South Carolina’s Young Dancers Invited to Connect and Compete at Grand Jeté 2025

Dance students from across the state will gather together to connect, compete, and cultivate their skills during the annual Grand Jeté celebration of Classical and Contemporary Dance. The week-long event features a solo competition in classical ballet and modern/contemporary dance, as well as master classes led by guest artists, audition and recruitment events with national dance programs, and teacher workshops for private studio and public school dance teachers.

“This is not just a competition,” said Elizabeth Wright, Grand Jeté director. “This is an opportunity for the dance community to come together, learn together and showcase the exceptional talent our state has to offer. Dance is such a competitive field, which is why we feel it is so important to host an event where dancers can get to know each other, support each other and consider their future in dance.” 

Dance students ages 10-19 who choose to compete have the chance to win prizes, totaling $4,000, in the categories of classical ballet, modern/contemporary and student choreography. They will also gain valuable feedback from the competition’s esteemed, out-of-state adjudicators—Angela Harris, Jo-Ann Sundermeier, and Michael Beardon. Harris is a choreographer, teacher and Executive Artistic Director of Dance Canvas, Inc., a career development organization for emerging professional choreographers and youth in Atlanta. Sundermeier has performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Smuin Contemporary Ballet in San Francisco, and has been with the New Orleans Ballet Theatre since 2014. Bearden was a principal dancer with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah and Artistic Director for Ballet Arkansas, and is currently Director of the School of Dance at the University of Oklahoma.

Competitors and noncompetitors can attend virtual information sessions and in-person auditions with university and trainee dance program recruiters from Point Park University, Southern Methodist University, Louisville Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, the Hartt School at Hartford University, USC, London Contemporary Dance School and others. They can also participate in in-person master classes in ballet, modern dance and contemporary dance. 

“Grand Jeté is unique in South Carolina—it’s the one event where high school juniors and seniors can showcase their abilities to a wide range of recruiters at once,” said Wright. “It offers an incredible chance for students interested in summer intensives or college dance programs to be seen and even considered for scholarships.”

South Carolina dance instructors can also participate in Grand Jeté through in-person teacher workshops. Classes in modern/contemporary dance, musical theatre/jazz and coaching career preparation will be held for private studio teachers and K-12 public school teachers free of charge. 

Grand Jeté will be held September 29 - October 5, 2025, with the competition occurring on October 4-5. Participants can choose to only attend their preferred events and are not required to attend for the full week.  In-person events will be held on the Governor’s School’s campus in downtown Greenville. Interested individuals can register online at www.scgsah.org/grand-jete until September 10, 2025.

Sponsorship opportunities are available. Contact the SC Governor’s School for the Arts and Humanities Foundation at 864.282.1570 for more details.