Studying ballet in New York City.

Outrageously limber young dancers in leg warmers stretch, chat, and giggle in the hallways of the School of American Ballet, while small groups cluster around each doorway, watching the classes inside. In the Studio, twenty pairs of eyes gaze intently into the mirror as the advanced girls sweat through a complicated center combination. Universally clad in leotards and pink tights, they dance with the intensity and skill of professionals. "Everybody wants to be a dancer here," says Elizabeth Ford, age 16, "so everybody is really focused in class and is trying her best."

Each year two hundred of the brightest young talents in the world of ballet spend their summer in New York City to attend SAB, the dance world's equivalent of Harvard or Stanford. As is the case at elite universities, competition is fierce for positions in the summer program. The audition tour, which goes from San Diego to Boston over a two-month period, attracts more than 2,000 students competing for the two hundred openings.

The School of American Ballet, which was founded in 1933 by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein, has developed into the country's most prestigious school for ballet. The reputation for excellence is well deserved -- graduates, such as New York City Ballet's Darci Kistler and American Ballet Theatre's Paloma Herrera, are principal dancers in leading dance companies worldwide.

The faculty for the summer program is drawn from the teachers in the school's year-round program and is one of the strongest attractions of the school. Many of the teachers are former or current members of New York City Ballet and offer insight into the Balanchine style, which is new to many of the summer students. "I love dancing Balanchine," Says Elizabeth. "It makes sense, it feels good, it's so fast, and you have to work so hard in every class on every little detail."

Variations classes concentrate on the Balanchine repertory. Last summer, as Susan Pilarre taught Level Six students the "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" variation from Who Cares?, she urged the students to enjoy themselves and the style. "If you don't think this is fun, you might as well just give up," she said. "Mr. B used to say, `It's a jazzy stuff, dear.'" On the other side of the building, Suki Schorer taught the Level Five class a variation from Balanchine's "Emeralds."