As the offical school of Boston Ballet, Boston Ballet School offers many exclusive benefits for our students and families. Our students have the privilege of auditioning for company productions, such as The Nutcracker, and additional performing opportunities such as Spring Showcase. In addition, faculty and staff partner with parents and health care providers to educate and develop healthy habits in our students. Read on to learn about the many resources offered to parents and students.
WELLNESS RESOURCES & HOW PARENTS CAN HELP
Boston Ballet School partners with the best dance medicine professionals in New England. Our wellness consultants have been carefully chosen because of their specialized skills in working with young dancers. They collaborate closely with faculty and staff, and are also available for private consultations with our BBS families. Visit our Student Wellness page to learn more about our recommended dance medicine professionals.
Boston Ballet School is delighted to announce an exciting new opportunity available to all Classical Ballet and Pre-Professional Program students. BBS Consulting Physical Therapist, Susan Kinney, now leads a Physical Therapy Clinic offered at Boston Ballet School. Ballet is an athletic pursuit and because of this, the body requires the best support possible. Here are a few ideas to help students get the most from their training:
- Healthy eating and rest
Ensure your child eats a healthy snack before class. Choose foods such as fruits, vegetables, yogurt and nuts. Sleep is important for allowing muscles to relax overnight, so make sure your child goes to bed on time to allow for adequate rest.
- Stay in shape outside the studio
As well as physical education at school, students should stay active by swimming, walking and bike riding.
- Arriving early and preparing for class
Your child will get the maximum benefit from his/her ballet class if he/she arrives 15 minutes before the start of class to prepare. Girls should have their hair in a bun (if they need assistance, any of the older students would be glad to help) and all students should have the correct dress code items. Students may use the minutes before class to stretch or think quietly about the exercises they did in their last class.
CONNECT WITH YOUR CHILD'S TEACHER
Faculty members are readily available to address any questions or concerns that you may have regarding your child. Often times faculty members have little time between classes, so in order to allow for proper attention, it is asked that all inquiries for meetings be addressed first with a Studio Manager or Administrators, who will then pass your request along to the instructor who will then contact you directly. For the Boston studio, contact Montse Carty at: 617.456.6260. For the Newton studio, contact Cate Burns at: 617.456.6263. For the North Shore studio, contact Evangeline Rooney at: 617.456.6380.
GENERAL RESOURCES
BBS Handbook
The BBS Handbook contains valuable information for parents and students. Pick up a copy at the front desk or download it here.
Boston Ballet
The connection to a world-class company is a major benefit of being a BBS student. Attending company performances and having the opportunity to perform with the Company in student roles is of enormous value to the education of our students. Student subscriptions are available and students may also purchase single tickets to any season performance (excluding Night of Stars and The Nutcracker) for $20. For ticket information, please call the Box Office at 617.695.6955.
BBS Connections
Our monthly newsletter for parents is a great resource for current BBS news and programs as well as for updates on what's happening on stage and in the community. If you have provided an email address you should automatically receive this. If you are not receiving BBS Connections emails and would like to, please contact a Studio Administrator.
Parent Seminars
Held twice annually, the Parent Seminars exist to educate parents about the School and their children's training. Each topic is prepared specially to benefit the parents and students.
Professional Development Lectures
These are part of the curriculum for Pre-Professional 3 and up. Each lecture is chosen to help prepare students for a career in dance or further dance education.
Student Directory
Each fall Boston Ballet School publishes a student directory, which is available for reference to BBS parents, students, faculty, pianists and staff at each studio location. The directory, located at the Studio Administrator's desk, lists all students who answered "Yes" to the "Directory Listing" question on their registration form. The directory is most commonly used as a carpooling resource, and may not be used to solicit merchandise or services.
Sydelle Gomberg Library
The Sydelle Gomberg Library, located outside Studio 1 in the Boston studio and also with an annex in our North Shore studio, houses an extensive collection of books, magazines and videotapes related to dance and other arts. Library hours are dependent upon volunteer availability. While rare publications must remain in the library, a large part of the collection may be checked out. Students, family and friends are encouraged to take advantage of this wonderful resource.
If you are interested in volunteering to staff the library, please contact the Boston Ballet Volunteer Association at: 617.456.6239. If you are interested in donating materials to the library, please call 617.456.6329. All donations are tax deductible.
HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED
BBS Parent Association
The primary objective of Boston Ballet School's Parent Association (BBSPA) is to provide a link and sense of community among the parents of all Boston Ballet School locations (Boston, Newton and North Shore). The BBSPA exists to help parents take full advantage of being connected to a world-class organization, by offering participation in events and activities sponsored by the Parent Association and Boston Ballet. Our hope is that you will become more engaged, energized and educated through opportunities provided to you through the BBSPA.
Additionally, each studio location seeks BBSPA Representatives, parents interested in taking a more active role in further increasing awareness of the Parent Association, as well as playing a supervisory role in the planning and preparations of BBSPA-sponsored events and activities.
By enrolling your child at Boston Ballet School, you are automatically a member of the Parent Association. To learn more about how to get involved, please sign up with your local Studio Administrator.
Boston Ballet Volunteer Association
The Boston Ballet Volunteer Association is an active community that assists with special events, education and outreach programs, lecture series, and also hosts the Boston Opera House and Boston Ballet studio tours. For additional information, please contact the Volunteer Department at volunteer@bostonballet.org.
