General Info (SDI)

Arrival, Location & Orientation Info

SDI takes place on the charming Duke University campus in Durham, NC. Students will be able to explore beautiful nature destinations like the Eno River and Sarah P. Duke Gardens, shop local businesses on Ninth Street, and visit the Nasher Museum of Art for free! Durham is also close to many unique and fun NC cities like Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Raleigh.

Opening Weekend is an exciting time full of classes, performances, and community building. The schedule below gives you a general overview of arrival times and what to expect. A detailed schedule will be distributed at check-in.

Thursday, June 12, 2025  •  SDI Check-in & Orientation

All SDI students should arrive between 10 am-2 pm for check-in. Early arrivals are not allowed into the dorms, with exceptions for work-study students who are required to arrive early.

All students should plan to participate in the ADF Convocation and community events that happen on Thursday afternoon. These activities are an important ADF tradition to welcome everyone to the community. The evening activities will conclude with the Opening Night performance!

Friday, June 13–Sunday, June 15, 2025 

Students will participate in SDI preview and drop-in classes, attend Student Orientation, audition for repertory classes, attend an info session about the Student Dance Concert, and see more ADF performances.

Traveling to ADF

Duke University is conveniently located at the RDU airport, bus, and train station.

Interactive Map of Duke University’s campus and important ADF locations including studios and performance spaces.

Travel Options

• Car: The ADF summer office is located in the Gilbert-Addoms Residence Hall on Duke University’s East Campus:
  1368 Campus Dr, Durham, NC 27708 Driving directions
• Air: The closest airport is the Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). It is approximately 18 miles from Duke University.
• Bus: Greyhound and Megabus buses arrive and depart from the downtown Durham station at 515 W Pettigrew St.
• Train: The Amtrak station is located in downtown Durham at 601 W Main St.
• Car Service: Lyft and Uber provide easy transportation to and from the airport and around Durham.

Housing

On Campus

Summer Intensive students may choose to live on-campus in a Duke University dorm. Due to limited availability, single rooms will not be available for SDI 2025. If you have an accessibility need, please contact the ADF School about applying for a single room via email at school@americandancefestival.org

SDI participants are usually housed in the 300 Swift apartment-style dorms. Any changes to the housing options will be updated in Spring 2025.

300 Swift

300 Swift offers apartment-style living with a variety of amenities in each apartment. Other community amenities include a 24-hour fitness center with a yoga studio, private conference/study rooms, a game room, bike storage, outdoor grills, and a parking garage. Each apartment comes equipped with the following:

• Bedroom: XL twin or full mattress and bed, two 2-drawer dressers per person, one desk/table.
• Living room: couch, chair, coffee table, and entertainment centerpiece. Barstools will be provided for apartments with the kitchen islands (most apartments). For those apartments without kitchen islands (normally studios), a table and four chairs will be provided.
• Kitchen: fully equipped kitchen (stove, oven, refrigerator, dishwasher).
• Stackable washer/dryer included within each unit.

Important: Students living in the dorms must provide their bedding and linens (pillows, sheets, blankets, towels, etc). If you do not want to bring your bedding, you can purchase a linen packet from Duke University via your Acceptd application.

Off-Campus

SDI students may choose to find their off-campus housing. Many ADF students use the ADF School Housing Collective Facebook page to find roommates to keep expenses low. Students are advised to look for places near Duke’s East or Central Campus, where most classes will be held. Parts of the Trinity Park neighborhood are also walkable to ADF studios. Review this map of summer locations as you research options. ADF is not responsible for off-campus arrangements or agreements.

Additional off-campus housing resources:  Craigslist  |  Off-Campus Duke Housing Resource  |  Airbnb

Food

There are various dining options and grocery stores around the Duke University campus. Most restaurants and grocery stores are located on Ninth Street, which is a close and walkable option for SDI students. Students may also purchase pay-per-meal dining at Duke University of East Campus Union Marketplace.

Duke University Student Health Center  

For basic health needs, Duke University allows ADF students the option to pay a Student Health Center Fee and take advantage of the campus outpatient services. Purchasing the Student Health Center Fee DOES NOT take the place of health insurance. 

Clinic service examples:

• medical care for illnesses and minor injuries
• medication dispensed by the Center’s pharmacy for short-term treatment of acute problems
• basic laboratory services

This fee does NOT COVER emergency room or hospital visits. Please refer to Duke University’s Student Health Center to see all services covered and not covered. It’s important to reference these pages before pursuing services at the center.

Physical Therapy

ADF students have access to a Duke University physical therapy walk-in clinic for the duration of the festival, and it is free of charge.

Parking and Transportation

Parking

For students bringing a car to campus, a four-week parking pass is required. The parking pass only allows students to park on East Campus in designated spots and does not cover off-campus paid parking. ADF is not responsible for parking violations, fines, or vehicle damage incurred while on Duke University’s campus. All students living in 300 Swift will need to purchase an additional parking pass for the dorm garage.

Buses
ADF provides one bus that transports students between classes and performances. A detailed ADF bus schedule will be provided before your arrival. In addition to the ADF buses, the Duke Bus is free and runs regularly around campus.

The GoDurham Bus provides transit throughout Durham.

Bike & E-Scooter Resources
Several bike shops around town offer bike rentals or bike sales. We recommend the Bike Co-Op or looking on Craigslist/Facebook for the most affordable options. Durham is also host to three electric scooter brands: Lime (green), Bird (black), and Spin (orange). Use these services at your own risk, and bring a helmet!

• Durham Bike Co-Op: Buy a bike and fix it up, or fix your bike for very cheap
• Craigslist: Buy a used bike and resell it at the end of the summer
• Facebook Marketplace: Buy a used bike and resell it at the end of the summer
• Durham Cycles: Bike rentals
• Bullseye Bicycle: New/used bikes to buy/rent
• The Bicycle Chain: Bikes to buy

Refund Policy

• Summer 2025:
  • The $75 application fee and $300 tuition deposit are nonrefundable.
  • May 16, 2025 – All paid tuition (less the $300 deposit) and housing will be refunded in full only if written notice of withdrawal is received on or before this date.
  • May 17-June 11, 2025 – Tuition (less the $300 deposit) will be refunded for medical reasons only. A signed doctor’s note is required. Housing fees will be refunded in full.
  • June 12 or later – Tuition will not be refunded for any reason. Prorated housing and meal fees will be refunded if a student leaves the festival early. Housing refunds require approval from Duke University.

All program withdrawals will incur a $50 withdrawal fee.  ADF refunds will be processed within 4-6 weeks of withdrawal.