Summer Scholarships | College/University Scholarships | Certificate Scholarships

Audition Schedule

Please take a moment to review the Audition Schedule. All schools will be informed of their audition class number (1-6) and their audition number by January 27. 

Teachers: Please reach out immediately to Amy Kier with any concerns: akier@pointpark.edu 

National High School Dance Festival Schedule of Events

Start	Finish	Event	Location
Feb. 26
2:30 p.m.	3:15 p.m.	Registration for Students in Class 1	GRW Lobby
3:30 p.m.	4 p.m.	Mandatory Warm Up for Class 1	GRW 2
4 p.m.	5:30 p.m.	Audition Class 1 - Ballet, Modern, African Diaspora and Improv	GRW 2
4 p.m.	4:45 p.m.	Registration for Students in Class 2	GRW Lobby
5 p.m.	5:30 p.m.	Mandatory Warm Up for Class 2	GRW 2
5:30 p.m.	7 p.m.	Audition Class 2 - Ballet, Modern, African Diaspora and Improv	GRW 1
Feb. 27
8 a.m.	8:45 a.m.	Registration for Students in Class 3	GRW Lobby
9 a.m.	9:30 a.m.	Mandatory Warm Up for Class 3	GRW 2
9:30 a.m.	11 a.m.	Audition Class 3 - Ballet, Modern African Diaspora and Improv	GRW 1
9 a.m.	10:15 a.m.	Registration for Students in Class 4	GRW Lobby
10:30 a.m.	11 a.m.	Mandatory Warm Up for Class 4	GRW 2
11 a.m.	12:30 p.m.	Audition Class 4 - Ballet, Modern, African Diaspora and Improv	GRW 1
12:30 p.m.	1:30 p.m.	Lunch Break for Recruiters
12 p.m.	12:45 p.m.	Registration for Students in Class 5	GRW Lobby
1 p.m.	1:30 p.m.	Mandatory Warm Up for Class 5	GRW 2
1:30 p.m.	3 p.m.	Audition Class 5 - Ballet, Modern, African Diaspora and Improv	GRW 1
1:30 p.m.	2:15 p.m.	Registration for Students in Class 6	GRW Lobby
2:30 p.m.	3 p.m.	Mandatory Warm Up for Class 6	GRW 2
3 p.m.	4:30 p.m.	Audition Class 6 - Ballet, Modern, African Diaspora and Improv	GRW 1

Audition Policy

Auditions are open only to students who have registered prior to the festival. No exceptions. 

Audition Classes

• Festival scholarship auditions will take place on Wednesday, February 26 (2:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.) and Thursday, February 27 (8 a.m. - 4:40 p.m.)
• Teachers, please note: students will be placed into one of six audition classes.
  • The supervising teacher will be informed of the audition class number and audition numbers of each student prior to the festival. If you have not received this information by January 27, please contact Amy Kier at akier@pointpark.edu. 
  • If you are planning to send students to these auditions, please make appropriate travel plans to ensure arrival in time for your scheduled audition class.
  • Please do not request specific audition times (your anticipated arrival time into Pittsburgh will be taken into consideration). 
• Students will participate in classes consisting of ballet, modern and jazz/African Diaspora dance forms. Improvisational elements will be embedded in the modern and jazz/African Diaspora portions of the auditions.
• A mandatory 30-minute warm-up class will take place prior to each audition class. Movement and exercises during this warmup will be generic in nature. 
• Each audition class is 90 minutes total.
• Appropriate audition attire is required.

Audition Expectations

Ballet Components and Criteria

• If you, the student, is proficient on pointe and feels comfortable wearing pointe shoes for the entire ballet portion, you are encouraged to do so. 
• There will be no barre component to the auditions. 
• Combinations will include the following and will be the same for all classes:
  • Adagio - includes extensions moving in and through body positions, port de bras and epaulement
  • Multiple tours and balancés on relevé
  • Peteite Allegro including batterie
  • Grand Allegro

Modern Components 

• The combination will include the following and will be the same for all classes:
  • Spine work: contractions, spinal succession and tilts
  • Floor work: rolling to, from and on the floor
  • Spirals, recovery, fall and rebound
  • Combinations with big directional changes, turns, jumps and floor work

Attire

• Appropriate audition attire is required. 
• No warm-ups or sweats are permitted. Convertible tights are preferred. 
• No ballet skirts. 
• Ballet slippers are strongly encouraged for the ballet component unless you are wearing pointe shoes. 

Selection and Notification

• Immediately following your audition class, recruiters will either contact auditioning students via the audition call board (notice board) in the lobby or notify the head teacher if a conference is necessary.
• All recruiter decisions should be completed by 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 1, 2025.
• Scholarships will be awarded based on the stated criteria from each institution.
• Recipients will be selected either by a representative from the institution awarding the scholarship or by their designee.
• Some students will receive acceptance into a program that may or may not be accompanied by a scholarship.
• During the festival, we strongly encourage students and teachers to visit the recruitment fair. Recruiters really enjoy talking to you and sharing their programs. 
• Students, if your number does not appear on the Audition Call Board it does NOT mean the recruiter is not interested in you, so, once again, go talk to them at the recruitment fair. 
• Keep your audition number and wear it to any class where you feel you would like to be seen by a teacher (especially if you are applying to their school/institution).