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New Haven Ballet will hold auditions for classically trained ballet dancers ages 11 to 19 the 2025 Haven Ballet Company and perform in this season’s Spring Performances, including three ballets: Adventures in Wonderland, Caprice Nos. 4 and 5, and La Bayadère (The Kingdom of Shades). Auditions are open to New Haven Ballet students enrolled in Levels 5-8 for the Spring 2025 Semester. New dancers should call 203-782-9038 or email administrator@newhavenballet.org to schedule a placement class.

About New Haven Ballet Company: New Haven Ballet Company is a student company comprised of advanced-level dancers. Auditions for the Company will be held on Saturday, January 25. Dancers should have at least four years of serious classical training and matriculated to Levels 5 and above at New Haven Ballet School. The company gives young, capable dancers a pre-professional experience, which includes a rigorous dance training schedule, rehearsals several times per week, professional quality performances on stage, and master classes with topmost master teachers from all over the country.

Dancers should be between the ages of 11-21 years old. Pointe dancers wear solid black classical ballet cut leotards, pink or flesh-toned tights, and pointe shoes that match their tights. Non-pointe dancers wear a white T-shirt and black tights with matching black ballet shoes. Please arrive 15 minutes early to fill out registration paperwork and be measured for costumes.

There is no fee to audition for the Company. However, a performance fee covers rehearsal coaching, professional-quality costume rental, and performance privileges. Casting is competitive, but all students who audition will be cast in La Bayadère, Adventures in Wonderland, and/or Caprice Nos. 4 and 5.

About the Performances:

2025 New Haven Ballet Company dancers will perform at the Shubert Theatre New Haven on Saturday, May 24, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Adventures in Wonderland, with music by various composers, choreography by Lisa Kim Sanborn, and performed by New Haven Ballet School students. We invite you to experience this fully restaged popular children’s story featuring all your favorite characters, including Alice, the Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter, and Queen of Hearts. This fantastic ballet features professional, larger-than-life sets and beautiful costumes. Wonderland reminds us that strength and happiness are defined by what we carry inside our hearts, and there is no more desirable place than home, sweet home. It premiered at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven on May 17, 2017.

La Bayadère, Kingdom of Shades, is a classical ballet initially performed in 1877. It is part of the classical repertoire of ballet companies worldwide, with music composed by Ludwig Minkus, choreography after Marius Petipa, and performed by the New Haven Ballet Company, consisting of advanced-level students.

Caprice Nos. 4 and 5, with music composed by Polina Nazaykinskaya, were gifted to the Artistic Director and New Haven Ballet during the pandemic. This neoclassical ballet with choreography by Lisa Kim Sanborn premiered at the Whitney Arts Center in New Haven in the Spring of 2021.

Photo: (c) Thomas Giroir Photography

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Dear Friends,

We enjoyed a spectacular 2024, welcoming many new and visiting students. During a premiere two-week sleep-away ballet intensive, we trained advanced-level dancers from Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania. These dancers performed excerpts from Le Corsaire at the Paul Mellon Arts Center in Wallingford. This was followed by the opening of our newest satellite location in Hamden this fall.

We expanded our Open Division and introduced many recreational dancers to the joys of ballet.

This year’s Nutcracker was bigger and better than ever, thanks to new sets, choreography, guest artists, and costumes. We also introduced a new audience of young students throughout Greater New Haven to the magic of live theater with a Children’s Matinee.

Thanks to donor and partner support, over 1,000 children from throughout Greater New Haven attended The Nutcracker Children’s Matinee at the Shubert Theatre. For many, it was their first time seeing a live performance in a theater.

Looking forward to 2025, the Ballet announced auditions for Adventures in Wonderland and the New Haven Ballet Company. We cannot wait to return to the studios on January 6, 2025, to plan our upcoming Shared Ability and DanceAIR workshops.

We thank our families, students, staff, Board, faculty, friends, and partners for supporting New Haven Ballet. We invite you to join us as we continue to bring superior programming and performances to the community.

We hope you will celebrate our incredible arts education and performances. When considering end-of-year gifts, please remember New Haven Ballet. Click Here to Donate.

On behalf of the New Haven Ballet, we wish you all the Happiest of New Year’s and look forward to seeing you soon.

Yours sincerely,

All of Us at New Haven Ballet

Your support is critical for 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts organizations like New Haven Ballet to offer superior training, scholarships, performing opportunities, and community programs and performances. Thank you for an incredible 2024!

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Artistic Director Lisa Kim Sanborn has announced auditions for New Haven Ballet’s upcoming performances of Adventures in Wonderland and the New Haven Ballet Company.

Children ages 4 to 19 who are enrolled for the entire 2025 Spring Term in either the Children’s or Student Divisions may audition for roles in the performances, which will be presented at the Shubert Theatre New Haven on Saturday, May 25, at 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Click Here for More Information

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‘THE NUTCRACKER’ IS THIS WEEKEND!

New Haven Ballet is working at the theater to prepare everything for the show. We are excited to share a few photos from dress rehearsal. If you look closely, you can see some of the new sets we will be debuting on Friday. We hope you will join us in seeing the show!

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW

Tickets are going fast for New Haven Ballet’s The Nutcracker at The Shubert Theatre New Haven. The mezzanine is now open for the Saturday and Sunday shows.

Friday, December 13 @ 7 pm

Saturday, December 14 @ 1 pm and 5 pm

Sunday, December 15 @ 1 pm

Please note: to avoid the high fees charged by third-party ticket vendors, please buy directly from The Shubert.

Tickets start at $30 (plus a $5 Shubert Restoration Fee).

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We are working hard in the studio, perfecting choreography and preparing costumes for our upcoming Nutcracker performances.

We are sharing a few photos of our time in the studio with some Level 6-8 students rehearsing the Waltz of the Snowflakes and one of our Levels 1 and 2 classes. We applaud their hard work and hope you will consider joining us at the Shubert Theatre from December 13 to 15, 2024!

Thank you to everyone who made calls and donated to the Annual Appeal. If you still want to donate, there is still time to do so.

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Dear Friends and Families,

With great enthusiasm, I thank you for being part of the New Haven Ballet community. The Ballet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides excellent dance training by a fantastic faculty, professional-quality performances, and incredible outreach opportunities, all aimed at nurturing the love of dance throughout Greater New Haven.

This year, we are enlisting the help of some wonderful volunteers to strengthen the ties within our community and assist with our Annual Appeal fundraising efforts. We hope you will speak with some of our volunteers to learn how New Haven Ballet impacts the various members of the community. We will be letting you know more soon.

Your inclusion in our family is invaluable. Your support through our fundraising efforts is vital; it’s the lifeblood of our organization. We can only provide exceptional programs with the funding we receive through donations because tuition and ticket sales do not cover our expenses.

Please help us spread the joy of dance throughout the community with our Annual Appeal through November 15th. For your convenience, New Haven Ballet now accepts payment through Venmo. 

I am deeply grateful for your time, consideration, and, most importantly, your support. Because of your donations, we can continue to bring the joy of dance to Greater New Haven.

Yours sincerely,

Lisa Kim Sanborn, Artistic Director

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New Haven Ballet extends a warm welcome and welcome back to new and veteran students. Classes have begun, and students are working hard. Training in the graded curriculum starts in Levels 1 and 2. Teachers provide excellent technical and artistic foundational work, stressing proper alignment and execution. Students in Levels 3 and 4 continue their technical development and acquire knowledge of ballet vocabulary. In Levels 5 and 6, we foster artistic and technical excellence. In Levels 7 and 8, our dancers build on their strong classical technique, clean lines, and artistry. We offer boys and girls the highest caliber of classical ballet training in the region, including pointe, partnering, and repertory.

Training is enhanced by diverse workshops and classes, incorporating classical, Neo-classical, contemporary, lyrical, Broadway, and carefully curated conditioning and stretch classes. Students who wish to pursue professional careers in dance may take advantage of fantastic performance opportunities, including a student company, to facilitate reaching their potential and making maximum progress while engaging in an immersive dance experience shared with others who are as passionate about dance as they are. Intermediate and advanced-level students have the added opportunity to work with incredible guest faculty throughout the year. This fall, we welcome New York City Ballet’s Ruby Lister and Savannah Durham and returning guest faculty member Alejandro Ulloa.

Nutcracker Auditions are open to all students enrolled for the fall semester in Creative Ballet I-Level 8 on September 21-22, 2024.

At New Haven Ballet, our commitment to continuous improvement is unwavering. We understand the importance of a holistic approach to education in our training program, and we strive to provide a nurturing environment for our students. We welcome new students. Please get in touch with us to schedule a placement class.

Photo: (c) 2024 Kelsey Paff Photography

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AGES 3-8: ONE MONTH OF BALLET FOR $75

3-8-year-olds may participate in a month of introduction to ballet at New Haven Ballet from August 26-September 28, 2024, for $75.​​

With a legacy of over thirty-five years, the New Haven Ballet sets the standard for classical dance training throughout Greater New Haven. New Haven Ballet provides the best training for young dancers, employing a gentle curriculum that results in dancers known for their excellent technique, clean lines, and beautiful artistry.

This is a fantastic opportunity as there is nothing like the joy experienced while moving to music; having a strong classical technique is essential for all dancers. Moreover, children who engage in the arts tend to perform better in math, reading, and writing. Ballet also helps children develop motor, social-emotional, cognitive, and multisensory skills. Children who continue arts education in elementary school and beyond may demonstrate increased brain development and self-esteem.

​​For those in 3K Pre-Kindergarten, New Haven Ballet’s 1st Steps class allows young dancers to celebrate their creativity as a fundamental movement to music and support of basic motor skills are introduced.

The 1st Steps class meets on Monday from 11:15-12:00 p.m. in Bethany and Saturday mornings from 9:00-9:45 a.m. in New Haven.

​​For those in 4K Pre-Kindergarten, New Haven Ballet’s Creative Ballet I class promotes the growth of young dancers’ natural creativity, focusing on motor skill development and musical awareness.

Choice of classes for Creative Ballet I:

Monday at 3:00-3:45 p.m. in Bethany
Tuesday at 4:45-5:30 p.m. in Branford
Wednesday at 4:00-4:45 p.m. in New Haven

Thursday at 4:30-5:15 p.m. in Hamden
Saturday at 9:45-10:30 a.m. in New Haven

​​For those in Kindergarten, New Haven Ballet’s Creative Ballet II class continues to promote the expansion of natural creativity with an increased focus on motor skill development and musical awareness.

Choice of classes for Creative Ballet II:

Monday at 3:00-3:45 p.m. in Bethany
Tuesday at 4:45-5:30 p.m. in Branford
Wednesday at 4:00-4:45 p.m. in New Haven

Thursday at 4:30-5:15 p.m. in Hamden
Saturday at 10:30-11:15 a.m. in New Haven

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​​For those in 1st Grade, New Haven Ballet’s Pre-Ballet class introduces more formal classical ballet training, using age-appropriate ballet vocabulary and movement.​

Choice of classes for Pre-Ballet:

Monday at 3:45-4:45 p.m. in Bethany
Tuesday at 5:30-6:15 p.m. in Branford
Wednesday at 4:45-5:30 p.m. in New Haven

Thursday at 5:15-6:00 p.m. in Hamden
Saturday at 11:15-12:00 p.m. in New Haven

For those in 2nd Grade, New Haven Ballet’s Primary class introduces more formal classical ballet training, preparing students to enter the student division and a graded curriculum.​

Choice of classes for Primary:

Monday at 3:45-4:45 p.m. in Bethany
Tuesday at 5:30-6:15 p.m. in Branford
Wednesday at 5:30-6:30 p.m. in New Haven

Thursday at 5:15-6:00 p.m. in Hamden
Saturday at 12:00-1:00 p.m. in New Haven

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​​​​The fall is a great time to make new friends and try something new! Space is limited. This offer is available on a first-come, first-served basis for students at least three and under nine years old on or before August 26, 2024. The offer has no monetary value and may not be substituted, revised, exchanged, or extended. For more information, Tel. at 203-782-9038 or email administrator@newhavenballet.org.

New Haven Ballet was founded in 1985 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community-based ballet school in New Haven, Connecticut.

Photo: (c) 2024 Kelsey Paff Photography

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New Haven Ballet announces auditions for The Nutcracker are September 21-22, 2024, at 70 Audubon Street, New Haven, Connecticut. Dancers enrolled in Creative Ballet I, Creative Ballet II, Pre-Ballet, Primary, and Levels 1-8 at New Haven Ballet are encouraged to audition. Everyone who auditions gets a part and an opportunity to perform in one or more performances with New York City Ballet’s Sara Adams and Harrison Coll December 13-15 at the Shubert Theatre New Haven. Click Here for more information.

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New Haven Ballet returns for its summer residency at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Connecticut, offering a pre-professional ballet intensive for ballet students ages 11+. Twenty-six students from New York, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut were selected through a competitive process to study with New Haven Ballet’s premiere faculty and perform.

“We are excited to provide an elite classical dance summer sleep-away camp in Connecticut at Choate’s state-of-the-art dance facilities and perform in their beautiful theater. This is an opportunity for talented classical ballet students to receive exceptional personalized training close to New Haven,” explains Artistic Director Lisa Kim Sanborn. Students reside in Choate dormitories and participate in a rigorous daily training program.

“This year, we are thrilled to welcome New York City Ballet’s Savannah Durham to our summer faculty,” notes Sanborn.

On Friday, August 9, 2024, at 3:00 p.m., the students will present a free public performance at the Paul Mellon Arts Center. The performance will feature excerpts from Sanborn’s Le Corsaire, which premiered at the Shubert Theatre New Haven in 2016.

Located at 332 Christian Street in Wallingford, the Paul Mellon Arts Center is a beautiful state-of-the-art theater designed by award-winning architect I.M. Pei, who is perhaps best known for the East Wing of the National Gallery, for which the Arts Center at Choate served as a prototype, and for the pyramid-shaped entry to the Louvre Museum in Paris.

Admission to the performance is free.

Photo: © 2024 Thomas Giroir Photography

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New Haven Ballet is introducing pointe class to its open division drop-in schedule. The class will be held on Friday mornings following the beginning technique class. Participation in the technique class is required. Click here for more information or contact New Haven Ballet at 203-782-9038 or email: administrator@newhavenballet.org

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New Haven Ballet has announced that registration for its 2024 Children’s Division Fall Semester has opened. Classes are offered at studios in New Haven, Hamden, Bethany, and Branford starting on August 26, 2024.

The Gentle Syllabus

The Children’s Division is a special segment of the school that caters to young students ages 3 through 2nd grade. According to Artistic Director Lisa Kim Sanborn, what sets the program apart is that “[w]e begin training by using our gentle approach syllabus, which introduces our youngest dancers to the joys of music and movement through a system that gradually adds structure as students mature.” Sanborn adds, “Classes are filled with laughter and held in spacious, sunny, state-of-the-art studios by the region’s best instructors. Dancers in Creative Ballet and higher are also invited to audition and perform in our large productions at the Shubert Theatre in New Haven.”

Sanborn refers to the carefully constructed syllabus she created, which was later supplemented by Children’s Division Director Timothy Fountain. The syllabus uses age-appropriate exercises and stretches while gently introducing students to classical dance and musical tenets. For example, in First Steps, students in 3-K pre-kindergarten use their creativity to learn the fundamentals of musicality, while in 4-K pre-kindergarten and Kindergarten, students participate in Creative Ballet, focusing on motor skill development and musical awareness. Pre-ballet students are in 1st grade, and Primary students are in 2nd grade. These students begin formalized classical ballet training and learn more advanced vocabulary and movement.

Students who successfully complete New Haven Ballet’s Children’s Division enter the Student Division ready to join Level 1, where they continue building a clean classical foundation. As the standard for classical ballet training for over thirty-five years throughout greater New Haven, the school is known for producing dancers with excellent technique and beautiful artistry.

But the journey doesn’t end with classes. Dancers in Creative Ballet and higher are not just learning; they perform. Dancers in 4-K pre-kindergarten and older are invited to audition and showcase their skills in New Haven Ballet’s large productions at the prestigious Shubert Theatre in New Haven. The next grand performance will be The Nutcracker, starring guest artists from New York City Ballet.

Parents often enroll children to participate in the arts because they wish to support better academic achievement and the gain of critical skills for their children. These skills might include discipline, fine motor skills, physical strength, critical thinking, coordination, and confidence. However, according to Sanborn, the best reason to join is because “New Haven Ballet’s trained instructors teach using our highly sought-after gentle approach, allowing children to build these skills without them knowing. Over time, students acquire the foundation for a beautiful classical technique and embrace discipline, learn to listen and follow instructions, and the rigors ballet presents. And they make friendships and memories that last a lifetime, too.”

New Haven Ballet is at www.newhavenballet.org. For more information about classes, call 203-782-9038 or email administrator@newhavenballet.org.

About New Haven Ballet

New Haven Ballet is led by Artistic Director Lisa Kim Sanborn and Children’s Division Director Timothy Fountain. As a community-based ballet school in New Haven, Connecticut, it offers dance classes in state-of-the-art studios to dancers ages 3 to adult. Regarded as the standard for classical ballet training throughout Greater New Haven, this 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization offers classes to the Children’s Division at studios in New Haven, Bethany, Hamden, and Branford. In addition to performances, New Haven Ballet’s outreach programs, including DanceAIR, which offers free training to New Haven Public School children in traditionally underserved communities, and Shared Ability, which provides weekly dance workshops to disabled artists, are made possible through the generosity of Stonesthrow Fund, Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, City of New Haven Creative Arts Advancement Program, Anna Fitch Ardenghi Trust, State of Connecticut Office of the Arts, the Jordan Fund, NewAlliance Foundation, Ethel & Abe Lapides Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Bank of America, City of New Haven Creative Sector Relief Fund, the Zayas Law Fund, and the Branford Community Foundation.

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Photo: (c) 2024 Kelsey Paff Photography. If you want more information about New Haven Ballet, please call  203-782-9038 or email administrator@newhavenballet.org.

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OUR MISSION

To provide the greater New Haven Community with exceptional classical ballet training, performances, and outreach programs, that nurture appreciation of ballet and foster the joy of dance.

On October 31, 2020, NHB’s Board of Directors adopted the following Diversity and Inclusion Statement:

New Haven Ballet celebrates those who aspire to excellence in classical ballet. A culture of creativity is the core of our work and diversity promotes innovation. The arts can provide powerful life-changing experiences that prepare students and impact audiences to lead more successful, meaningful and culturally rich lives. The arts can also prove to be an important platform for social change. At New Haven Ballet we are passionate about creating an inclusive dance environment and performances that promote and value diversity and inclusion. We will continue to strive to increase diversity in age, gender identity, race, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, ethnicity, and perspective, which will improve and strengthen our work.

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