New Paltz School of Ballet
www.npsballet.com

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New Paltz Ballet Theatre

Overview New Paltz School of Ballet provides a learning environment where students receive the care and attention needed to become professional, self confident dancers & adults. The course of study will create dancers of tomorrow, teach work ethics, and above all bring the joy of dance to all individuals willing to commit time and energy. New Paltz School of Ballet is the official school of New Paltz Ballet Theatre, a not for profit dance company.

About the Children’s Program

• Our early childhood program is specially designed to provide children between two and a half and six years of age with a strong foundation in dance and movement.  It teaches the young dancer the basic elements of movement and dance:  space and how we relate to it, both as an individual and as a member of a group; the eight basic locomotor movements; musical rhythm; beat and time; opposites and directions; some elementary positions of ballet. Integrated with these physical concepts are the intellectual concepts of self-awareness, creative expression, imagination, teamwork, and basic body/health awareness.
• Through participation in these classes, students also learn the basics of classroom behavior and manners, which remain the same throughout their dancing years & will also, serve them well in life.  These concepts include learning how to take turns, following another dancer or leading the way, waiting patiently, accepting correction as a positive experience, working together with others, and having an energetic attitude.
• Educators now know that training young children in the concepts of movement sequencing, patterning, and spatial relationships lays a strong foundation for the later development of reading, mathematics, and other educational skills. Children in our Early Childhood Program work actively in all these areas.
• It is very important to start your child off properly at a quality ballet school.  Children who start with underqualified teachers learn bad habits that may take a lifetime to correct. New Paltz School of Ballet starts them off correctly. It is the leading ballet school of the Hudson Valley. New Paltz School of Ballet is recommended by School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company in New York City among others. NPSB is directed by Peter and Lisa Naumann, both of whom danced professionally with New York City Ballet, one of the premier ballet companies of the world. They are parents who have been at the top of their field professionally, giving them an edge on high level ballet training coupled with knowing the needs of children and community.

Intermediate Children

• Our intermediate level children around eight years of age undergo a change in class structure that's in accordance to their growth and longing for "the real thing".  Their classes become much more rigorous as their bodies adapt to the training.  They begin to strive for perfection in their positions and in their ability to catch on to combinations of steps.  It's a fun time to watch them “catch on fire” about their dancing.

Advanced Students

• This is where New Paltz School of Ballet shines.  It is a school that can bring children to a top level of dancing. Lisa and Peter Naumann were themselves at the top of their field, so they have a real understanding of the nuances in teaching it takes to make professional level ballet dancers. Peter and Lisa were taught by some of the world’s most renowned teachers of all time including, George Balanchine whom they worked with closely for many years, Andre Eglevsky, Alexandra Danilova, Felicia Doubrovska, Stanley Williams, Suki Shorer, Muriel Stuart, Leon Danileon, Frederich Franklin, Patricia Wilde, Anton Dolin, Robert Joffrey, Hector Zaraspi, David Howard, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and others.  They loved & learned from all of their teachers, knowing they would someday have a school of their own.  Peter & Lisa bring wisdom from each of these famous teachers to their students of today.  Mr. Balanchine of course had the biggest influence on them.  They consider their form of training to be in the Russian style only quicker and more precise.  Being able to pass along what they've learned dancing with New York City Ballet is a great gift for them as well as their students.  
• Every single year not one or two but many of NPSB’s students are accepted into the very best ballet schools in the country.  Some have gone on to dance professionally with Ballet Companies and Broadway Shows while others have attended colleges of their choice on dance scholarships. Peter and Lisa are also, because of their careers in New York City Ballet, knowledgeable about dance related injury and what to do for the aches and pains that are a natural part of ballet training.  They worked with some of the best physical therapists and orthopedic doctors of the dance world and are very aware of what a dancer needs to do or not do, to avoid or take care of dance related injury.
• Aside from their ability to make top notch dancers they possess a sensitivity to the fact that not all students will be capable of becoming professional or even want to become professional dancers. Because they have a family of their own, they understand that kids have different reasons for pursuing dance. Peter and Lisa are firm believers in the self discipline, and feelings of self achievement and confidence ballet training produces for all children and adults as well. They feel most of their students will be served well in many different life experiences because of what they've learned about themselves in the ballet studio, and on stage.

Call (845) 255-0044 for
registration information and fees.