Through Frozen Frantz
Jhere is an exciting new program in town called The Greenwich Conservatory of Classical Ballet that will meet the growing needs of our young dance enthusiasts.
We asked Mimi Citeralla, founder and director of the program, to tell us about her program.
The conservatory, she wrote, was created out of a deep passion and love for the art of classical ballet and a desire to make world-class ballet training accessible to any interested child. Classical ballet is beautiful, historic, global – even the words of ballet are magical and evoke the beauty of movement (plie, piroutte, arabesque) – and ballet benefits the children who study it and the community as a whole. .
Last spring, I had the opportunity to visit one of the most famous ballet schools in the world, the Vaganova Academy in Russia. It was a life changing experience. I saw first hand what the true educational experience of ballet is like and felt there was an opportunity to bring some of these curricular and pedagogical teaching ideas to our community in a larger way. .
I believe that children recognize quality and are naturally drawn to it, and experience a joy in being in a quality environment and excelling in something they love. I see it with my own daughter who is a pre-professional ballet student and with children as young as six who come to our studio and take our lessons.
I also believe that a disciplined ballet training environment can be successfully combined with a nurturing, dancer and family studio culture. We also offer important classes such as stretching and conditioning and ballet, which help train the complete dancer. These are the things we felt were important and our first indication is that our offering is resonating with students and parents in the community.
This summer, the Greenwich Conservatory of Classical Ballet is hosting an eight-week ballet camp of exceptional quality at Greenwich Academy, from June 11 to August 3.
The program offers flexibility and students can sign up for one to eight weeks of camp.
The curriculum is solid and includes ballet technique, pointe, partnership (for advanced students), ballet history, ballet, contemporary dance and more. The Conservatory takes great care in teacher selection and has assembled a roster of teachers who are both technically competent and also very passionate about teaching ballet and cultivating a love for ballet.
The location of GA’s Wallace Performing Arts Center also provides students with the unique experience of dancing on a full stage every day, providing an excellent training environment for students and teachers. After each fortnight of camp, a performance on stage allows the dancers to show their progress to parents and friends.
Registration and information can be found at Greenwichconservatoryballet.com. Spaces fill up, so early registration is recommended and auditions are required for dancers 10 years and older.
For all students interested in year-round ballet training, the Conservatory holds daily classes at the YWCA Greenwich Royce Porter Dance Studio in central Greenwich.
Students can enroll in one or more classes depending on their level of interest and ballet goals. Some of the Conservatory students dance in their schools’ dance teams (such as the GCDS Dance Team or the Greenwich High School Dance Team) and take classes at the Conservatory to build a stronger ballet foundation.
Other Conservatoire students are fully dedicated and take the full course offering available for their age and level and even participate in national ballet competitions and study ballet abroad.
The Conservatory also hosts two stage performances each year, which is a highlight for dancers, families and friends. Program information throughout the year is available at Greenwichconservatoryballet.com
It is the Conservatory’s goal to begin a ballet program in the fall for children with special needs. In addition, the Conservatory hopes to be able to offer scholarships so that ballet is accessible to all students.
