Instruction at Hudson Valley Academy of Performing Arts will always be with professionals active in the entertainment business. HVAPA is not a recital school. Our open enrollment policy means our classes are always for learning, not for rehearsal, therefore classes are always open to any new students who wish to join a class.

We have performed in Hudson's 2007 Art's Walk and Winter Walk celebrations, Taconic Hills PAC, as well as our special HVAPA Workshop in-house performances this past year. We have many new performances planned in 2008. All of these performances will showcase our students. Many of these performances will be on our newly renovated HVAPA STAGE! Rehearsals for these performances will take place outside of class time and only with those students who wish to perform and all performances will be free to the public.



Classical Ballet
Training
for your child

Dance training at the Academy of Performing Arts emphasizes the importance of a solid classical foundation. Beginning dance studies with classical dance (ballet) will prepare a student well for all other forms of dance as well as give students crucial life skills such as self-discipline, poise, confidence and an increased ability to focus. In addition, high quality ballet training helps bodies to grow strong with excellent posture, develops superb mind-body awareness, and a life long appreciation for a beautiful art form.

We follow the standards of schools associated with major professional dance companies where very young children begin their studies with Creative Dance, progress to Pre-ballet, and then finally to Ballet I at approx. 8 years of age. Children can often be captivated by the classical music, focus, athleticism and beauty of classical ballet if they are encouraged to try it before other forms of dance, but unfortunately it doesn’t often work the other way around. Children exposed first to the popular music and easier movements of jazz and hip hop rarely develop an appreciation of ballet. For these reasons, we encourage children to begin with ballet, and then when they’re tweens or teens they can switch to the more popular dance styles if they so choose.

The ballet training program begins with Ballet I for all ages, but generally no younger than 8 yrs. Placement in classes is not based on age or previous training. The Director will place students according to where they can make the greatest progress. The program progressively builds in difficulty and number of weekly class hours to prepare the students for pointe work, (around the age of 12) and later, pas de deux and advanced training.

A traditional ballet barre is given which may be preceded by floor barre exercises that are tailored to the needs of the students in the class. Center floor exercises and combinations will include a repetition of certain barre exercises, the study of port de bras and adagio, pirouettes and other tours, petite and grand allegro, and finishing class with reverence.