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Summer Intensives offer immersive programs for students ready to level up in dance, musical theatre, acting, music production, and visual arts.
ICON welcomes local and boarding students to explore creativity alongside exceptional faculty and visiting artists.
Preview Summer 2026 Booklet
Musical Theatre Showcase is where stories leap off the page and onto the stage. Designed for experienced performers ages 14-19, this immersive two-week experience is designed for passionate performers who want to strengthen their triple-threat skills while building confidence, artistry, and stage presence.
Students train daily in singing, acting, and dance with professional artists and ICON faculty who know how to challenge, encourage, and elevate each performer. Designed for confident performers who really want to hone their musical theatre skillset, this program helps you grow — fast.
Musical Theatre Explorations is a fun, supportive introduction to the world of musical theatre. This one-week experience, offered across two separate sessions, is perfect for students who are curious about performing but have little to no prior experience on stage.
Designed for all students ages 12-18, this camp creates a welcoming environment where performers can explore singing, acting, and movement while building confidence and creativity. With guidance from professional artists and ICON faculty, students are encouraged to try new things, take healthy risks, and discover what they love about musical theatre.
Join us at Iowa Conservatory this summer for a deep dive into the world of digital music production! During this week-long session, students will learn the basics of digital audio workspaces (DAWs), familiarizing themselves with the software before getting the chance to create their own short projects to build out into a full length song! This intensive offers a chance for students to immerse themselves into music production, working to create their own sound while learning about such features as audio mixing, track effects, how to structure a song, and an overview of digital synths to allow students to begin creating their own unique sound. By the end of the week, each student will have a flushed out song to be included in our intensive-wide exclusive EP, fully produced in our ICON space using our available software, hardware, and instrumentation.
Whether you are a beginner, have some experience already, or someone who has created full length songs before, this week-long Iowa Conservatory digital music production intensive will have something new to offer everybody! We look forward to welcoming you into our state of the art facility as you dial in on the wonderfully exciting world of music production, engineering, and songwriting.
The Open Doors Dance Festival, designed for dancers in grades 5–12, develops versatile artists prepared for today’s evolving dance landscape. Students receive rigorous classical training while also exploring contemporary and jazz techniques relevant to stage, video, film, and live performance. Through study of renowned choreographers’ styles, creative process, and original choreography, dancers build both technical proficiency and a meaningful artistic portfolio. Guided by distinguished faculty and industry professionals, students strengthen technique, musicality, and improvisation while gaining mentorship and connections that support pathways into pre-professional and professional programs nationwide.
Held in partnership with Open Doors Dance Festival, ICON’s premier tap intensive is designed to encourage young tap dancers interested in building technique, exploring improv, and taking part in the rich history of tap dancing as a Black dance form. Inspired by tap festivals held across the country, this five-day experience brings together high-level training, musical exploration, and historical discovery.
Dancers work intimately with professional tap artists and educators in technique, choreography, and rhythm theory – building a connection to the dance founded on integrity and musicality. Classes emphasize rhythm as individual expression and the dancer’s role as a musician and a mover. The intensive culminates in an informal showing that celebrates growth as a tap dancer. Our students leave more skilled and more connected to the dance and the people with whom they share space. This is an intensive for serious tap dancers who are ready to listen, contribute, and grow.
Have a bash with the Bard! This two week intensive with Patrick DuLaney (of Broadway’s Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) will focus on script analysis, how to decipher Shakespeare, and the discovery of Classical Theatre joy! Students will spend their two weeks putting together one of Shakespeare’s full plays, incorporating dance, movement, voicework, and basic acting principles along the way. Come be a part of this No Fear Shakespeare Summer!
This fun filled jukebox musical based on the catalog of the Princess of Pop herself, Britney Spears, examines what life is like after the fairy tale book closes and life goes on. When a fairy godmother goes rogue and plops copies of the Feminine Mystique in the laps of classic heroines, the damsels embark on a quest to rewrite their stories and redefine “happily ever after.” Weaving 23 of Britney’s smash singles- like “Crazy,” “Oops! . . . I Did it Again,” “Circus,” “Lucky,” and “Toxic” – this production is a “big, modern, musical dance party, with Britney’s beating heart at it core.” (ABC News).
This is a class for visual creatives with an interest in exploring different media from painting to sculpture to printmaking. Each day will be structured to have a different theme and medium, with intro and techniques in the mornings and finished product in the afternoons. While artists are having fun exploring, they will always be learning valuable artistic skills and composition that further their future artistic endeavors. At the end of the sessions, student will present all of their work in the art gallery style show for family and friends.
For those with visual art and painting experience that have always been intrigued or curious about painting with oils, students will be introduced to techniques that are unique to oil, and color theory with a limited palette. Class will be structured with demos and small short exercises and explorations, and a “final” painting. Students should expect to leave this class with confidence to further explore oils! Materials fee of $75.
For those with experience in visual art, this is an opportunity to seriously dive into your passion and spend your days in the studio. Learn techniques and fundamentals and design in the mornings, and spend your afternoons learning about expression and artistic choices in the medium and subject matter of your choice. This class takes advantage of the wonderful art scene in Iowa City and includes visits to local artists, art openings, the Stanley Art Museum and more. At the end of the sessions, students will present all of their work, including a longer term final piece, in an art style show for family and friends. This is the perfect class to develop portfolio pieces and hone your skills.
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