2026–2027 Academic Year

Registration opens July 27, 2026. Classes run September 8, 2026 through June 25, 2027.

Classes begin September 8, 2026, and continue through June 25, 2027.

Enrollment in Conservatory classes is a year-long commitment, allowing dancers to benefit from the continuity and progressive instruction that are essential to conservatory-level training.

Enrollment is limited to maintain small class sizes and provide individualized instruction for every student.

Conservatory-Level Ballet Training, Close to Home

Westchester Ballet Company's Conservatory Training Program offers conservatory-level classical ballet education in a structured and supportive environment for students committed to long-term technical and artistic development.

Conservatory training is different from recreational dance. Our curriculum is built on discipline, technical excellence, artistry, and musicality, developed through consistent, progressive instruction over time. This is how classical dancers have always been trained: patiently, in sequence, with nothing rushed. Dancers are nurtured as individual artists, at their own pace, within small classes that allow for genuine individual attention.

Founded in 1950, Westchester Ballet Company has taught classical ballet in this community for more than seventy-five years. As a nonprofit, our mission is to make exceptional ballet training accessible to our community while preserving the traditions, artistry, and integrity of classical ballet.

All Conservatory classes are offered as a year-long program, because continuity is what allows dancers to build lasting technical and artistic growth.

Classes

Conservatory Ballet Technique
Ages 7+ · Thursday · 90 Minutes

The foundation of all conservatory training at WBC. This class follows the structure of classical ballet from barre through center, developing strength, coordination, balance, musicality, and artistry. Instruction is tailored to each dancer's level within the class, allowing students to progress safely while building the technical foundation classical ballet requires.

Stretching & Conditioning + Conservatory Ballet Technique
Ages 7+ · Saturday · 120 Minutes

This class combines ballet-specific stretching and conditioning with classical technique in a single 120-minute class. Together they develop strength, flexibility, alignment, posture, balance, and body awareness while building the physical and technical foundation every classical dancer needs for continued growth.

Stretching & Conditioning + Conservatory Modern Dance
Ages 10+ · Saturday · 120 Minutes

This class combines stretching and conditioning with Modern Dance rooted in Horton Fundamentals, one of the established techniques of American concert dance.

Unlike many commercial or competition-style "modern" or "contemporary" classes that emphasize tricks, acrobatic movement, and stylized effects, WBC's Modern Dance program is rooted in the authentic concert dance tradition, developing expressive movement, musicality, strength, coordination, and versatility that genuinely complement classical ballet training.

Conservatory Ballet Technique & Variations
Ages 10+ · Sunday · 120 Minutes

This class combines classical ballet technique with the study of variations from the classical repertoire. Dancers strengthen their technical foundation before applying those skills to choreography, developing artistry, musicality, confidence, stage presence, performance quality, and a deeper understanding of classical style.

Conservatory Ballet Technique & Pointe Variations
Ages 12+ · Sunday · 120 Minutes Minimum one year of pointe training

Designed for advanced dancers, this class combines classical ballet technique with the study of pointe variations from the repertoire. Dancers refine precision, strength, artistry, musicality, and stamina while preparing for increasingly advanced classical roles.

Why the Conservatory Program

As a nonprofit organization, we view the Conservatory not as a business line, but as an extension of our educational mission. Tuition helps us provide the experienced faculty, thoughtful curriculum, and individualized attention that rigorous ballet training requires.

This mission-centered approach shapes how we teach. Dancers progress when they are technically and physically ready, rather than according to a fixed schedule or performance calendar. Pointe work is introduced with great care, and our curriculum prioritizes lasting strength, artistry, and sound technique over shortcuts or visually impressive tricks. At times, the most meaningful progress comes from a season spent consolidating skills, building confidence, and preparing for the next stage of training.

The Conservatory provides the foundation classical ballet demands: technique developed sequentially over time, in classes small enough for each dancer to receive consistent, individualized corrections. Our faculty bring both professional performance experience and deep training in the classical tradition. Modern dance is also taught as a serious artistic discipline, grounded in the concert-dance tradition and valued as an important part of a dancer’s education.

Conservatory dancers are invited to audition annually for Westchester Ballet Company. While enrollment does not guarantee placement in the company, the training is intentionally designed to develop the technique, artistry, discipline, and readiness the audition process requires.

Where Ballet Begins

Alongside the Conservatory, Westchester Ballet Company offers classes designed to bring more of our community into ballet. These programs are separate from the Conservatory Training Program.

Boys' Ballet — Outreach Program

Ages 6+ · Friday

Westchester Ballet Company is committed to making classical ballet accessible to boys.

This outreach class welcomes boys ages 6 and older, whether they are completely new to ballet or already have previous dance experience. No prior dance training is required. Students develop strength, coordination, flexibility, musicality, confidence, and athleticism while learning the foundations of classical ballet in a welcoming and encouraging environment.

Our goal is to inspire more boys to discover ballet while providing a strong technical foundation for future training opportunities.

Tiny Dancer & Me

Ages 2–3 · Friday or Saturday · Parent or Caregiver Participation

Tiny Dancer & Me is a joyful introduction to dance where young children participate alongside a parent or caregiver.

Through music, creative movement, imagination, rhythm, and ballet-inspired play, children develop coordination, balance, creativity, listening skills, confidence, and a love of movement while sharing a special experience with their grown-up.