When Teddy Forance founded the CLI Conservatory, he knew he was doing something no one had done before. Curated for students 17 and up, the 10-month program in Southampton, Massachusetts, combines high-level technical training with a unique focus on practical career skills designed to ultimately launch well-rounded dancers’ careers. “This is a dream come true to see our students finding themselves as artists and confident human beings,” Forance says of the program. After almost a decade leading CLI Studios’ online training program, he created the CLI Conservatory, which welcomed its first students in 2021.

CLI Conservatory dancers train in every major style with more than 75 working choreographers, while learning real-world multimedia, arts, and entrepreneurship skills. Faculty for the 2023–24 year includes Brian Friedman, JBlaze, Chaz Buzan, Mike Tyus, Robert Green, Kathryn McCormick, Brian Nicholson, Al Blackstone, Liana Blackburn, Talia Favia, Spenser Theberge, Lex Ishimoto, Marty Kudelka, Jason Williams, Ethan Colangelo, Kenichi Kasamatsu, Nina McNeely, Candace Brown, Tony Testa, Dana Wilson, Andrew Winghart, Riley Watts, and more.

“We’re able to provide our dancers with the tools and training they need to be prepared for their careers in a fraction of the time at a fraction of the cost,” Forance says, emphasizing that the CLI Conservatory welcomes dancers of all styles to apply, whether their background is in classical, commercial, or concert dance styles. Many students graduate with professional dance or agency contracts in hand.