Santa Barbara Festival Ballet welcomes you to the exciting experience of watching your child grow through the exposure to the world of dance! Santa Barbara Festival Ballet knows there are many venues in choosing dance for your child, and they offer below some important considerations when selecting a dance school.
Santa Barbara Festival Ballet is dedicated to safe and correct technique, the development of artistry and providing a supportive and dignified environment for your student. Many of their students begin in Santa Barbara Festival Ballet's program as early as three years old and remain with them through high school and beyond. In fact, the children and grandchildren of former students now study at the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet Dance Conservatory!
Santa Barbara Festival Ballet's Director is a Fellow of Cecchetti USA and is an examiner for the organization. All staff are professionals in their field, or are carefully trained in their teacher training program. Be wary of teachers who may have been professional dancers but know nothing about teaching! Many former professional dancers have no idea how to train a beginning student. A professional career is no substitute for careful teacher training. The standard of teaching at the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet Dance Conservatory is a high priority.
Santa Barbara Festival Ballet's classes are carefully graded to provide age appropriate training. Utilizing the Cecchetti syllabus ensures a careful progression as the dancer advances through the levels of the school and provides a consistent basis of training adhered to by all teachers in the school. Their students are externally evaluated each year by taking the Cecchetti examinations. Santa Barbara Festival Ballet Dance Conservatory students consistently perform well in these examinations, assuring you that the teachers are doing their job. In addition, Santa Barbara Festival Ballet provides a program for young students to work as assistants and demonstrators, as well as a comprehensive teacher training program leading toward certification for those who wish to pursue a degree.
Photos by Fritz Olenberger
