Community & Education

Take Ballet to the Streets is a free performance series in community centers, parks, waterfront piers, senior citizen centers, museums and schoolyards—all places where new audiences can encounter ballet. In addition to presenting the Company’s repertory, Take Ballet to the Streets offers information to the audience about ballet vocabulary, basic approaches to choreography and the history of ballet. Selected performances feature children from Brooklyn Ballet’s education programs.

Brooklyn Ballet’s Elevate program is an in-school assembly performance and dance residency that encourages children to move easily and gracefully among others, to concentrate in an orderly environment, and to enjoy the poise and grandeur of classical ballet. Originally developed by Lynn Parkerson and Oona Haaranen, Elevate uses  Dr. Ann Hutchinson Guest's "Language of Dance" system to teach children basic ballet vocabulary and transfer knowledge between the physical  and intellectual understanding of dance. Problem solving, comparison and contrast, verbal clarification of movement and analysis are all addressed in fun yet challenging ways.  Brooklyn Ballet’s Elevate program employs Language of Dance in order to share with children some fundamental, extremely important principles in ballet.  These include self-reliance, self-control, patience, order, harmony and balance within the individual and harmony between individuals.  Elevate is a positive example of the way repeated effort can yield skill and achievement. The residency begins with a lecture demonstration “What is Ballet?” performed by Brooklyn Ballet. The students then receive 6-8 weeks of hands-on ballet training. Extended residencies are followed by student participation in Take Ballet to the Streets performances. Gifted students from the Elevate program are offered scholarships to Brooklyn Ballet School. The program is currently offered to 2nd, 3rd and 6th grades and provides master classes for High School students.

Brooklyn Ballet in the Houses is a program that provides ballet education to students and their families who live in NYCHA housing. The program is a full year of Elevate in a neighborhood public school including three performing opportunities for the students. One of these performances “Ballet Magic” brings together Elevate students, Brooklyn Ballet’s Company and Youth Ensemble for a free performance in the NYCHA community. Full scholarships to Brooklyn Ballet School are awarded to gifted students.

For information on how Elevate and Brooklyn Ballet in the Houses can be a part of your school, email Catherine Green, Elevate Education Director, at catherinegreen@brooklynballet.org.

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