• AileyCamp Students

FAQs: Applying to Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp 2022

Parents/Guardians Please Note:

AileyCamp 2022 will take place from Tuesday, June 21 through Friday, July 29, 2022 onsite at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus.

In order for us to consider your child’s application they MUST:

  • Submit their application by the due date: FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2022. 
  • Attend an online interview session to be scheduled in the last two weeks of March. You will receive advance notice of the date. The applicant’s interview is in lieu of an audition as applicants do not need to have any dance training to apply. 
  • Attend the mandatory parent/guardian/camper orientation Tuesday, May 3, 2022 if your child is selected or on the waiting list. 
  • NOT APPLY if they have scheduling conflicts, for example, sports practices, games, other performance commitments between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., or you have vacation plans between Tuesday, June 21 and Friday, July 29, 2022. 
  • Applicants will be notified no later than Friday, April 18, 2022 of their application status. 

Please remember that just as with any sports team, dance company, theater company, job, school or camp, Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp has limited space and for a variety of reasons everyone who applies may not be enrolled into AileyCamp. Students who are not enrolled this year are encouraged to apply again next year. 

AileyCamp 2022 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

A joyful, rigorous, and fast-paced summer day camp where youths are immersed in dance, and come to respect the discipline of dance as a physical activity that requires athletic ability comparable to skills demanded by any sport. Campers also increase their leadership skills and enjoy a variety of athletic and social activities.

The camp was inspired by the work of legendary dancer and choreographer, Alvin Ailey, who founded his own New York-based dance company, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. When Kansas City, Missouri was selected as the second home for the company in 1984, plans for AileyCamp began. Kansas City, Missouri held the first AileyCamp in the summer of 1989.

64 students (ages 11–14) attending schools in the Berkeley, Oakland, and Richmond area school districts will be selected from the applications received. Prior dance training is not a consideration for admission.

AileyCamp will begin on Tuesday, June 21, 2022 and end on Friday, July 29, 2022. Camp begins at 8:30a.m., and ends at 3:30p.m., Monday through Friday. These are six action-packed weeks! Campers are expected to attend each day unless they are ill. Please do not apply if you cannot commit to attending during the above mentioned dates or times. If you have any vacation plans during this time DO NOT APPLY.

AileyCamp is entirely tuition-free for all participants. Instruction, dance attire, field trips, and meals (breakfast and lunch) are provided. Transportation is provided to Oakland students; Berkeley and Richmond students must provide their own transportation to and from camp. 

AileyCamp will be held at Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall and adjacent buildings on the University of California, Berkeley campus, Telegraph and Bancroft avenues.

AileyCamp is co-sponsored by Cal Performances in association with the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater Foundation, a not-for-profit corporation that sponsors the activities of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Ailey II, and the Ailey School.

Oakland students may take the AileyCamp bus. Morning pick-up and afternoon drop-off  locations include:

  • Elmhurst Middle School, 1800 98th Ave, Oakland, CA 94603
  • West Oakland Middle School, 991 14th St, Oakland, CA 94607
  • United for Success Academy, 2101 35th Ave, Oakland, CA 94601

Several AC Transit bus routes include stops at UC Berkeley, and Downtown Berkeley BART is close to campus.

Campers participate in daily classes in a variety of dance techniques (ballet, jazz, Zimbabwean, modern), as well as creative writing and personal development (including peer discussion groups). Weekly field trips, guest artist workshops, and other special events round out campers’ experience. A finale performance is held at the end of camp for family, friends, and supporters. 

All campers will receive appropriate dancewear, ballet shoes, shorts, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and masks. 

All AileyCamp attire will be provided free of charge.

Male and female dancers and instructors, former Ailey Company or Ailey-trained artists, from New York and the Bay Area, and other professionals dedicated to making AileyCamp a great experience.

DON’T DELAY, SPACE IS LIMITED!!!
Fill out the application here and press submit. If you have questions or would like more information, email us at aileycamp@cpsma.berkeley.edu or call 510.642.4630.

Email: aileycamp@cpsma.berkeley.edu 

Phone: 510.642.4630 

Attention: Patricia West, AileyCamp Director

Berkeley/Oakland AILEYCAMP at Cal Performances
101 Zellerbach Hall #4800
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-4800

Monday, March 11, 2022

Applicants will be notified by email no later than Friday, April 18, 2022.

7:00p.m. Friday, July 29, 2022
Zellerbach Hall

March 11, 2022 : Application Deadline
March 25, 2022 : Interview Period Closes
April 18, 2022 : Date by which Applicants receive notification of AileyCamp Status as: 

  • Participant 
  • Alternate Waiting List 
  • Not Selected for 2022 

(Please do not call or email about your status unless you have not heard from us by 5:00 p.m. April 18, 2022.)

May 3, 2022 : Mandatory Parent/Guardian/Camper Orientation Meeting
June 21, 2022 : First day of Berkeley/Oakland AileyCamp
July 28, 2022 : Finale Performance
July 29, 2022 : Last Day of AileyCamp/End of Camp Celebration