COMMUNITY
Expanding Access to Dance
At Pointeworks, community engagement is not an add-on to our artistic work—it is central to our mission. Throughout each season, we invest in programs that remove financial barriers, connect professional artists with emerging dancers, and invite new audiences into the creative process.
From free professional classes and company repertory weeks to open rehearsals, interdisciplinary partnerships, and community ticket initiatives, Pointeworks is committed to making ballet more accessible both on and off the stage.
In 2026 alone, hundreds of dancers, students, artists, and community members participated in Pointeworks programs offered at no cost or on a pay-what-you-can basis.
2026 Impact
700 complimentary tickets committed to the San Diego community for the 2026 performances Nocturnes and Compositions
230+ community members attended open rehearsals
100+ guests attended Movement in Bloom, a free performance collaboration with Ethan Blu Gallery
94 subsidized class opportunities
41 students participated in Company Repertory Weeks in San Diego and Los Angeles
12 open rehearsals presented across New York City, San Diego, and Los Angeles
Training the Next Generation
Pointeworks donated two weeks of professional Company Repertory programming to 41 pre-professional students—12 in San Diego and 29 in Los Angeles.
Students learned Pointeworks repertoire directly from company artists, including excerpts from Laine Habony’s Chasing Shadows and Reka Gyulai’s Transcendence. They also participated in ballet classes, conditioning, rehearsals, career discussions, and informal performances.
In 2025 and 2026, Pointeworks also offered a free mentorship program for Southern California students. Participants joined professional company class, learned Pointeworks repertoire, observed rehearsals, and shadowed professional dancers—gaining firsthand insight into the daily life and creative process of a ballet company.
Pointeworks covered its participating artists’ costs and received no tuition or program fees for these programs.
100% of surveyed Company Repertory Week students would recommend the program
Students reported technical growth, increased confidence, and valuable exposure to professional repertoire
“A great experience and influence for younger dancers—especially seeing what professionals can do in addition to their main-season dance companies.”
— Company Repertory Week student
Community Ticket Access
Pointeworks has provided or committed 900 complimentary tickets to the San Diego community since 2025:
200 tickets for 2025 performances
200 tickets for NOCTURNES in 2026
500 tickets committed for COMPOSITIONS in 2026
Sponsored Seats at the Balboa
For COMPOSITIONS: An Evening of Katie Jenkins on October 18, 2026, at the Balboa Theatre, Pointeworks is working with the following organizations and programs to welcome community members through sponsored seats:
Armed Services YMCA, including San Diego and Camp Pendleton
ArtReach
Challenged Athletes Foundation
DanceStart Program / Samuel Lawrence Foundation
Foundation for Women Warriors
Just in Time for Foster Youth
Kinship Support Program
Promises2Kids
Ronald McDonald House
Sister League of San Diego
UC San Diego Student Mental Health & Wellness Committee
UC San Diego Women’s Center
YMCA Kinship / YMCA of San Diego
Our wider community ticket partnerships also include Hula House, River Tree Recovery Centers, Vet Tix, and Let Them Learn.
These partnerships expand access for students, veterans, military families, kinship caregivers, young people with experience in foster care, people with disabilities, families receiving medical care, women in recovery, and other community members who might otherwise face barriers to attending live ballet.
Supporting Artists
Professional ballet dancers are elite athletes who must continue training during company layoffs to maintain their technique, strength, and conditioning and reduce the risk of returning to work injured. Yet during the off-season, many dancers rely on unemployment benefits while also paying an average of $25–$40 for each professional ballet class.
In 2026, Pointeworks provided 94 subsidized class opportunities in New York City, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Classes were offered free of charge or at an optional $10 pay-what-you-can rate, allowing artists to train regardless of their financial circumstances.
Through this program, Pointeworks removed more than $1,800 in estimated training costs while helping professional and advanced pre-professional dancers remain healthy, connected, and performance-ready.
Opening the Creative Process
In 2026, Pointeworks presented 12 open rehearsals across New York City, San Diego, and Los Angeles. Offered free or on a pay-what-you-can basis, these events remove financial and cultural barriers, making world-class ballet more welcoming and accessible.
Open rehearsals bring audiences inside the creative process. Guests can watch new works develop, see how dancers and choreographers refine movement, meet the artists, and ask questions in an informal setting. This offers a deeper understanding of ballet and everything involved in creating the finished work seen onstage.
Pointeworks has collaborated with community partners including Second Act NYC, Ethan Blu Gallery, Steps on Broadway, the San Diego Museum of Art, and Julez Bryant to curate open rehearsals and interdisciplinary events. These have included Movement in Bloom, a free gallery presentation featuring an early showing of Hélène Simoneau’s Where No Storms Come.
Educational & Community Partnerships
Pointeworks’ 2026 programming was made possible through meaningful partnerships across dance, education, visual art, and community engagement.
Pointeworks taught and shared company repertory at Steps on Broadway in New York City, Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica, and Ballet Arte Academy of Classical Ballet in San Diego. These partnerships connected students and local dancers directly with Pointeworks artists and professional repertoire.
Community and interdisciplinary collaborations included events with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, the San Diego Museum of Art, Dance Data Project, Second Act NYC, Vanguard Culture, Julez Bryant, New York Film Academy, Zeffy, and Ethan Blu. Together, these partnerships created opportunities for public rehearsals, artist conversations, professional development, interdisciplinary performance, and broader access to ballet.
“It allowed me to experience choreography unlike anything I had done before, learn from different teachers, and still have fun.” - Student Reflection
“A great experience and influence for younger dancers—especially seeing what professionals can do in addition to their main-season dance companies.” - Student Reflection from Pointeworks’ 2026 Company Rep Week
Building Future Partnerships
Pointeworks looks forward to continuing its work with schools, studios, arts organizations, and community partners. By sharing professional artists, repertory, and the creative process, we aim to create meaningful experiences shaped around each community. Organizations interested in collaborating with Pointeworks are invited to contact us or email company@pointeworks.org to start a conversation.
