Lumiere Ballet Offers Winter Intesive Training

Lumiére Ballet, a ballet school celebrating its 20th anniversary on Long Island, will offer a winter ballet intensive for young ballet dancers.

Lumière Ballet aims to instill a lifelong love of dance in its students, says Svetlana Caton, artistic director at the Suffolk County-based performing company. Through training intensives and performances year-round, students ages 4 and older are immersed in the study and practice of classical ballet.

The performing company, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, is inviting young dancers of all skill levels to join its 10-month winter intensive program, beginning Sept. 21. 

The program is taught in the renowned Russian and French methods, says Caton, and will focus on the core principles of classic ballet: the turn out of the legs and hips, elevation, and balance. Classes start at the primary level, for ages 4 and older, and continue through intermediate and more advanced classes, for ages 12 and older, where students practice full Barre and Center, learn increasingly complicated choreographic compositions, and develop their artistry through performance and repetition. It’s an immersive experience, says Caton, who runs the program with co-artistic director Venti Petrov.

As a community beacon for arts education, Lumière Ballet also runs educational programs featuring students and professional artists in performances across New York City. This year, the school will showcase a story ballet titled The Little Prince as part of its arts-in-education program, bringing live performances to schools and community centers in the area.

Main photo: Mary Glynn, a 12-year-old Lumiere Ballet student, performs the role of Cupid in the dream scene of the ballet Don Quixote
Photo by Marissa Stephani 2015