The School: New Ballet emphasizes individual attention, small class size and impeccable technique, all in a beautifully renovated 14,500 square foot studio in the heart of Midtown Memphis.

The Align Mentor Program at NBE is supported by the Memphis Grizzlies Foundation. Students at New Ballet School are matched with mentors and participate in group mentoring activities. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer mentor, please contact Director of Education Jill Brookoff (jill@newballet.org)

 

 

The school serves tuition-paying and need-based scholarship students. Class sizes are limited (average 15 students). Students audition to assure the best placement for development and artistic growth. Quality training with a holistic approach in a supportive environment and focus on the individual is the standard. New Ballet encourages our students to become citizens of the world. A classical ballet curriculum is enhanced with lessons in African drumming and dance, Hip Hop and Jookin', Flamenco and Chinese dance. The New Ballet artistic product is a synthesis of the many cultures coming together on a daily basis in the heart of a great diverse city.

Mentors and teachers travel to Memphis on a regular basis to enrich the training at New Ballet. Those gifted dancers include (among others) Blakeley White McGuire of the Martha Graham Company; Francesca Harper, formerly of the Frankfurt Ballet and Dance Theater of Harlem' Elizabeth Corbett, formerly of the Frankfurt and Joffrey Ballets; Uri Sands and Toni Pierce of TU Dance Minneapolis and formerly of the Alvin Ailey company; Sara Yarborough of the Ailey Company; and Christina Bernal, who is instrumental in teacher training and professional development at New Ballet. 

Classes begin for children ages 3-6 in Creative Movement and continue through pre-professional classes for the serious student.

This past season, four NBE graduating seniors earned over $200,000 in college grants and tuition assistance. New Ballet graduates are attending Boston Conservatory, New York University Tisch School of the Arts, University of Arizona, Oklahoma University, Washington University, the University of Georgia, Columbia College - Chicago and more. Our students graduate at the top of their classes. Katie Lindemann graduated Magna Cum Laude, BFA Dance at the University of Georgia this year.

 

Performances: All New Ballet students beginning in Ballet I have the opportunity to participate in the annual Nut ReMix main stage performance. Advanced students are given opportunities to perform in New Ballet's annual SpringLoaded production, and have performed in Opera Memphis productions at the Orpheum Theater, at the Levitt Shell and in other community venues such as the Brooks Museum.

Performance is an integral part of training to a professional standard. Creative Movement classes through Ballet VI will perform for parents, family and friends during a class observation week each semester and on Family Night scheduled in the spring and held at The Levitt Shell.