Dance In The US
Dance In The US: Shreveport Dance Academy
This week our series on “Dance in the US” takes us to Louisianna…
Name: Shreveport Dance Academy
Location: 2537 East 70th Street, Shreveport, LA71105
About: This dance academy is also home to the Shreveport Metropolitan Ballet. The facility is 9,000 square feet, and there are five studios. Sprung floors and limited class sizes help insure that students will have a safe experience with plenty of personal attention.
The studio teaches classes for those ages 2 1/2 to adult, and there are also offerings besides ballet, including Pilates, tap, jazz and hip hop. For more information about the school, tuition and policies, visit their site on the web.
Dance In The US: The Academy Of Dance Arts
This week Dance in the US features a studio from my home state of Illinois…
Name: The Academy of Dance Arts
Location: 1524 Centre Circle Drive, Downers Grove, IL, 60515
About: The Director of this school is Sherry Moray, who was in Chicago City Ballet’s company when I studied there. In addition to Ms. Moray, the faculty also features Homer Hans Bryant as a master guest teacher. Both of these dancers/teachers have been featured in Dance Teacher magazine–and with good reason–they are very talented.
The school is located in Downers Grove, and it has six studios that accommodate a wide variety of classes. Ballet, tap and jazz are all offered, but there are also modern, hip hop and lyrical classes. Adults and teens will find a place here as well. Of particular interest are the “Leaps & Turns” classes that concentrate on honing the skills needed to perfect these movements. The school also offers a summer intensive.
Dance In The US: Ballet Idaho Academy
Our series on Dance in the US goes out to the west as we take a closer look at Ballet Idaho Academy…
Name: Ballet Idaho Academy
Location: 501 S. 8th Street Boise, Idaho 83702
Heather Hawk
About:
Ballet Idaho Academy is associated with Ballet Idaho, the company. As I looked through the site, I found an impressive “handbook” for parents that outlines in detail nearly anything you could possibly want to know about attending classes there. A very helpful resource. It discusses class levels, gives class descriptions, talks about summer programs and performance opportunities and describes the dress code and code of conduct. Excellent!
The school offers an ensemble, which gives students the opportunity to get pre-professional experience through an educational outreach program. Admission is by audition only.
Dance In The US: School Of Ballet Hawaii
This week, Dance in the US heads for Hawaii…
Name: School Of Ballet Hawaii
Location: 650 Iwilei Road, Honolulu, HI
The school has an outreach program that does work both within the community and the neighboring islands.
There is a great FAQ section that has a wealth of information. It covers things such as how many classes a child should take per week, what age the school begins pointe training and what performance opportunities the children have through the school. This is a lovely feature that I wish I saw on more dance school websites–it’s most helpful for parents.
The school also offers a variety of adult ballet classes.
Photo by Anne Mcelwain
Dance In The US: Georgia Dance Conservatory
Time to head to the south for our next installment of Dance in the US for a peek at this Georgia studio…
Name: Georgia Dance Conservatory
Location: 49 West Park Square, Marietta, GA, 30060
About: Founded in 1956, the Georgia Dance Conservatory emphasizes classical ballet training, but also has classes in jazz, pointe and contemoporary dance. The school is associated with the Ruth Mitchell Dance Theatre and they are housed in the same location.
Students from the GDC have gone on to dance at places such as the Boston Ballet, The Houston Ballet, The North Carolina Dance Theater, The Martha Graham Dance Company and in a variety of Broadway productions.
In addition to regular classes, the school has a summer intensive as well as a yearly recital.
Dance In The US: Florida Ballet Arts Academy
Name: Florida Ballet Arts Academy
Location: 2900 Hyde Park Street, Sarasota, FL 34239
About: Founded in 1962, the Florida Ballet Arts Academy trains students according to the Vaganova Syllabus and has a variety of other classes besides ballet. These include Modern, Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop and even Zumba.
The studio has sprung wood floors to help protect the dancers feet and legs, and high ceilings, which add atmosphere and allow for pas de deux work that includes lifts.
Sybil Manzano (photo by MaryElizabeth Mock)
The website lists a number of reasons that students should consider enrolling there–a neat feature that can help parents decide if the facility is for them. Among the reasons listed are:
-
Low student/teacher ratios
-
A homework study room provided for students
-
Audition preparation/college preparation
-
Specialized classes for young children
Dance In The US: Dance Conservatory
This week Dance in the US features Delaware…
Name: Dance Conservatory
Location: 522 Otis Drive in Tudor Industrial Park, Dover, DE, 19903
About: The Dance Conservatory is the official school of the Ballet Theatre of Dover, and it has been around for a quarter of a century. The pre-professional program has placed dancers in prestigious companies such as Los Angeles Ballet Theatre, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, Dutch National Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet.
The Director of the school is Teresa Emmons, a Julliard School graduate with a diverse background in both teaching and performing. In addition to the regular class offerings, the Dance Conservatory also offers an intensive summer training program for intermediate, advanced and pre-professional students.
Dance In The US: Connecticut Concert Ballet
From Colorado, we move on to the state of Connecticut for our series on Dance in the US…
Name: Connecticut Concert Ballet
Location: (Two locations)
280 Garden Grove Rd., Manchester, CT 06040 and 599 Matianuck Ave., Windsor, CT 06095
About: Founded in 1973, this school has over 200 students who have been accepted into programs at places such as American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet and Ballet Austin, among others. Opportunities for students outside the CCB classroom include The Nutcracker and a Spring Performance, both of which take place each year.
The school includes the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE® National Training Curriculum in Primary through Level 3. These classes are taught by ABT® Certified Teacher, Wendy Fish-Lawrence, who is also one of the Artistic Directors of Connecticut Concert Ballet. The other Artistic Director is David Lawrence who has been involved with The Ruth Page Dance Foundation in Chicago, Ballet Pacifica and The Orange County Performing Arts Academy, among other prestigious dance organizations.
Dance In The US: Academy Of Colorado Ballet
Our Dance in the US series moves on to Colorado…
Name: Academy of Colorado Ballet
Location: The school has two locations:
The Central location: 1278 Lincoln Street, Denver, CO 80203
The South location: 4181 East County Line Rd., Suite B, Centennial, CO 80122
About: This comprehensive dance school is connected to the Colorado Ballet, and offers a wide variety of different programs. There are classes for children and adults, as well as a pre-professional program and two competative programs. The pre-professional program features instructors that are certified in the Vaganova method, and graduation from the program offers some students a place within the Colorado Ballet’s professional company. The school also offers a summer intensive program.
I was particularly impressed with the large number of faculty members that the school has–as well as their credentials. The Academy has been around for over 30 years, and it has garnered a reputation for excellence.
Dance In The US: Shuffles & Ballet II, The Official School Of Ballet Arkansas
Next on the list we have Arkansas for our series on Dance in the US…
Name: Shuffles & Ballet II, The Official School Of Ballet Arkansas
Location: 1521 Merril Dr., Market & Merrill Shopping Center, Little Rock, AR 72211
About: This school opened in 1987 and it offers a wide range of classes in addition to ballet, including hip hop, jazz dance, tap and modern. They have a pre-professional program for serious dance students as well. Ballet Arkansas is affiliated with the school, and has been since 2001.
I found it interesting that many of the faculty members have a lot of experience in musical theater, which is also offered through the school. Make no mistake, however, there is some serious ballet background there as well, including faculty member Arleen Sugano, who once taught at the Joffrey Ballet School.
1