Jane Taylor was sitting in class at Niceville High School when her phone buzzed with a text from her mom. Just her name, in all caps.

“I’m thinking I got in trouble or something,” Taylor said.

She slipped out to the bathroom and called her mom back. On the other end of the line, Carissa Taylor was crying.

• “She’s like, ‘Jane, they accepted you into the program,'” Jane said. “And I just start crying.”

The program is the Joffrey Ballet School’s year-round Trainee Program in New York City — one of the most competitive pre-professional ballet training programs in the country. Jane, a 15-year-old sophomore, will head to New York this fall to begin what could be up to four years of intensive training at the school’s Manhattan facility.

The acceptance came after Jane was scouted at the Ballet Championships of America in Atlanta in February, where she competed in the teen division representing Ballet Conservatory. She took first place and the Artistic Performance Award in solo contemporary for a piece called “Four Hands” — a dance she choreographed herself. She also placed third in solo classical repertoire for a Giselle variation and first in solo classical open for a Paquita variation.

The Joffrey opportunity came together quickly and unexpectedly. The competition offered a master class and audition associated with the Joffrey Ballet School’s summer intensive program. Jane stayed after to take the class, not knowing what would come next.

• “They didn’t initially say that they were going to be inviting people into the actual trainee program,” Jane said. A representative from Joffrey called out roughly six numbers from the group of about 50 to 60 dancers. Jane’s was the last one called.

“The whole time I just had this anticipation,” she said. “If Joffrey is calling out numbers, you know it’s going to be for something big. So I’m just sitting there hoping, wishing, and I’m the very last number he calls.”

The selected dancers were recorded performing and their videos were sent to the school’s leadership in New York for final review. About a week later, the acceptance email arrived in Carissa’s inbox.

The Joffrey Ballet School’s Trainee Program accepts dancers ages 13 to 25 and is four years in length. The New York City program is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Dance. Dancers train from roughly 8:30 a.m. to the late afternoon, Monday through Friday, in a schedule that includes ballet technique, pointe, repertory and rehearsals. Jane said the experience will be structured like a school year, with breaks for holidays and summer.

Jane will continue her Niceville High School coursework online while training in New York. High school students in the program are expected to work toward graduation while they train. Once a dancer completes high school, the school’s affiliation with the University of Akron provides the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance — a path Jane could pursue if she remains in the program after graduating.

Carissa Taylor, who is Jane’s mother and primary dance instructor, compared the acceptance to a professional sports draft.

• “To give this opportunity in the dance world is, to me, the equivalent of getting drafted in the NBA or NFL,” she said. “It’s so huge, and to have it happen the way it did where she was scouted versus going to the school for an audition — it was just so surreal.”

Jane was, in many ways, born into dance. Her mother danced with Ballet West in Utah and went on to teach the Utah Jazz dance team before transitioning into full-time instruction. She has been teaching for more than 25 years.

Jane started taking dance classes at age 3, first focusing on Irish tap dancing before shifting her attention entirely to ballet at around age 8. Born in Utah, she moved to Crestview at 15 months old and later relocated to Niceville. She trained at Southern Dance Company in Crestview before joining Ballet Conservatory this season, where her mother is also an instructor.

Having her mom as her primary teacher, Jane said, comes with a unique dynamic.

“It’s very comfortable,” she said. “There’s not really any point where her giving me a correction can make me feel out of place. But sometimes we can kind of butt heads.”

• Carissa laughed and acknowledged the challenge. “We’re working on finding a balance and me not teaching all the time,” she said.

Jane’s current training schedule includes roughly 10 to 13 hours of dance per week spread across Monday through Saturday, with additional cross training and stretching on her own time. She said she prioritizes schoolwork and has maintained good grades throughout.

Outside of dance, Jane said she has become part of the local coffee scene through regular visits to Wondah Coffee near Niceville High School. She also writes poetry, rides her bike and goes paddleboarding.

Before heading to New York in the fall, Jane has a busy summer ahead. She was invited to attend a summer intensive led by Suzanne Farrell, the legendary former New York City Ballet principal dancer and longtime Florida State University faculty member. Farrell’s program takes place at her private camp, accepts roughly 12 students nationwide and runs from mid-June to mid-July.

Jane said she also plans to take summer classes at Ballet Conservatory and hopes to visit the Joffrey school to tour the campus and get a feel for life in New York.

Her long-term dream extends well beyond Manhattan. Jane said her ultimate goal is to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet.

• “They’re so prestigious, they’re beautiful,” she said. “They’re honestly as big as you can get. Even if I’m not the principal ballerina, even if I’m just in the corps de ballet, it would just be amazing.”

Jane credited the local dance community with helping her reach this point. She said training at studios including Ballet Pensacola and Northwest Florida Ballet gave her the confidence to put herself out there on a national stage.

“A few years ago, I wouldn’t have been able to walk into a Joffrey summer intensive audition — I would’ve been too terrified,” she said. “But the people that I’ve been surrounded with and growing with have really helped me break out of my shell. I think that’s really amazing, that we have those people here in Okaloosa County.”

Carissa Taylor said watching her daughter reach this milestone has been overwhelming.

“Sometimes I still cry because I’m so overjoyed for her,” she said. “She works so hard, but she loves everything she does. She pours her heart and soul into it, and I can’t think of anyone who would be more deserving.”