Audrey Tovar-Dunster Rises to New Heights at Vail

American Ballet Theatre Studio Company dancer Audrey Tovar-Dunster performs with maturity and skill beyond her years, but not beyond her experiences. The 17-year-old, who began her training at the Philadelphia Ballet School at age 6, joined its trainee program at 12 and moved up to the second company by the time she was 14. A year later, she decided to continue to refine her technique at ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City. She joined the Studio Company after one season.

Now, Tovar-Dunster is bringing her talents to a new elevation. She’ll attend Colorado’s Vail Dance Festival July 31–August 10 as a scholar in residence—a coveted opportunity to receive mentorship and take company class alongside the festival’s starry performing artists.

Born to Dance

Tovar-Dunster grew up in a ballet family. Both her mother, Samantha Dunster, and father, Eddy Tovar, were principal dancers before transitioning into artistic leadership. (Samantha is the current artistic director of American Repertory Ballet and the Princeton Ballet School, and Eddy leads the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre and Academy in Maryland.) Her aunts, uncles, and grandmother work in the ballet industry as dancers and in administrative roles. “I grew up surrounded by the arts, and watching my dad dance when I was little made me want to be like him,” she says. “But like a lot of dancers, I also fell in love with dancing in the living room and the way it feels to express myself in that way.”

Going Up

As Vail’s 2026 scholar in residence, Tovar-Dunster joins the ranks of previous scholars Kayla Mak, Daniel Guzmán, and Elijah Geolina, who have each since joined ABT’s corps the ballet.

“The dancers I know who have gone to Vail speak so highly of it, and I look up to them so much,” Tovar-Dunster says. “The environment seems so open to growth and improvement. You have these principal dancers there at the height of their career, but they’re also eager to grow, and learn, and evolve.”

Tovar-Dunster says she looks forward to the chance to work with the festival’s many dancers, choreographers, and coaches. “I’m excited to watch and learn,” she says. She also loves when dancing affords her the opportunity to travel. And while she hasn’t been to Vail before, she has danced at venues at high elevations—this past year, for example, with the ABT Studio Company on tour. “It’s a whole separate challenge, finding ways to rest and regroup onstage so you aren’t breathing heavily.” (Colorado isn’t Tovar-Dunster’s only stop this summer. She will also be returning to Italy and Ireland for Alessio Carbone’s Balletto di Venezia,  which she took part in last summer.)

Keeping the Love Alive

When she’s not dancing, Tovar-Dunster likes to journal and bake. She would love to visit her roommate’s home in South Africa, and her dream roles include Juliet, Manon, and Odette/Odile. (“I watched Chloe Misseldine in Swan Lake recently, and it was literally like I was seeing it for the first time.”) And while her career is just beginning, she still wants to feel like the dancer in her living room every time she steps onstage. “The audience feels what you’re feeling,” she says. “As much as I want to evolve my technique, I want to remember why I do what I do and not lose the joy.”