People & Business

The Sarasota Ballet School Introduces the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum

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Sarasota, FL (August 25th, 2020) – The Sarasota Ballet School is delighted to announce the introduction of the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum starting in September. American Ballet Theatre was designated America’s National Ballet Company by an Act of Congress in 2006. All The Sarasota Ballet School faculty along with dancers from the Company are now certified to teach level Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the curriculum following completion of a teacher training course led by Dierdre Miles Burger, Assistant Education Director who is also a member of the ABT’s Artistic Board of Examiners.

“We are thrilled that, by introducing the ABT® National Training Curriculum, we can develop The Sarasota Ballet’s relationship with American Ballet Theatre,” says Iain Webb, Director of The Sarasota Ballet. “The ABT® National Training Curriculum is one of the world’s leading training programs for young dancers and being able to offer this system to our students is a huge asset for our school.”

The ABT® National Training Curriculum is a breakthrough program that combines high quality artistic training with the basics of dancer health and child development. The ABT® National Training Curriculum consists of a comprehensive set of age-appropriate, outcome-based guidelines to provide the highest quality ballet training to dance students of all ages and skill levels.

In addition to Miles Burger, the faculty and dancers had the great opportunity to learn from the creators of the curriculum, world-renowned dance educators Raymond Lukens and Franco De Vita. “It was a pleasure to work with the talented faculty at The Sarasota Ballet,” said Lukens. “It is exciting to see how the faculty wishes to improve their teaching. It is truly humbling and an honor for Franco and me that The Sarasota Ballet has entrusted us, through the ABT® National Training Curriculum, to be part of that process. Now that Franco and I have moved to Florida, we are both looking forward to connecting even more with The Sarasota Ballet.”

“I am delighted that The Sarasota Ballet will be adopting the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum,” says Cynthia Harvey, Artistic Director of the ABT® National Training Curriculum, and ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. “My links with Iain Webb and Margaret Barbieri go back to The Royal Ballet, and I have followed The Sarasota Ballet’s achievements with great interest. ABT loves to support others in the dance community, here and abroad, who believe in the future of good dance training and it is evident that The Sarasota Ballet values quality in their dance education.”

“This is an exciting time for our Education Programs,” says Education Director Christopher Hird. “The addition of the ABT® National Training Curriculum is yet another investment into the future of the organization. I can’t wait to see the results.”

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