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Work for San Jose's Leading Dance Company

Join Our Faculty Team

San Jose Dance Theatre welcomes resumes from experienced, passionate dance educators interested in future teaching opportunities within our academy.

We are always looking to connect with instructors who:

  • Have a strong foundation in classical ballet or other dance disciplines

  • Enjoy working with children and youth of all levels

  • Demonstrate professionalism, creativity, and a commitment to student development

  • Are reliable, collaborative, and enthusiastic about contributing to a positive studio environment

  • Have 5 years of dance teaching experience 

If you are interested in being considered for potential future openings, we invite you to send your resume and a brief cover letter to:
📧 [email protected]

We will keep your materials on file and may reach out if a position aligns with your background and our programming needs.

Thank you for your interest in San Jose Dance Theatre!

Purpose of Position: To work with the Artistic Director to create, develop, implement the programming of the school, summer intensive and student performances, outreach and collaborations that fulfill the mission of the organization. Time Commitment: Full Time $60k plus benefits
  1. SJDT Academy: 

In connection with your employment, you shall perform certain services for the SJDT as School Director  (SD) including, but not limited to:

  • SD to be the face of the school, greet and get to know the families and dancers we serve. 
  • SD to provide curriculum to faculty to manage and lead teachers regarding training for their respective student levels.  Curriculum to Include matrix for progression of levels. 
  • SD to decide which level in the school students will be placed.
  • SD to provide mandatory annual evaluations of students, with students and parents.  Enlist other staff as needed as deemed suitable to SD.  Evaluations may be more frequent than annually at discretion of SD.  
  • SD to hold faculty meetings each quarter to gauge with the teaching staff any concerns, progress, wins, losses, etc. and determine any revised courses of action or recommendations for improvement.  
  • SD, during productions, interface with the public for recruitment opportunities for the school and follow up on all leads.  
  • SD to coordinate with the Executive Director and  marketing team to build enrollment.  
  • Identify new teachers that would be a good fit for SJDT academy
  • Build process for substitute teaching requests 
  • Organize, revise or refine class schedules and manage changes with teaching staff working with AD 
    • Rehearsal schedules are not to conflict with scheduled school classes  
    • Implement dress code
    • Teach summer intensive classes and produce content for the showing at conclusion of intensive
  • Identify candidates for SJDT’s tuition scholarship. SJDT offers a male scholarship, diversity scholarship, and tuition assistance. 
  • School Director to be consulted on all scheduling announcements, SJDT news updates, and emails with announcements to be sent to families and students of the school, as needed.    
  1. Promote SJDT’s focus on, and fulfillment of, its Mission
  • Work with the staff, dancers, students, families, the Board, and volunteers to promote a positive atmosphere of community and accomplishment for, and within, the organization.
  • Network with other arts organizations, music directors, and community groups to increase the visibility of SJDT and to encourage and build collaboration.
  1. SJDT Productions:  
  • Choreograph, as needed, at the direction of the Artistic Director/Choreographer of the production. 
  • MUST BE available on Saturdays to oversee rehearsals. 
  • Find areas of opportunities for performance events outside of SJDT in which company dancers or selected students can participate and build the identity of SJDT in the San Jose and Bay Area. 
  • SD to work with AD/ED to schedule all Parent/Performer Meetings with assistance of front desk staff as needed and with all other staff to be involved with such meetings
  1. Outreach projects:  
  • Work with the Executive Director to design and implement outreach programs for each calendar year.  Involve teaching staff and dancers, to implement and present outreach programs to area schools or other venues. 
  • Prepare and present community performances
  • Prepare and present lecture demonstrations to schools
  • Work with the Executive Director in planning, scheduling, communication and programming for SJDT outreach.
  • Research outreach opportunities, online and live.  
  • SD to attend outreach presentations initially to assess presentation, quality, completeness, room for improvement, and creating relationship(s) with recipients’ management and audiences.  Lead outreach team in delivering and maintaining quality of offerings.  
  1. Communicate regularly with the Artistic Director:
  • Meet regularly with AD regarding school, students, direction of teachers, upcoming productions and planning.
  • Build a collaborative team with teaching staff, with open communication.

San Jose Dance Theatre is seeking a passionate, engaging, and experienced ballet educator to serve as one of our Primary Division Ballet Teachers. The ideal candidate is a champion for children’s dance education with a warm, professional presence and a strong understanding of child development, creative exploration, and age-appropriate ballet methodology. This individual will work closely with the Artistic Director to help maintain consistency, excellence, and joy throughout the primary division experience.

Position Details:

  • Part-time position with additional hours available during production seasons
  • Compensation: $40-$50/hour
  • Required Saturday availability, including assistance with rehearsals during production periods
  • Reports directly to the Artistic/School Director

Responsibilities:

  • Teach ballet and movement classes ranging from Pre-Ballet through Level 3 (Ages 3-11)
  • Foster a positive, nurturing, and inspiring classroom environment for young dancers and families
  • Support dancer placement and progression within the Primary Division
  • Oversee rehearsals and children’s casting during productions and performances
  • Serve as a professional role model and ambassador for SJDT’s educational mission
  • Help strengthen enrollment retention and family engagement within the Primary Division

Qualifications:

  • Minimum 4+ years of experience teaching children’s dance and ballet
  • Strong background in early childhood dance education and child development-based teaching practices
  • Experience with creative movement, dance exploration, and foundational ballet pedagogy
  • Professional dance training and/or performance background required
    Excellent communication and classroom management skills
  • Ability to lead with positivity, professionalism, and consistency
  • Experience mentoring or supervising other teachers preferred
  • Passion for nurturing young dancers in a structured yet joyful learning environment
  • Availability to work Saturdays and production rehearsal schedules

This position is ideal for an educator who is deeply invested in building strong foundations for young dancers and becoming an integral member of the SJDT faculty. The ideal candidate will be passionate about helping shape the future growth and vision of SJDT’s youth ballet program while contributing to the organization’s proud 60-year legacy.

Nobody cares if you can’t dance well. Just get up and dance. Great dancers are great because of their passion.

Pre-Ballet