Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts Introduce
For families and individuals across Durham, North Carolina, and the surrounding vibrant communities, the Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts (DSBPA) stands as a beacon of artistic excellence and comprehensive dance education. More than just a place to learn steps, DSBPA is Durham's premier academy dedicated to cultivating creativity through rigorous training in classical ballet, modern, contemporary, tap, jazz, and even the unique art of aerial dance, including silks and lyra. It is a nurturing environment where students are not only taught technique but are also encouraged to invent, experiment, grow, and truly have fun with dance.
DSBPA prides itself on its exceptionally talented and caring faculty, who are individually selected for their outstanding teaching and artistic abilities. As one delighted parent and student shared, "I'm so happy to have found this studio. I was looking for ballet classes for my daughter and have been thrilled with DSBPA. She had class with Tania and now with Henley. Both are wonderful. I also started taking the int/adv adult classes with Boleyn and Tania and feel I have improved so much. Not only are the classes excellent, but the performance opportunities are amazing. This spring I'll get to share the stage with my daughter and we are both so excited!" Another review echoed this sentiment, stating, "Mrs.Boleyn, Tania and the entire Ballet Team are outstanding in their lessons, talent and care. We highly recommend this school for all types of learners and experts! Our experience has been Beyond perfect and everyone including teammates are always so pleasant to learn with. We Love you All! And thank you for everything you do for us!" These heartfelt testimonials underscore DSBPA's commitment to providing an unparalleled dance experience that enriches lives both on and off the stage, fostering strong technique, strong hearts, and strong dancers within the North Carolina community.
Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts is conveniently located at 608 N Duke St, Durham, NC 27701, USA. This address places the academy in Durham's vibrant Warehouse District, making it a central and highly accessible destination for families throughout Durham and the wider Research Triangle region of North Carolina. North Duke Street is a key thoroughfare, ensuring straightforward navigation to the studio from various parts of the city and surrounding areas.
The studio's location is designed for convenience, featuring three beautiful, state-of-the-art studios. Accessibility is prioritized with amenities such as sprung floors (essential for dancer safety and injury prevention), regulation-height barres, two spacious lobbies for comfortable waiting, and kitchen facilities. Crucially for busy families, DSBPA also boasts ample parking in a well-lit parking lot, significantly easing drop-off and pick-up routines. This thoughtful consideration of location and facility ensures that aspiring dancers from all over North Carolina can easily access and enjoy the high-quality training offered at Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts.
- Comprehensive Classical Ballet Training: DSBPA specializes in classical ballet and pointe, utilizing the American Ballet Theatre's National Training Curriculum. This 8-level program ensures high-quality artistic training combined with dancer health and child development principles, providing age-appropriate and outcome-based guidelines for all ages and skill levels.
- Diverse Dance Genres: In addition to ballet, the academy offers extensive training in a variety of other dance styles, including modern, contemporary, tap, and jazz, catering to broad interests and fostering versatile dancers.
- Unique Aerial Dance Programs: A distinctive offering at DSBPA is aerial dance, with classes in both silks and lyra. This provides students with a unique opportunity to explore movement in a new dimension, enhancing strength, flexibility, and artistic expression.
- Structured Class Divisions: DSBPA categorizes its classes into three main divisions to cater to all ages and experience levels:
- Children's Division: Introduces young children (ages 2-10, with specific sub-levels) to music and movement through progressive curricula that stress creativity, group interaction, and foundational skills with imaginative techniques. Includes "Come Dance with Me" for ages 2-4 with a grown-up, and Pre-Primary/Primary levels.
- Student Division: Designed for more serious students aiming to prepare for success in the performing arts, with recognized teaching methods.
- Recreational Division: Open to teens and adults of any age and experience level who wish to begin or continue their dance training for enjoyment, fitness, and artistic expression.
- Outstanding Performance Opportunities: DSBPA provides amazing performance opportunities for its students, allowing them to share the stage, grow as performers, and experience the joy of live theatre. Students have performed with professional companies and participated in national and international competitions. Notably, DSBPA hosts auditions for the Durham Ballet Theatre, offering roles in productions like Cinderella.
- Experienced and Certified Faculty: All faculty members are individually selected for their outstanding teaching and artistic abilities, with many holding or actively pursuing teaching certifications from prestigious organizations like American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum.
- Workshops and Continuing Education: The school offers year-round workshops in various disciplines (aerial silks, aerial lyra, ballet, contemporary, jazz, theater) and actively encourages staff to pursue continuing education for the benefit of student training.
- ABT National Training Curriculum: A significant highlight is the exclusive use of the American Ballet Theatre's National Training Curriculum for ballet and pointe. This rigorous, internationally recognized program ensures the highest quality of ballet instruction, combining artistic training with dancer health and child development.
- Holistic Approach to Dance Education: DSBPA's philosophy emphasizes that dance is about more than just technique; it's about inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, and having fun. The school aims to provide a space for the cultivation of creativity through dance, helping students climb their own mountains.
- Strong Sense of Community and Care: Customer reviews consistently praise the "outstanding" lessons, talent, and care provided by Mrs. Boleyn, Tania, Henley, and the entire team. The atmosphere is described as pleasant, supportive, and truly like a family.
- Exceptional Performance Opportunities: The chance for students, including adults, to perform with the Durham Ballet Theatre and share the stage with family members, as highlighted in reviews, showcases the studio's commitment to practical performance experience.
- State-of-the-Art Facilities: The school features three beautiful, well-equipped studios with sprung floors, regulation-height barres, spacious lobbies, and ample, well-lit parking, providing an optimal learning and practice environment.
- Inclusion and Diversity: DSBPA actively welcomes students of any ethnicity, skin tone, body shape or size, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, or race. They also seek partnerships to train students from communities traditionally underrepresented in classical ballet and aerial dance.
- Emphasis on Lifelong Values: The school's philosophy highlights that dance develops physical fitness, social skills, body appreciation, spatial awareness, self-discipline, sound health practices, stress management, and fosters creativity, preparing students for success in dance and beyond.
For detailed information about programs, class schedules, auditions, or to arrange a visit to the Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts, please use the following contact details:
Address: 608 N Duke St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Phone: (919) 680-4363
Mobile Phone: +1 919-680-4363
Email: info@durhamschoolforballet.com (as per publicly available information)
For residents across Durham and the wider North Carolina region, the Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts (DSBPA) stands as an exemplary choice for dance and performing arts education. Its suitability for locals is multifaceted, beginning with its prime location in Durham's Warehouse District, offering convenient access and modern facilities designed for serious dance training. More profoundly, DSBPA offers a unique blend of world-class instruction, particularly through its adherence to the American Ballet Theatre's National Training Curriculum, and a deeply nurturing, inclusive, and supportive community.
The academy provides diverse opportunities for all ages and skill levels, from engaging creative movement classes for toddlers to advanced pre-professional training and fulfilling adult programs. The ability for families to share the stage in amazing performance opportunities, as highlighted by glowing testimonials, creates truly memorable experiences and strengthens community bonds. DSBPA's commitment to developing not just skilled dancers but also confident, creative, and disciplined individuals makes it an invaluable local resource. For anyone in North Carolina seeking a high-quality dance education that prioritizes both artistic excellence and holistic personal growth within a welcoming environment, Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts is a truly exceptional choice for nurturing a lifelong love of movement and performance.
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Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts Location
Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts
608 N Duke St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Durham School for Ballet & the Performing Arts Reviews
I'm so happy to have found this studio. I was looking for ballet classes for my daughter and have been thrilled with DSBPA. She had class with Tania and now with Henley. Both are wonderful. I also started taking the int/adv adult classes with Boleyn and Tania and feel I have improved so much. Not only are the classes excellent, but the performance opportunities are amazing. This spring I'll get to share the stage with my daughter and we are both so excited!
Jan 27, 2024 · Anna Victoria MartinezMrs.Boleyn, Tania and the entire Ballet Team are outstanding in their lessons,talent and care. We highly recommend this school for all types of learners and experts! Our experience has been Beyond perfect and everyone including teammates are always so pleasant to learn with. We Love you All! And thank you for everything you do for us! P & C
Sep 10, 2022 · Andrew SmithsonFirst let me start off by saying both Henley and the Abby were both amazing and this is why im giving 2 stars. My issue is with the director of the school Boleyn. My daughter is 9 years old and has ADHD and a learning disability. She learns alot slower than most children. Now when it comes to payment options they worked with me as I am a single mother but still wanted to give my daughter an opportunity to try ballet as a hobby. At first things were great and Boleyn seemed really down to earth and understanding. My daughter is 9, tall and thicker for her age and they have a show coming up with professional performers. I was told Aléyah (my daughter) had to be casted with a group of adults and some teenagers because of her height. Now this is her first time ever doing ballet and she's only been doing it once a week for two months. I've sat in on her regular ballet classes with Henley and Aléyah absolutely loved her and her class. Now when it came to the rehearsals for this play they have coming up I've sat outside and witnessed how not only did Boleyn talk down to my 9 year old and speak to her as if shes 19 years old and has been dancing for years --but my daughter also told me she would repeatedly say "Aléyah FOCUS!" . My daughter would leave even more shamed than when she walked in. During the break during rehearsal, I asked my daughter if she still wanted to perform because she looked SO sad. Then Boleyn came out with a picture of two professional dancers and said the reason why she was being hard (talking down) to my daughter was because those dancers in the photo were going to have big wings on in the show and she didn't want her to get hit on stage. Now I'm not a professional dance teacher, but why wouldn't she just have a talk with me and explain that my daughter is struggling and maybe she can try out next year for a big performance? Why not work with her with patience and understanding? Why shame and bash a child with disabilities who already gets bullied every where else? Absolutely unacceptable. I'm not even going to mention the way I was spoken too. I'm absolutely praying this review changes things there because NO child should be treated that way and the other two teachers I've experienced and watched interact with my child were amazing. Big "performance" coming up or not, save the bullying for adults who will tolerate that especially as the director of the school.
Dec 18, 2023 · IAMJessI have been going to this dance school since I was 3. I started with ballet, switched to modern, and then back to ballet. My sister also has been taking class, since she was 6, as an aerialist. For both of us, this studio has truly become a home away from home. All of the teachers really know their stuff and how to teach, and as a student, you quickly become part of a talented and very collaborative community. For a couple of years, I tried other studios, and they don’t hold a candle to DSBPA. The curriculum is tough enough that you improve faster than anywhere else, without ever going overboard to the point that it’s no longer fun. These classes get me through my week. As for shows, they are done like professional shows and you learn so much about the dance and theatre industries through them. Also they’re just insanely fun. I’m so grateful to have wound up at this studio.
May 28, 2021 · Devon CholonI love DSBPA. As a new resident in the area, I was thrilled to find several options for adult dance classes and I'm glad I chose to join DSBPA. The staff is incredibly kind, patient, and make the space a safe one. There's no judgment, and I look forward to going to class every week.
Apr 10, 2023 · Sharmin Aziz
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