SAB’s lecture demonstration series, The Beauty of Ballet, is one of the School’s most beloved programs – not only by the audiences in New York City communities but by the student performers as well. Tailored for families and small children who may have never seen a ballet in person before, the program provides a glimpse of our students’ training along with an assortment of excerpts from well-known ballets including The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Stars and Stripes, and The Nutcracker. Led by SAB faculty member Katrina Killian, the hour-long performance includes live music, beautiful costumes and interactive elements in which the audience learns simple steps and has an opportunity to ask questions of the student cast at the end.
Due to the pandemic, our lecture demonstrations were cut short in 2020 and the School was unable to present them again until now. Although our venue options were more limited than usual preventing us from visiting as many communities as in the past, we were finally able to present two live performances in Queens, at the Queens Theatre, and one in the Bronx, at the Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture. Being able to offer these shows in NYC neighborhoods once again was extremely gratifying.
While The Beauty of Ballet is a wonderful introduction to the art of ballet for kids, it also serves as a fantastic performing opportunity for SAB’s advanced students and one that is particularly heartwarming, as the feeling of excitement and wonder coming from the young audience members permeates the space. Undoubtedly, the SAB students’ performances may just be inspiring a new generation of talented dancers in the audience, and the students take that responsibility and privilege to heart.
Here’s a quick look back at some of our photos from this year’s performances…
All Photos by Heather Toner;
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, Raymonda Variations, Stars and Stripes, Union Jack, and Tschaikovsky Pas De Deux, choreography by George Balanchine ©️The George Balanchine Trust.
March 27, 2024
Hot off the heels of their 90th Anniversary Ball performance, several of our Advanced Division students went right into performances of our delightful lecture demonstration program which we present annually in venues across the boroughs of New York City.
August 10, 2023
SAB graduates presented an hour-long ballet workshop outside on the plaza as part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City family programming.
March 9, 2023
These lecture-demonstrations not only provide a perfect introduction to ballet to New York neighborhoods but serve as a valuable experience for the SAB students themselves.
