New Partnership Expands Summer 2027 Programming with the Launch of the JBS x UBC Midwest Pre-Professional Ballet Summer Intensive in Iowa City, Iowa and JBS x UBC Miami Ballet Summer Intensive in Miami, Florida
New York City, New York – May 30, 2026 – Joffrey Ballet School in New York City and Universal Ballet Competition are proud to announce an exciting new partnership with the launch of the JBS x UBC Midwest Pre-Professional Ballet Summer Intensive, a dynamic new training experience for aspiring young ballet artists ages 10–19.
Taking place July 19–31, 2027 in Iowa City, Iowa, the immersive two-week intensive will be directed by renowned educators and artistic leaders Lissette Lucas and David Lucas, bringing together the educational excellence, mentorship, and artistic vision of both organizations into one transformative summer experience.
Designed for dedicated dancers seeking high-level pre-professional training, the intensive will offer an expansive curriculum including ballet technique, pointe, variations, contemporary, contemporary pointe, improvisation, and repertoire. Students will train with distinguished faculty from both Joffrey Ballet School and Universal Ballet Competition, gaining direct access to the expertise, mentorship, and artistic perspectives of both organizations within one unified program experience.
As an inaugural partnership program, enrollment will remain intentionally limited to create a focused and personalized pre-professional training environment for dedicated young artists. Through this exclusive first–annual partnership, dancers will gain access to world-class training, individualized mentorship, and artistic opportunities unique to both institutions.
As part of the partnership, select dancers participating in the 2026 Universal Ballet Competition Grand Prix Finals will receive exclusive invitation certificates and scholarship opportunities to attend the JBS x UBC Midwest Pre-Professional Ballet Summer Intensive.
The partnership will also expand to South Florida in Summer 2027, as Lissette Lucas and David Lucas will additionally lead the JBS x UBC Miami Ballet Summer Intensive, further bringing the partnership between Universal Ballet Competition and Joffrey Ballet School to the Miami dance community.
Lissette Lucas’ continued leadership within the Joffrey Ballet School family through this new partnership carries special significance, as she herself is part of the Joffrey legacy, having trained as a student within the organization before going on to become an accomplished educator, director, performer and longtime member of the Joffrey community. Her artistic journey, professional excellence, and longstanding dedication to mentorship reflect the continued evolution and expansion of the partnership between Joffrey Ballet School and Universal Ballet Competition, bringing a wealth of experience, leadership, and artistic excellence to both organizations and the next generation of dancers.
“The launch of this program represents a meaningful collaboration rooted in artistic excellence, mentorship, and opportunity,” said Lissette Lucas, Artistic Director of the JBS x UBC Midwest Pre-Professional Ballet Summer Intensive and Legacy Member of Joffrey Ballet School. “The Joffrey Ballet School played an important role in my own artistic journey, and it is incredibly special to now help create an experience that gives young dancers access to the same level of inspiration, training, and encouragement that shaped me as an artist. Through this partnership, we hope to cultivate an environment where dancers feel challenged, supported, and empowered to grow both technically and personally.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Universal Ballet Competition on this exciting new initiative,” said Meg Paul, Dean of Joffrey Ballet School. “At Joffrey Ballet School, we believe in nurturing the whole artist through rigorous training, artistic exploration, and meaningful mentorship. Lissette and David Lucas bring tremendous passion, experience, and vision to this program, and we are excited to expand opportunities for young dancers through this collaboration.”
We are excited to continue expanding opportunities for young artists through this partnership with Universal Ballet Competition,” said Frank Lee Merwin, Executive Director of Joffrey Ballet School. “Lissette and David Lucas bring an incredible level of artistry, mentorship, and leadership to these programs, and the addition of both the Iowa and Miami intensives reflects our shared commitment to providing dancers with access to exceptional training experiences and faculty from both organizations.”
Program Details | JBS x UBC Midwest Pre-Professional Ballet Summer Intensive
Dates: July 19–31, 2027
Location: Iowa City, Iowa
Ages: 10–19
Artistic Directors: Lissette Lucas and David Lucas
Learn more: https://www.joffreyballetschool.com/summer-intensives/jbs-x-ubc-midwest-pre-professional-ballet
Program Details | JBS x UBC Miami Ballet Summer Intensive
Dates: July 5–16, 2027
Location: Miami, Florida
Artistic Directors: Lissette Lucas and David Lucas
Learn more:
About Universal Ballet Competition
Universal Ballet Competition (UBC) is a premier student ballet competition, which has expanded across the US due to its growing popularity among dancers, studio directors, and the ballet community. UBC is a one-of-a-kind experience that combines competition, education, scouting opportunities scholarships and more. Founding members, Lissette Salgado and David Lucas, former principal ballet dancers at the Joffrey Ballet Company and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company, have illustrious careers. Their combined list of professional contacts allows them the privilege to recruit globally renowned dancers, company directors, and ballet school directors to judge, mentor, and teach the master classes during each UBC competition. Since its first season, UBC has hosted and mentored countless dancers and awarded millions of dollars in scholarships.
Learn more: https://www.universalballetcompetition.com/about/
About Lissette Lucas
Founder/President of Universal Ballet Competition
Born in Miami, Florida, LISSETTE evolved her passion for dance while studying with Liana Navarro, Judith Reece Newman and Marianna Alvarez. In 1988, She joined the Joffrey Ballet and danced with the company for seven years. Some of Lissette’s roles included: Balanchine’s Tarantella, Frederick Ashton’s Les Patinuers and La Fille Mal Gardee, Kurt Jooss’s The Green Table, John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, Jiri Kylian’s Return to Strange Land, Gerald Arpino’s Light Rain and Viva Vivaldi, and Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker. In 1995, Lissette joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and danced lead roles in: Bengt Jorgens’s Swedish Song and Anthony Tudor’s Leaves are Fading. She was recognized for her role as Odette/Odile in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, Juliet in Rudi van Dantzig’s Romeo and Juliet, Beauty and Butterfly in David Nixon’s Beauty and the Beast and Butterfly, Lucy in Mark Godden’s Dracula, the principal role in Mikhail Fokine’s Les Sylphides, Paquita in Petipa’s Paquita, and Kitri in Petipa’s Don Quixote. Lissette is a renowned, international guest artist who has performed with the Daring Project under the direction of Margo Sappington and Valentina Kozlova. She also performed her role of Juliet in Florence, Italy with Teatro de Maggio Dance Company and was a guest artist with the ‘Stars of Canadian Ballet’ Company, touring throughout Canada and performing in the Pan Am Summer Games Closing Ceremonies. Lissette has taught at the North Carolina School of the Arts, South Carolina Governor’s School of the Arts and Dillard High School for the Performing Arts, and is the Founder/President of Shake The Ground, The Ultimate Dance Competition, her extensive professional experience and relationships with professionals in the industry allow Shake The Ground to expand on a national platform.Since 2015 Lissette has Co-directed along with her husband David the Joffrey Ballet School Summer of Hip-Hop Program in New York City. In 2020 they will add and direct the Joffrey Ballet School Summer of Hip Hop in New York City and Tampa, FL They are also be the directors of the Joffrey Ballet/Contemporary program held for 2 weeks in Tampa, Florida.
About David Lucas
Founder/Director of Universal Ballet Competition
Born in Chorley, England, and raised in Kelowna, B.C., Canada, DAVID unveiled his passion for dance at age nine. The Canadian School of Ballet is where he began training under the direction of Betty Farrally, the co founder of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company. He later trained in Toronto and graduated from the National Ballet School and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. David joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company in 1988 and danced for 14 years before retiring in 2000. He danced many lead roles such as: Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and Tarantella, David Nixon’s Beauty and the Beast, Butterfly, Mark Godden’s Dracula, Paquita, Don Quixote’s Pas de Deux and Brian McDonald’s Pas D’Action. It was with the RWB that he met his lovely wife, Lissette Salgado, and was honored to partner and perform many lead roles with her throughout his career. David has also performed in five made for television dance movies as well as the popular Children’s TV show “The Toy Castle,” where he played the Strongman. He has also been invited as a guest artist to perform in Japan with the Reiko Yamamoto Ballet Company. David was also the Artistic Director for the Canadian School of Ballet Summer program, which he and his wife, Lissette, directed for four years. David and Lissette choreographed and staged performances each year for the students. David later founded ‘The Stars of Canadian Ballet’ Company, which brought together the best artists in Canada from the National Ballet Company, The Alberta Ballet Company, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company. This renowned group toured in Canada and performed in the closing ceremonies for the Pan Am Games in 1999. In 2012, David co-founded Shake The Ground with his wife, Lissette, and in 2013, Universal Ballet Competition. Both competitions offer over $200,000 in scholarships to inspiring young dancers, annually, to assist each of them in reaching their remarkable potential, catapulting them to the next level of their dance careers.
