SOCAPA School of Creative & Performing Arts
SOCAPA @ NYU PHTS / The New School University Center, Manhattan Greenwich Village Campus, 63 5th Ave, New York, NY 10003
About
SOCAPA School of Creative & Performing Arts offers precollege intensives where teens take part in activities such as dance on camera, on-location dance video production, technique development, choreography, movement workshops, and on-camera work. Students can also learn screenwriting, directing, cinematography, producing, editing, studio, documentary, fine art and fashion photography, Lightroom, Photoshop, voice, musical direction, choreographed movement, acting-a-song, and the professional workflow of music production. The program includes collaborative training with other dancers, student choreography, team and solo coaching, creating original student work and original songs, rehearsals, and final live showcases, as well as organized evening and weekend activities such as karaoke nights, talent shows, games, and Q&A sessions with guest speakers.
• Ages: 14–18 years old
• Schedule: Day students commute daily, attend orientation at 9am on the first Monday, and have classes that end at 4pm, with 2-week and 3-week options including 2- and 3-week intensives and a 3-week advanced-to-preprofessional intensive in specific summer sessions.
• Price: Residential students are generally recommended to budget approximately $300 per week to cover meals.
SOCAPA School of Creative & Performing Arts was founded in 2001 and lists 24 years in education, 18,447 happy alumni, and students from 94 countries. The program offers precollege intensives for teens ages 14–18 and is described as one of the premier visual and performing arts programs for high school teens in the world, with students traveling from across the United States and around the world to attend. SOCAPA’s schedule intertwines creative disciplines and creates cross-program collaboration, where filmmakers work with actors, photographers create headshots, production stills, and movie posters, singer-songwriters create music videos with filmmakers, dancers collaborate on dance films and photo shoots, and screenwriters work with actors on staged readings. The program includes two dance intensives, Fusion Dance and Dance Conservatory, both with on-camera work; Dance Conservatory offers advanced-to-preprofessional training with group and solo videos and one-on-one coaching, and summer dance camps produce on-location dance videos with a professional film crew.
SOCAPA states that it is more than a summer program and that it is a place where young artists come to create boldly, collaborate deeply, and grow in ways that prepare them for college, creative work, and life, and it fosters an accepting and nurturing culture of creativity and collaboration. The program runs directly on college campuses using classrooms, dormitories, and facilities of undergraduates, with an option to attend as a residential (sleep-away) or day student at the New York City campus, and it operates under a rolling admissions policy. Year-round intensives are offered in New York City, and there are day or residential camps in Los Angeles and Vermont, with summer camp locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Burlington, Vermont, and a year-round extracurricular film and acting program for high school teens in New York City called City Cinema.
Dance students learn cutting-edge choreography, contemporary jazz, fusion, and hip-hop dance, and create one-of-a-kind on-location group dance videos and solo videos for college auditions, working with a professional film crew and editors. They take part in full group and solo choreography filmed on location, perform on location with a professional film crew, perform in student films, and perform live on stage. Makeup and costuming classes are included. Dance instruction is provided in small groups mentored under master choreographers, and staff credentials include Megz Alfonso (Top 6, season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance), Ashley Rich (So You Think You Can Dance), and Sofi Sanchez (American Dance Awards).
Film students learn screenwriting, directing, cinematography, producing, and editing, and have the chance to make three films in three weeks. Photography students learn studio, documentary, fine art, and fashion photography, as well as Lightroom and Photoshop. Music students create and record original songs, receive voice lessons and musical direction, and participate in acting-a-song classes, rehearsals, and a final live showcase with an accompanist. The program includes college audition prep and the chance to make a solo video for college auditions.
Residential suites for summer pre-college students include two-bedroom suites with a kitchenette with full-size refrigerator, stove, and microwave, a common area with dining table and chairs, central air conditioning, and a shared ensuite bathroom. Bedrooms are furnished with twin extra-long beds, wardrobe closets, and a desk and chair for each student, and wireless internet access is available throughout the residence hall. Building amenities include a TV lounge, work space, music practice rooms, fitness room, card-operated laundry, and 24-hour security plus residence staff, with building features that include 24-hour security and card access at multiple levels. Pre-college students are responsible for purchasing their own meals at the Manhattan campus, and residential students have the option to purchase a Dining Dollars meal plan directly through The New School University or dine in the cafeteria, off-campus, order takeout, or prepare simple meals in their suite kitchens. Options for airport shuttle service are available from JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark for an additional fee, with no unaccompanied minor airport pick-up or drop-off at NYC campuses.
Field trips include visits to museums, galleries, and studios. Organized evening and weekend activities include karaoke nights, talent shows, games, and Q&A sessions with guest speakers. Testimonials from parents and students describe the staff as absolutely amazing, mature, creative, inspiring, and supportive, and describe the instruction as outstanding, with excellent instruction, hands-on learning, and a very professional setting, and evaluations repeatedly describe SOCAPA as life-changing.
Last updated May 23, 2026.
• Ages: 14–18 years old
• Schedule: Day students commute daily, attend orientation at 9am on the first Monday, and have classes that end at 4pm, with 2-week and 3-week options including 2- and 3-week intensives and a 3-week advanced-to-preprofessional intensive in specific summer sessions.
• Price: Residential students are generally recommended to budget approximately $300 per week to cover meals.
SOCAPA School of Creative & Performing Arts was founded in 2001 and lists 24 years in education, 18,447 happy alumni, and students from 94 countries. The program offers precollege intensives for teens ages 14–18 and is described as one of the premier visual and performing arts programs for high school teens in the world, with students traveling from across the United States and around the world to attend. SOCAPA’s schedule intertwines creative disciplines and creates cross-program collaboration, where filmmakers work with actors, photographers create headshots, production stills, and movie posters, singer-songwriters create music videos with filmmakers, dancers collaborate on dance films and photo shoots, and screenwriters work with actors on staged readings. The program includes two dance intensives, Fusion Dance and Dance Conservatory, both with on-camera work; Dance Conservatory offers advanced-to-preprofessional training with group and solo videos and one-on-one coaching, and summer dance camps produce on-location dance videos with a professional film crew.
SOCAPA states that it is more than a summer program and that it is a place where young artists come to create boldly, collaborate deeply, and grow in ways that prepare them for college, creative work, and life, and it fosters an accepting and nurturing culture of creativity and collaboration. The program runs directly on college campuses using classrooms, dormitories, and facilities of undergraduates, with an option to attend as a residential (sleep-away) or day student at the New York City campus, and it operates under a rolling admissions policy. Year-round intensives are offered in New York City, and there are day or residential camps in Los Angeles and Vermont, with summer camp locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Burlington, Vermont, and a year-round extracurricular film and acting program for high school teens in New York City called City Cinema.
Dance students learn cutting-edge choreography, contemporary jazz, fusion, and hip-hop dance, and create one-of-a-kind on-location group dance videos and solo videos for college auditions, working with a professional film crew and editors. They take part in full group and solo choreography filmed on location, perform on location with a professional film crew, perform in student films, and perform live on stage. Makeup and costuming classes are included. Dance instruction is provided in small groups mentored under master choreographers, and staff credentials include Megz Alfonso (Top 6, season 12 of So You Think You Can Dance), Ashley Rich (So You Think You Can Dance), and Sofi Sanchez (American Dance Awards).
Film students learn screenwriting, directing, cinematography, producing, and editing, and have the chance to make three films in three weeks. Photography students learn studio, documentary, fine art, and fashion photography, as well as Lightroom and Photoshop. Music students create and record original songs, receive voice lessons and musical direction, and participate in acting-a-song classes, rehearsals, and a final live showcase with an accompanist. The program includes college audition prep and the chance to make a solo video for college auditions.
Residential suites for summer pre-college students include two-bedroom suites with a kitchenette with full-size refrigerator, stove, and microwave, a common area with dining table and chairs, central air conditioning, and a shared ensuite bathroom. Bedrooms are furnished with twin extra-long beds, wardrobe closets, and a desk and chair for each student, and wireless internet access is available throughout the residence hall. Building amenities include a TV lounge, work space, music practice rooms, fitness room, card-operated laundry, and 24-hour security plus residence staff, with building features that include 24-hour security and card access at multiple levels. Pre-college students are responsible for purchasing their own meals at the Manhattan campus, and residential students have the option to purchase a Dining Dollars meal plan directly through The New School University or dine in the cafeteria, off-campus, order takeout, or prepare simple meals in their suite kitchens. Options for airport shuttle service are available from JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark for an additional fee, with no unaccompanied minor airport pick-up or drop-off at NYC campuses.
Field trips include visits to museums, galleries, and studios. Organized evening and weekend activities include karaoke nights, talent shows, games, and Q&A sessions with guest speakers. Testimonials from parents and students describe the staff as absolutely amazing, mature, creative, inspiring, and supportive, and describe the instruction as outstanding, with excellent instruction, hands-on learning, and a very professional setting, and evaluations repeatedly describe SOCAPA as life-changing.
Last updated May 23, 2026.
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