On September 6th, Oakland Ballet Company will launch its expanded dance training program, The Academy at Oakland Ballet.
The Academy at OBC has grown out of an increased interest for ballet classes at a pre-professional level in the East Bay. For the past 3 years, OBC’s ballet training program has been limited to 3 levels of ballet instruction for ages 6-14, all on Saturday mornings. This fall, the staff at OBC is thrilled to be adding 3 additional levels of training to the program as well as offering classes 2 days/week for the upper levels!
This program offers a wonderful opportunity for dancers of all types to learn and practice the art of ballet – whether you are completely new to ballet, enjoy dancing merely as a recreational activity, or you are an aspiring pre-professional dancer looking to train with one of the Bay Area’s leading professional dance companies.
“At The Academy at OBC, students focus on learning and honing the fundamentals of classical ballet while also increasing self-confidence and expression through dance. It is important to us to provide a fun and nurturing environment with a lot of individual attention for each student,” says OBC Director of Operations, Leah Curran. “Many of our students also audition and are chosen to participate in OBC’s annual production of Graham Lustig’s ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Paramount Theatre. It’s is a wonderful opportunity for young dancers to work closely with OBC’s artistic staff and professional dancers and learn about all of the work that goes into presenting a professional dance production. It’s an opportunity I wish I would have had as a young dancer!”
Students will study with Miss Vivian Aragon, who holds a BFA in Dance from Purchase College, State University of New York and is a seasoned ballet instructor and dancer in the Bay Area.
Classes at The Academy are offered two days per week for aspiring dancers ages 3 and up. For more information on classes at The Academy at Oakland Ballet, please visit www.oaklandballet.org/wp/theacademyatobc/2014-2015session or email theacademy@oaklandballet.org.
