November 21, 2023 – New York City, NY:

The Joffrey Ballet School is proud to announce the appointment of Jan Dijkwel as Artistic Director of the year-round Texas Trainee Program, as well as the Joffrey Dallas Summer Intensive. 

Dijkwel’s vast history has brought him across the world as a performer, choreographer, educator, and Artistic Director. He completed his BFA in Ballet Performance at the Dutch National Ballet Academy, after which he performed extensively with the Dutch National Ballet. Dijkwel received his Master of Arts (MA) degree in Dance/Movement Therapy from Drexel University and has been a Professor of Dance at several universities throughout the nation. He received an invitation from the Albanian Minister of Culture, teaching, choreographing, and consulting for the Tirana Opera Ballet, Tirana College of Arts, and the Albanian Academy of Arts. 

Dijkwel has been a regular guest teacher at Ballet West.

Executive Director of the Joffrey Ballet School, Frank Lee Merwin states “We are thrilled to welcome Jan to our Joffrey family, as a visionary for the next chapter of our year-round Texas Trainee Program. There is no doubt that our students will attach to his exuberant and thoughtful leadership, as he brings his unique perspective into our year-round training and summer intensives.”

Dijkwel will begin working with our year-round students in Texas for both the Ballet and Jazz & Contemporary concentrations for the Spring term, commencing in January 2024. He is “eager to follow the founders’ vision of dance based on intensive training imbued with a sense of movement, clarity, and energy.”

Dancers ages 13-25 can audition for acceptance and potential merit-based scholarships to our year-round program at any of our in-person summer intensive auditions, now through May 2024. Dancers can also join us for a day in the life of a Texas Trainee to experience a day of classes and meet with our new Artistic Director.

Read more about the Texas Trainee Program at https://www.joffreyballetschool.com/trainee-program/texas/