Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp
Hearst Gymnasium and Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, Telegraph and Bancroft avenues, Berkeley, CA 94720
About
Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp is a six-week summer program that includes African dance, ballet, jazz, modern dance, Creative Communication, Personal Development, creative writing, visual arts, a campus scavenger hunt, field trips, guest workshops, special events, and a final performance or showcase. The program combines professional-level dance training with Personal Development activities that address goal-setting, nutrition, conflict management, media literacy, positive self-image, and leadership development. Campers participate in a professionally presented final showcase on the Zellerbach Auditorium Stage with full technical and design support, offered free to audiences of family and friends.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
• Schedule: Six-week program, Monday to Friday, 8:30am–3:30pm, from June 15 through July 24, 2026
• Price: Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp is a full scholarship summer program; AileyCamp is entirely tuition-free for all participants. Instruction, dance and camp attire, field trips, and meals (breakfast and lunch) are provided.
Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp is run locally by Cal Performances and is co-sponsored by Cal Performances in association with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation that sponsors the activities of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and the Ailey School. Around 70 students ages 11–14 attending schools in the Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond area school districts are selected from the applications received, and prior dance training is not a consideration for admission. Interview sessions are held in lieu of an audition and include a warm-up (with applicants dressed to move), size measurements for camp attire, and photos, and dance and camp attire are provided.
Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp is a nationally acclaimed summer program that has transformed the lives of over 1,400 young people from the East Bay and beyond since its first camp in 2002. The broader AileyCamp concept was conceived by Alvin Ailey in 1989, and the first AileyCamp was held in Kansas City, Missouri in the summer of 1989. The program’s stated mission is to use the power of dance to support 11–14 year-olds in developing self-esteem, creative expression, and critical thinking skills.
Transportation is provided to Oakland students via an AileyCamp bus with specified pick-up and drop-off locations, while Berkeley and Richmond students provide their own transportation to and from camp. Campers have breakfast and lunch in a university dining hall as part of the daily schedule.
A 2024 AileyCamper stated, “My confidence and real-life resilience were developed here at AileyCamp. This is something that will help me for years to come.”
Last updated August 10, 2026.
• Ages: 11–14 years old
• Schedule: Six-week program, Monday to Friday, 8:30am–3:30pm, from June 15 through July 24, 2026
• Price: Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp is a full scholarship summer program; AileyCamp is entirely tuition-free for all participants. Instruction, dance and camp attire, field trips, and meals (breakfast and lunch) are provided.
Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp is run locally by Cal Performances and is co-sponsored by Cal Performances in association with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation that sponsors the activities of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and the Ailey School. Around 70 students ages 11–14 attending schools in the Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond area school districts are selected from the applications received, and prior dance training is not a consideration for admission. Interview sessions are held in lieu of an audition and include a warm-up (with applicants dressed to move), size measurements for camp attire, and photos, and dance and camp attire are provided.
Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp is a nationally acclaimed summer program that has transformed the lives of over 1,400 young people from the East Bay and beyond since its first camp in 2002. The broader AileyCamp concept was conceived by Alvin Ailey in 1989, and the first AileyCamp was held in Kansas City, Missouri in the summer of 1989. The program’s stated mission is to use the power of dance to support 11–14 year-olds in developing self-esteem, creative expression, and critical thinking skills.
Transportation is provided to Oakland students via an AileyCamp bus with specified pick-up and drop-off locations, while Berkeley and Richmond students provide their own transportation to and from camp. Campers have breakfast and lunch in a university dining hall as part of the daily schedule.
A 2024 AileyCamper stated, “My confidence and real-life resilience were developed here at AileyCamp. This is something that will help me for years to come.”
Last updated August 10, 2026.
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