ABOUT
SADA
Initiated by Association Dance Vision Salzburg as an independent professional training initiative in Salzburg, Austria. While informed by the region’s longstanding tradition of dance education, Salzburg Academy for Dance Arts (SADA) is conceived as a contemporary academy with a clearly defined educational vision and structure.
Earlier professional dance initiatives in Salzburg, including the Salzburg International Ballet Academy (SIBA, founded in 2004), contributed to establishing the city as a place of serious dance training and artistic exchange. These experiences provided valuable insight into the needs of young dancers preparing for professional pathways.
Building on this broader context, SADA was developed as a professional educational framework dedicated to the long-term development of young dancers. The academy addresses a training phase that has historically been underserved in Salzburg: structured, full-time professional dance education for dancers under the age of 18, embedded within a coherent pedagogical and artistic system.
SADA’s educational approach emphasises continuity, artistic responsibility, and disciplined working practices. Training is understood not as short-term preparation, but as a sustained developmental process supporting technical precision, physical integrity, and artistic clarity.
The academy’s core programme is the Professional Training Programme – Dance Vision, a full-time vocational pathway combining technical training, rehearsal practice, and artistic development. This is complemented by Dance Fundamentals – First Step, which offers an introductory foundation for younger dancers beginning their formal training. Individual artistic support is provided through ChoreoCraft, offering tailored choreography and coaching within specific artistic and professional contexts.
Each summer, SADA hosts Phoenix – Summer Dance Intensive, a concentrated training programme delivered within a company-style framework and culminating in stage performance. This intensive period allows participants to experience professional working rhythms, collaborative processes, and performance responsibility within a focused timeframe.
Through its programmes and projects, the Salzburg Academy for Dance Arts is committed to responsible, high-quality dance education. SADA seeks to nurture dancers not only as performers, but as reflective, disciplined, and independent practitioners prepared for the demands of professional artistic life.