Summer Dance Platform
NW Dance Project Creative Center + Studio, 211 NE 10th Ave, Portland, OR 97232
About
Summer Dance Platform includes daily training in ballet, contemporary, improvisation, floor work, partnering, stretch and core, and conditioning. Dancers also develop original choreography, learn NW Dance Project repertoire, take part in composition and choreographic development sessions, and participate in site specific creation. The program includes repertoire sessions, professional development, networking, injury prevention, a wellness and injury prevention clinic, and culminates in public showings featuring NW Dance Project repertoire and original creation.
• Ages: 15–18 years old
• Schedule: Runs July 13 to 31, 2026, with training six days per week and up to 8 hours per day
• Price: 2026 Tuition: $2375 USD; 2026 Housing Only: $1950 (Double Occupancy); 2026 Meal Plan: $775 (daily breakfast and dinner, Mon–Sun)
Summer Dance Platform runs Monday through Friday from 9:00AM to 5:00PM, and on Saturdays from 11:00AM to 3:00PM. Dancers are expected to be physically fit for the rigor and intensity of dancing six days per week and being fully active for up to 8 hours per day. Meal plans are required for all dancers under the age of 18 and optional for dancers 18 and older. Housing arrival is Sunday, July 12, 2026, and departure is Saturday, August 1, 2026, and dancers are highly suggested to submit housing payment as soon as possible due to limited availability.
Aspiring professional dancers in this program work closely with NW Dance Project’s company members and special guest artists. Participating dancers are split into groups by age, merit, and experience. The program includes professional development, networking, and informative discussions on career planning and life as a professional dancer. Summer Dance Platform culminates in two public showings featuring NW Dance Project repertoire and original creation as a public ticketed event held at NW Dance Project's Creative Center.
Dancers are accepted into Summer Dance Platform by audition only. There are two ways to apply or audition: attend a live audition or submit a video application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a live audition, and in-person attendees are prioritized on a rolling basis. Limited scholarships are available, and awards are based on financial need and artistic potential.
Housing for the program is offered at Ondine Hall in downtown Portland through a partnership with Portland State University (PSU). Ondine Hall amenities include a complete kitchen with built-in appliances, bathroom, internet access, towel and linen service, laundry facilities, secure entry passes, campus security, and an experienced resident assistant on full-time duty for dancers' stay. Apartments are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and dancers will receive comprehensive housing information before arrival. Students are not required to live in the dormitories and may commute from home or other accommodations in Portland.
Meal plans are required for all dancers under the age of 18 and optional for dancers 18 and older. The 2026 meal plan costs $775 and includes daily breakfast and dinner, Monday through Sunday.
NW Dance Project was founded in Portland in 2004 by acclaimed dancer, mentor, and choreographer Sarah Slipper. NW Dance Project celebrates, supports, and represents excellence in dance and is dedicated to creating and performing original contemporary dance works from choreographers around the world, and to providing dance training for all. The organization states that it performs, educates, creates, cultivates, and champions diversity while engaging and deepening public appreciation and support of dance. NW Dance Project opened an 8,500 square foot Creative Center in Portland’s Inner Eastside in March 2014 and has fostered the creation and Portland premiere of nearly 300 original contemporary dance works.
NW Dance Project is described as an award-winning, bold, and innovative contemporary dance company. Dance International Magazine stated that NW Dance Project is “changing the way dance is created” and that it has become “a laboratory, factory and repository for risk-taking new works from the next generation of choreographers from Europe and North America.” Other publications have described NW Dance Project as “one of the hottest companies in America” (WE Vancouver), “some of the best dancers you will ever see” (Calgary Herald), “an essential part of the city’s arts scene” (The Oregonian), “the it company...one of the most dynamic dance troupes in the country” (Oregon Public Broadcasting), and “a company of slick, skilled dancers” (The New Yorker).
NW Dance Project is committed to advancing dance education and community involvement. It offers a cost-free Dance Moves program for young, challenged members of the community, holds free public performances as often as possible, and brings performances to streets, coffee shops, hospitals, and escalators in shopping malls. NW Dance Project states that it is dedicated to the fair, just, and equitable treatment of all races, cultures, national origins, ages, genders, gender identities, gender expressions, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses.
Past Summer Dance Platform participants have said, “This intensive has fully turned my world upside down, there aren’t words to describe how special this experience was for me,” and “SDP has changed my perspective on dance, re-inspired me, and made me stronger as a dancer and artist.”
Last updated June 28, 2026.
• Ages: 15–18 years old
• Schedule: Runs July 13 to 31, 2026, with training six days per week and up to 8 hours per day
• Price: 2026 Tuition: $2375 USD; 2026 Housing Only: $1950 (Double Occupancy); 2026 Meal Plan: $775 (daily breakfast and dinner, Mon–Sun)
Summer Dance Platform runs Monday through Friday from 9:00AM to 5:00PM, and on Saturdays from 11:00AM to 3:00PM. Dancers are expected to be physically fit for the rigor and intensity of dancing six days per week and being fully active for up to 8 hours per day. Meal plans are required for all dancers under the age of 18 and optional for dancers 18 and older. Housing arrival is Sunday, July 12, 2026, and departure is Saturday, August 1, 2026, and dancers are highly suggested to submit housing payment as soon as possible due to limited availability.
Aspiring professional dancers in this program work closely with NW Dance Project’s company members and special guest artists. Participating dancers are split into groups by age, merit, and experience. The program includes professional development, networking, and informative discussions on career planning and life as a professional dancer. Summer Dance Platform culminates in two public showings featuring NW Dance Project repertoire and original creation as a public ticketed event held at NW Dance Project's Creative Center.
Dancers are accepted into Summer Dance Platform by audition only. There are two ways to apply or audition: attend a live audition or submit a video application. Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend a live audition, and in-person attendees are prioritized on a rolling basis. Limited scholarships are available, and awards are based on financial need and artistic potential.
Housing for the program is offered at Ondine Hall in downtown Portland through a partnership with Portland State University (PSU). Ondine Hall amenities include a complete kitchen with built-in appliances, bathroom, internet access, towel and linen service, laundry facilities, secure entry passes, campus security, and an experienced resident assistant on full-time duty for dancers' stay. Apartments are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, and dancers will receive comprehensive housing information before arrival. Students are not required to live in the dormitories and may commute from home or other accommodations in Portland.
Meal plans are required for all dancers under the age of 18 and optional for dancers 18 and older. The 2026 meal plan costs $775 and includes daily breakfast and dinner, Monday through Sunday.
NW Dance Project was founded in Portland in 2004 by acclaimed dancer, mentor, and choreographer Sarah Slipper. NW Dance Project celebrates, supports, and represents excellence in dance and is dedicated to creating and performing original contemporary dance works from choreographers around the world, and to providing dance training for all. The organization states that it performs, educates, creates, cultivates, and champions diversity while engaging and deepening public appreciation and support of dance. NW Dance Project opened an 8,500 square foot Creative Center in Portland’s Inner Eastside in March 2014 and has fostered the creation and Portland premiere of nearly 300 original contemporary dance works.
NW Dance Project is described as an award-winning, bold, and innovative contemporary dance company. Dance International Magazine stated that NW Dance Project is “changing the way dance is created” and that it has become “a laboratory, factory and repository for risk-taking new works from the next generation of choreographers from Europe and North America.” Other publications have described NW Dance Project as “one of the hottest companies in America” (WE Vancouver), “some of the best dancers you will ever see” (Calgary Herald), “an essential part of the city’s arts scene” (The Oregonian), “the it company...one of the most dynamic dance troupes in the country” (Oregon Public Broadcasting), and “a company of slick, skilled dancers” (The New Yorker).
NW Dance Project is committed to advancing dance education and community involvement. It offers a cost-free Dance Moves program for young, challenged members of the community, holds free public performances as often as possible, and brings performances to streets, coffee shops, hospitals, and escalators in shopping malls. NW Dance Project states that it is dedicated to the fair, just, and equitable treatment of all races, cultures, national origins, ages, genders, gender identities, gender expressions, religions, sexual orientations, and socioeconomic statuses.
Past Summer Dance Platform participants have said, “This intensive has fully turned my world upside down, there aren’t words to describe how special this experience was for me,” and “SDP has changed my perspective on dance, re-inspired me, and made me stronger as a dancer and artist.”
Last updated June 28, 2026.
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