Welcome to the exciting experience of watching your child grow through the exposure to the world of dance. We know there are many venues in choosing dance for your child. Therefore we offer below some important things to consider when selecting a dance school.  We are dedicated to safe and correct technique, the development of artistry and providing a supportive and dignified environment for your student. Many of our students begin in our program as early as three years old and stay with us through high school and beyond. In fact, we now have the children and grandchildren of former students here at the Center!  Our Director is a Fellow of Cecchetti USA and is an examiner for the organization. Our staff are all professionals in their field or are carefully trained in our teacher training program. Be wary of teachers who may have been professional dancers but know nothing about teaching! Many former professional dancers have no idea how to train a beginning student. A professional career is no substitute for careful teacher training. The standard of teaching at the Santa Barbara Ballet Center is a high priority.  Our classes are carefully graded to provide age appropriate training. Utilizing the Cecchetti syllabus ensures a careful progression as the dancer advances through the levels of the school and provides a consistent basis of training adhered to by all teachers in the school. Our students take the Cecchetti examinations each year, being evaluated by an outside eye. Our students consistently perform well in these examinations assuring you that the teachers are doing their job. In addition we provide a program for young students to work as assistants and demonstrators as well as a comprehensive teacher training program leading toward certification for those who desire to pursue a degree.  Our program has consistently produced professional dancers and well educated art enthusiasts. One of our alumni is currently a principal dancer with the Colorado Ballet, another has his own company in New York, another a well received choreographer, and several can be found in ballet companies throughout the country.  Our pre-professional company, The Santa Barbara Festival Ballet provides opportunities for students to work alongside professional dancers. The Festival Ballet performs an annual production of the Nutcracker, one of few in California performed with live orchestra. Other repertoire includes evenings of classical and contemporary ballet, other full-length ballets and collaborations with other entities. As students progress through the school the performance opportunities grow commiserate with their level of commitment and ability. With the exception of the annual June recital, rehearsals are never held during class times. This ensures that technique is not sacrificed for performance, that students not participating in the performance are not left out and the performance experience is conducted professionally. Thank you for considering our program. We invite you to join us to observe or try a class at any time. The education of your child is important. Please join our dance family at the Santa Barbara Ballet Center. |