Summer internship leads to full year contract at NYC’s Joffrey Ballet
Several summers ago, Christian Bryant ’26 had just completed an internship as a resident advisor for Charlotte Ballet’s summer intensive when he saw a call for applications for a similar internship with the famed Joffrey Ballet in New York City.
One successful application later, he was on his very first flight ever, heading to the Big Apple.
Bryant, who graduated in May, spent three consecutive summers in paid internships at the Joffrey Ballet School, serving as a resident advisor for the company’s summer training programs.
When his 2026 contract ended a few weeks ago, he was offered a job for the full academic year, to serve as both a resident advisor in the school’s dorm and also an administrative assistant at the company’s studios in Manhattan and Long Island.
The students who come to the Joffrey Ballet school to train full-time range in age from 13 to 25 and are from across the U.S. and abroad.
“UNC Charlotte helped me prepare mentally and physically to help other students, Bryant said. “It’s nice to work with young dancers who are growing and have that thirst. I can share my knowledge.”
Bryant earned a B.A. in Dance with a concentration in Performance, Choreography and Theory. Working at Joffrey allows him to take classes there for free. And he’s developing his administrative skills, “gaining knowledge about how a ballet company works – the little parts that a dancer doesn’t always see.”
Bryant said that the work at Joffrey, across all his internships, has demonstrated the breadth of career paths in the arts. Among his career aspirations is the possibility of being an artistic director one day.
“I have a passion for performance, but there are other ways you can get involved.”
The dorm where he lives is in midtown Manhattan, so Christian, who was born and raised in Charlotte, is getting a full taste of the city.
What he loves: “Running by the Hudson River. It’s so pretty! How you can get anywhere on the subway. How New York really appreciates the arts. Seeing different people and their creativity and how they express themselves walking down the street.”
What he’s experiencing: “Over the summer I was able to see a lot of Broadway shows and American Ballet Theatre. It was amazing.”
What he’s getting used to: “The noise – the sirens and traffic and music on the streets.”
What he’s anticipating: “The winter. In New York it’s no joke!”
