Huntington Center for Performing Arts- Discipline, Technique and Performance

This unique “hub of creativity” turns 10 this month and continues to grow in scope and influence in the community. What began as rehearsal space for Long Island’s premier professional ballet company – Huntington Ballet Theatre, now known as Long Island Ballet Theatre, the Center has evolved into a training ground for all things classical & musical.

The Center houses the very first ballet school on Long Island to offer the American Ballet Theatre ® National Training Curriculum- the Huntington Ballet Academy boasts a faculty of university trained teachers with MA degrees from NYU (in a partnership with American Ballet Theatre). The approach is nurturing, creative and disciplined beginning at a very early age of 5years with a pre-ballet course called Primary. The Curriculum used was developed by American Ballet Theatre’s ballet school, which bears the name of former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (frequently referred to as the JKO School). Huntington Ballet Academy uses a healthy approach to training young dancers and by incorporating and following a proscribed curriculum it ensures consistency among the faculty.

This year the Center announced the creation of a Pre-Professional Division at the Ballet Academy in order to provide students with a challenging course of study and prepared for professional schools or university programs. Auditions for this program will take place on Saturday August 22 at 3pm for ages 12-18yrs.

Music fills the air at the Center every day. Using the Suzuki Method of training, children as young as 3 years old study the violin with the support and guidance of their parents who attend classes with them. This method applies to students of all abilities – the gifted to the challenged.

The Center also offers (3) Musical Theater workshops, each for 10 weeks beginning in late Fall. In this program the focus is on the process not a single production. Through the use of many different musical styles, students explore characters, dance, movement and the dialogue. In this way everyone has the opportunity to be the star of the show.

The Center continues to be home to the LI Ballet Theatre – a chamber -sized ballet company that employs professional dancers, choreographers, designers & directors. An open audition for The Nutcracker will take place at Huntington Center on September 12, 2015.

Visit www.huntingtonperformingarts.com for more information.