About
Jacobs Academy Ballet Program offers ballet technique classes, pre-pointe and pointe classes, a variations class, contemporary class, open ballet classes, and creative movement classes for young children with a pre-ballet focus. The program also includes elective courses in classical and contemporary ballet, yoga, Pilates classes, Adult Ballet Classes, a Twilight Turnout Contemporary Mini-Session, a Summer Camp & Performance Workshop, and a Spring Performance and Summer Camp Performance.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Spring and summer sessions in 2026, including January bridge classes, a spring semester beginning in February, and short summer programs in late May and early June
Bridge Classes run Monday, January 5 through Friday, January 30, 2026, the Twilight Turnout Contemporary Mini-Session runs Tuesday, May 26 through Friday, May 29, 2026, and the Summer Camp & Performance Workshop runs Monday, June 1 through Friday, June 5, 2026. The Spring 2026 semester schedule includes a registration deadline for Bridge Classes on Sunday, January 4; no classes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day; a costume fitting on Saturday, February 28 for Creative Ballet 1, 2, 2/3, 3, and Pre-Ballet; Parent Observation from Tuesday, March 3 to Saturday, March 7; IU Spring Break from Friday, March 13 to Sunday, March 22; no Adult Classes on Saturday, April 4; the last day for Pilates and Adult Ballet Classes on Saturday, May 2; and a Spring Performance at 2pm on Sunday, May 17. The Summer 2026 schedule includes a registration deadline on Thursday, May 21, the Twilight Turnout Contemporary Mini-Session from Tuesday, May 26 to Friday, May 29, the Summer Camp & Performance Workshop from Monday, June 1 to Friday, June 5, and a Summer Camp Performance at 4:30pm on Friday, June 5.
Ballet technique classes focus on alignment, posture, coordination, and musicality, using the traditional structure of barre and center work and movements that require an understanding of correct turnout. Pre-pointe and pointe classes focus on strengthening the articulation of the foot and ankle as dancers explore the pointe shoe, and the variations class uses repertoire that matches each dancer’s level. The contemporary class allows dancers to explore a wide range of movement while preparing them to dance beyond classical ballet, and open classes on Saturday afternoons are available for a range of levels, ages, and abilities. There is also an Open Class on Saturday for dancers ages 13–Adult for a lighter schedule of ballet.
Merit-based financial aid is awarded each fall semester for levels 1–6, and need-based financial aid is decided by a committee separate from the Jacobs Academy Ballet faculty. Levels are set at the discretion of the Program Director, with possible adjustments based on ability, skill, and work ethic. The dress code uses different colors to distinguish levels and allows dancers to choose either a leotard in their level color with flesh-toned or ballet pink tights, or thick black fitted tights with a fitted white t-shirt, with shoe color matching tights whenever possible. All dancers and families may choose to wear masks in the facilities, and any changes to masking requirements follow the university’s health and safety directives.
The program is led by Co-Directors Robin Hoover Allen and Rebecca Janes, with Glenda Lucena serving as Artistic Advisor and Senior Faculty. Robin Hoover Allen holds a Bachelor of Science in ballet and human biology and a Master of Science in ballet from Indiana University, and Rebecca Janes is fully certified in Romana Pilates. Participants in Jacobs Academy programs work with teaching artists who have trained with Jacobs School of Music faculty, guests, and alumni. In 2020, the full collection of pre-college programs, adult non-curricular programs, and community engagement projects were consolidated under the umbrella of the Jacobs Academy.
The mission of the Jacobs Academy Ballet Program is to provide training, education, and mentorship to dancers who want to study ballet and include it in their lives, serving both children and young adults who wish to train at the pre-professional level and those who participate as a recreational extra-curricular experience. The program states a commitment to sharing devotion to the art and practice of dance and to building connections among dancers, their families, the faculty, and the Jacobs School. Embedded in the communities of Jacobs and Bloomington, the Jacobs Academy offers pre-college and adult students a chance to be part of communities that value and promote artful learning and connects local, regional, and global creative communities. The program recognizes live musical accompaniment and regular performance activities as important in enriching and enhancing the student experience, and Jacobs Academy offers programs for pre-college and adult students across a range from pre-professional to avocational learners.
Last updated May 14, 2026.
• Ages: 3–18 years old
• Schedule: Spring and summer sessions in 2026, including January bridge classes, a spring semester beginning in February, and short summer programs in late May and early June
Bridge Classes run Monday, January 5 through Friday, January 30, 2026, the Twilight Turnout Contemporary Mini-Session runs Tuesday, May 26 through Friday, May 29, 2026, and the Summer Camp & Performance Workshop runs Monday, June 1 through Friday, June 5, 2026. The Spring 2026 semester schedule includes a registration deadline for Bridge Classes on Sunday, January 4; no classes on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day; a costume fitting on Saturday, February 28 for Creative Ballet 1, 2, 2/3, 3, and Pre-Ballet; Parent Observation from Tuesday, March 3 to Saturday, March 7; IU Spring Break from Friday, March 13 to Sunday, March 22; no Adult Classes on Saturday, April 4; the last day for Pilates and Adult Ballet Classes on Saturday, May 2; and a Spring Performance at 2pm on Sunday, May 17. The Summer 2026 schedule includes a registration deadline on Thursday, May 21, the Twilight Turnout Contemporary Mini-Session from Tuesday, May 26 to Friday, May 29, the Summer Camp & Performance Workshop from Monday, June 1 to Friday, June 5, and a Summer Camp Performance at 4:30pm on Friday, June 5.
Ballet technique classes focus on alignment, posture, coordination, and musicality, using the traditional structure of barre and center work and movements that require an understanding of correct turnout. Pre-pointe and pointe classes focus on strengthening the articulation of the foot and ankle as dancers explore the pointe shoe, and the variations class uses repertoire that matches each dancer’s level. The contemporary class allows dancers to explore a wide range of movement while preparing them to dance beyond classical ballet, and open classes on Saturday afternoons are available for a range of levels, ages, and abilities. There is also an Open Class on Saturday for dancers ages 13–Adult for a lighter schedule of ballet.
Merit-based financial aid is awarded each fall semester for levels 1–6, and need-based financial aid is decided by a committee separate from the Jacobs Academy Ballet faculty. Levels are set at the discretion of the Program Director, with possible adjustments based on ability, skill, and work ethic. The dress code uses different colors to distinguish levels and allows dancers to choose either a leotard in their level color with flesh-toned or ballet pink tights, or thick black fitted tights with a fitted white t-shirt, with shoe color matching tights whenever possible. All dancers and families may choose to wear masks in the facilities, and any changes to masking requirements follow the university’s health and safety directives.
The program is led by Co-Directors Robin Hoover Allen and Rebecca Janes, with Glenda Lucena serving as Artistic Advisor and Senior Faculty. Robin Hoover Allen holds a Bachelor of Science in ballet and human biology and a Master of Science in ballet from Indiana University, and Rebecca Janes is fully certified in Romana Pilates. Participants in Jacobs Academy programs work with teaching artists who have trained with Jacobs School of Music faculty, guests, and alumni. In 2020, the full collection of pre-college programs, adult non-curricular programs, and community engagement projects were consolidated under the umbrella of the Jacobs Academy.
The mission of the Jacobs Academy Ballet Program is to provide training, education, and mentorship to dancers who want to study ballet and include it in their lives, serving both children and young adults who wish to train at the pre-professional level and those who participate as a recreational extra-curricular experience. The program states a commitment to sharing devotion to the art and practice of dance and to building connections among dancers, their families, the faculty, and the Jacobs School. Embedded in the communities of Jacobs and Bloomington, the Jacobs Academy offers pre-college and adult students a chance to be part of communities that value and promote artful learning and connects local, regional, and global creative communities. The program recognizes live musical accompaniment and regular performance activities as important in enriching and enhancing the student experience, and Jacobs Academy offers programs for pre-college and adult students across a range from pre-professional to avocational learners.
Last updated May 14, 2026.
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