Celebrating IBA's Graduates
Manami Kawai
My current plan for the next four years is to attend the University of Utah as a ballet BFA major, as a recipient of the Alice Walton Call Scholarship from the School of Dance and the Undergraduate Exchange Scholarship from the University. Stepping into a new environment is nerve-wracking but also extremely enticing, and I'm filled with gratitude for every opportunity and experience I have been given here that has prepared me for this big change in my life.
I want to express my greatest, biggest thank you to the entire faculty and community at IBA, and especially Ms. Vera, for all of your time, love and care since I started at the academy over ten years ago. Although bittersweet, I feel well prepared for this next chapter. One last big thank you to my friends and family for your continuous support and love. I could not have done any of this without them!
Elena Sussex
I have been dancing at IBA for three years, since my sophomore year in the professional division. It was a big change and quite a challenge at first, but I was welcomed into the studio immediately and got support and advice from the other girls. The environment at IBA has always been so loving and supportive, which is exactly what many of us needed. The precious memories I have from IBA are uncountable, and I want to say thank you to the amazing faculty for teaching me, mentoring me, and helping me become the person and dancer I am today.
This coming year I will be moving to New York to continue dancing with Alvin Ailey in their three-year Certificate Program, as well as going to community college. IBA holds a huge place in my heart, and I am excited to take everything I have learned with me to New York.
Grace Cooney
Just before high school, I joined IBA's summer intensive program and soon appreciated the academy's talented staff, dedicated dancers, and the depth and breadth of its programs. That fall I joined the academy and started performing. I fell in love with the entire experience: the rehearsals, the costumes, the sets, the time backstage with other dancers, and the chance to perform in front of a live audience. While at IBA, I traveled to St. Petersburg and performed in the Dance Open Festival.
I will forever be grateful for being part of the IBA family. I am attending UC Berkeley in the fall, where I plan to study neurobiology and the arts, including more dance. Thank you, IBA, for the experiences, the friendships, and the opportunity to be part of something bigger than myself.
Where Our Graduates Go
Scholarships and apprenticeships earned by IBA Professional Division graduates.
Stuttgart Ballet
Germany
Dutch National Ballet
Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
New York
Bolshoi Ballet Academy
Moscow
Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance
London. Dance major, on scholarship
St. Petersburg State Conservatory
The N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory, Russia
University of Arizona
United States
University of California
United States, including UC Berkeley
The Juilliard School and Harvard
Among the universities IBA graduates have gone on to