Steps Conservatory Puts Professional Training at the Heart of Its Program

Mindy Jackson, the Steps Conservatory director and a contemporary faculty member at Steps on Broadway in NYC, says, “a versatile dancer is a working dancer.” Rather than being split into commercial-dance and concert-dance tracks, all students in the Steps on Broadway Conservatory follow a curriculum that includes ballet and pointe, theater, classical jazz, contemporary, modern, hip hop, acting, vocal, guest choreography, and world dance styles. “Styles are fusing,” says Jackson of the current dance industry. “Broadway is never just one note; contemporary [and] concert dancers are asked to vocalize onstage, tell stories in their movement.”  

Class assignments could place paired “buddy” dancers together, be divided by technical level, or be randomly selected, allowing for the greatest breadth of in-studio experience. The two-year program has 50 to 60 dancers, with 10 to 30 dancers per class. This environment offers a perfect balance between highly personalized training and real-world skill building. “Our studios at Steps are large enough for this number to provide enough space for full-out dancing, individualized attention, and the practice of crowded audition rooms and spatial awareness,” says Jackson.

If the concrete jungle outside the studio seems daunting, students can find a sense of belonging at Steps. “The dancers in the Conservatory are generally not from NYC. These young adults are coming from all around the country and world to study with us, so ensuring they feel this sense of home away from home is paramount,” says Jackson. The faculty fosters an environment that is both nurturing and challenging. “They are encouraging, supportive, and firm with the students to uphold the values and to work to their fullest potential,” says Jackson.

The Steps Conservatory cultivates dancers who can work alongside the best in NYC and beyond. “Creatives want to work with dancers who are confidently and authentically themselves, ready to contribute something to the process and space,” says Jackson.

Steps Conservatory

Program size: 50–60 
Age range: 17–24
Performance opportunities: New York Jazz Choreography Project, Steps Beyond Foundation Performance Labs, Student Choreography Showcase, End-Of-Semester Showcase, Steps Industry Showcase, Steps in Concert, Steps Academy showcases, and many other one-off performances in the Steps studios and elsewhere
Tuition: $14,750/year ($29,500 for 2 years); prices are subject to change. 
Room/board: Steps has numerous housing affiliates. Direct contact information is shared with accepted students, and the locations are within a reasonable commuting distance to Steps.
Daily schedule: Monday through Friday, 9 am–5 pm. Students also have the opportunity to take Steps Open Program classes, which go until 10 pm some nights.
Alumni: The Outsiders on Broadway; cruise ships and theme parks, including Royal Caribbean, Disney World and Disney Treasure, Six Flags, and RWS Global; Broadway Bares; signed with a variety of agents; international and national tours; regional theater productions; contemporary and modern dance companies including Pilobolus; choreographers and producers of their own work; teachers across the country and abroad; and more
Additional opportunities: Steps in Concert, Dance Studio Alliance annual performances, Earl Mosley Diversity of Dance annual benefit concerts, video projects, special guest performances, media coverage, auditions for agencies and casting companies, assistant positions with professional choreographers, and more
Important dates: Jazz Choreography Project: October 26, 2 pm and 5 pm, Martha Graham Studios; Spring 2026 application due: November 1; Steps Beyond Foundation Choreography Lab: November 16, 8 pm, Steps Studio Theater; Student Choreography Showcase: December 13–14, 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm, Steps Studio Theater; Conservatory Winter Showcase: December 15, 7 pm, Ailey Citigroup Theater; Earl Mosley: January 17–18, 2026, location TBD; Fall 2026 application due: March 1, 2026

Learn more about the Steps Conservatory and how to apply here.

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