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
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.
New Haven Ballet returns to ECA ACES Arts Hall on Friday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate young dancers participating in this year’s DanceAIR program.
New Haven Ballet’s DanceAIR program offers free in-school ballet classes to young children at New Haven public elementary schools. Through partnerships established with New Haven public schools and LEAP (Leadership, Education and Athletics in Partnership, Inc.), New Haven Ballet provides high-quality arts education, expands students’ understanding and appreciation of dance and the performing arts, teaches basic dance technique and choreography, and allows children to express themselves artistically by combining musicality and rhythm. Students experience the artistry and musicality of dance, which emphasizes self-discipline, athleticism, coordination, creativity, strength, balance, and flexibility.
The recently established offerings at the Dixwell Community House (Q House) grew out of interest when New Haven Ballet offered a free performance of Nutcracker excerpts at the Q House, which serves families in the Dixwell and Newhallville neighborhoods of New Haven. “The performance attracted a standing-room-only audience, which led New Haven Ballet and Q House to develop a long-term partnership with free weekly dance classes at Q House,” notes Artistic Director Lisa Kim Sanborn.
Sanborn states, “We began last spring, and the program has now expanded to three classes held each Friday evening, with sixty-seven students enrolled.”
A testament to the program’s growing popularity and the joy it brings, twenty-seven DanceAIR and Q House students performed with New Haven Ballet’s student Company last December to showcase their talent in the Q House holiday dance concert, once again attracting a full house. According to Sanborn, “Seven DanceAIR students had the opportunity to perform in our public performances of The Nutcracker on stage at New Haven’s historic Shubert Theatre, where over 4,000 audience members shared in nurturing our young talented dancers, witnessing their excitement and passion for dance. New Haven Ballet is proud of the success of DanceAIR, which is a testament to the support and involvement of our community. This year, we are offering free in-school ballet classes to over forty-five young children at five New Haven public elementary schools,” which Sanborn continues is “a significant increase from last year,” where ninety percent of the students are children of color and approximately seventy percent are eligible for free/reduced-price meals.
New Haven Schools offering DanceAIR training include Fair Haven School, Truman School, Edgewood Creative Thinking through STEAM Magnet School, Lincoln-Bassett Community School, and Barack H. Obama Magnet University School. These students will be joined by Q House students and New Haven Ballet Company dancers for a one-hour performance at ECA ACES Arts Hall, 55 Audubon Street, New Haven, on Friday, May 10, at 6:30 p.m. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. The performance is one hour long and FREE admission.
New Haven Ballet is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This performance is made possible through the generosity and support of our partners, ECA ACES, the City of New Haven Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism, the Anna Fitch Ardenghi Trust, the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, and our valued partnership with the Dixwell Community House. We are deeply grateful for their contributions and belief in our mission to provide high-quality arts education to young children in New Haven.
New Haven Ballet offers classes to students ages 3 years to adult and Fall 2023 Class Registration is open. New students to the school should contact NHB School Administrator, Ruth Barker, at Tel. 203-782-9038 or Email: administrator@newhavenballet.org to set up a placement class. Students are encouraged to register early to ensure their preferred class selections are available. Once classes are full waitlists will form.
New Haven Ballet Artistic Director, Lisa Kim Sanborn, announced that auditions for the student company will be held on Friday, January 20. Auditions are open to all Level 5-8 students who wish to perform in the Spring Performance on May 27, 2023 at the Shubert Theatre New Haven. Pre-registration is required.
As a thank you to our supporters on #GivingTuesday, New Haven Ballet is pleased to share a video of our students performing Jazz Pizzicato from the ballet, Symphonic Nonsense, with choreography by Tom Gold. This performance was filmed on May 28, 2022 at the Shubert Theatre New Haven. Donor support allows New Haven Ballet to do what we love — provide excellent classes, performances and community programs.
New Haven Ballet wishes to thank Raeanne Reynolds, Principal of the Francis Walsh Intermediate School, and Frank Carrano of the Branford Arts and Cultural Alliance for partnering with New Haven Ballet this past weekend. The dancers were beautiful and the performance was a resounding success. We are grateful to everyone who supported the ballet by attending the performance. Thank you for a wonderful time!
Our next free performance is December 4 at 4:00 p.m. at the Dixwell Community House “Q House” located at 197 Dixwell Avenue, New Haven. Doors open at 3:30 p.m.
Congratulations New Haven Ballet!
The Greater New Haven Chamber of Commerce has awarded New Haven Ballet with the Sunspot Innovation Award. The Nonprofit Resource Council Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, November 17, 2022. Artistic Director, Lisa Kim Sanborn, and New Haven Ballet will be recognized for having exhibited exceptional business or community leadership skills, noteworthy results, and being an active participant in local organizations.
SUNSPOT INNOVATION AWARD: NEW HAVEN BALLET
To an organization employing innovative approaches to success and impact.
Contact New Haven Ballet if your school group or retirement residence would like to attend The Nutcracker on December 16-18, 2022 at the Shubert Theatre New Haven. Guest stars from New York City Ballet will perform as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Cavalier.
School groups may purchase tickets as low as $20 per seat.
Retirement residences may receive a 25% discount on tickets.
Contact New Haven Ballet for more information at email: administrator@newhavenballet.org or tel. 203-782-9038.
New Haven Ballet encourages students who attend classes and/or rehearsals on Friday, October 28, Saturday, October 29, and/or Sunday, October 30, to wear dancewear other than their class uniforms or other dance class appropriate Halloween costumes.
Class attire must not compromise a student’s ability to dance fully; props are not allowed, and costumes may not leave glitter, feathers, etc., on the floor.
If you are so inclined, please make a donation to the NHB Annual Fund
We look forward to seeing your spellbinding attire!
New Haven Ballet’s Monday morning 10:00 a.m. beginning ballet class will be offered through November 28. This one-hour class is perfect for beginners, those who may have taken a long hiatus away from ballet, and those recovering from an injury who are reintroducing a slower paced, lower impact class as they return to full capacity. If you are interested in trying ballet for the first time we encourage you to attend our Monday morning class taught by Kelsey Paff in our beautifully appointed studio in downtown New Haven. Email: administrator@newhavenballet.org for more information.
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