Greenwich Ballet Academy - Port Chester, New York

Patricia F.

My daughters have trained at GBA for the past 5 years and we could not be happier with the quality of instruction from the esteemed faculty. Their teachers are fully invested in their progress and have lovingly trained and supported them through various years of ballet competitions with fantastic results.

Nerlyn P.

My daughter has trained at GBA for the last 5 years and our experience has been nothing but exceptional. The quality of instruction from a professional faculty, the attention to quality growth for the student and the focus not only on technique but also pre-professional quality performances makes GBA a one-of-a-kind ballet school in the area. We are lucky to have such a high quality ballet school to attend.

Clarissa Z.

GBA is an elite pre-professional ballet school with an incredible history of excellence. At GBA you will find outstanding and highly qualified instructors who all trained and danced with many of the most renowned ballet companies including the Bolshoi and American Ballet Theater. As a result, the instructors bring a global perspective to the studio which is often times absent in many other dance studios where the focus is solely to execute the choreography for a performance. At GBA the vision goes beyond the studio as dedicated teachers and passionate ballet students work together as a team not only to perfect the classical ballet technique, but also to become beautiful performers on a world stage such as YAGP.

Last year our daughter auditioned and was accepted into the Academy and we are so grateful to be part of this incredible school. From day one we have found every single staff member to be warm and welcoming (which quite honestly caught me by surprise at such an elite ballet school!). The dedicated staff has an unparalleled attention to detail. The classes are challenging, the schedule demanding but that is to be expected when you want the best. This means there are many more classes required at GBA than at other “dance” schools, and the teaching staff demand more time and commitment from the dancers, but the end result is equally stunning and dramatic. There are no short cuts to success, and at GBA the dancers learn these valuable life lessons early: hard work, determination, commitment and consistency.

GBA strives to help each dancer reach their highest potential. We drive nearly an hour (each way) so that our daughter can attend GBA, passing dozens of other ballet schools along the way. There are other girls in her class with “commutes” that are even longer, but the drive is 100% worth it so that our daughter can learn from the very best, in an environment designed to make her the best ballerina that she can be.

Art V.

Looking at the reviews of the school, you will likely see a big divergence (lots of very positive ones, and then a handful of very negative ones, with nothing in between). As a parent of one of the students at GBA for the past 5+ years, I'm happy to provide my own (positive) review, but also share a few more details about the school.

First and foremost, GBA's vision is to be a high quality pre-professional dance training academy. What this means is that the intensity of the program increases with age - young kids may have 1-2 classes a week, but it soon gets to be 4-5 for kids 10-11 years of age, and 6+ classes for the older kids. Studying dance is intense, hard work, with differing teachers covering different aspects of dancing (technique, pointe, contemporary, pilates, rehearsals, etc.). Some work is individual, but most dances are done in a group, so everyone depends on everyone else. The teachers will of course make accommodations for various special circumstances, but in general attendance and active participation is expected of all students, and it only gets more intense as kids get older.

Of course it doesn't HAVE to be this way - there are dance programs out there which are more focused on general development, recreational dance, etc., and that can be a wonderful fit for some students. Using an athletic parallel - you can join a recreational swim club, or be on your school's nationally ranked swim team - and the intensity of instruction, frequency of practice, etc. will be very different between the two options. GBA is closer to the latter option, so instruction is targeted for students who take dance very seriously. As long as you have reasonable expectations, this school can be a wonderful experience for your child. Like with many endeavors, you only get out of it what you put in. Kids who are attentive, hard working and dedicated will generally get more out of the program than the ones who are just there to have some fun.

Now, on to the specifics. In our experience teaching staff is very hard working, caring, and dedicated to fostering the kids and developing their love of dance. All are former dancers with significant experience. And while they may at times be a bit intense (particularly around missed rehearsals), that is very much in keeping with the mission of the school and in line with the rigorous demands of classical dance.

The program is very rounded and diverse, and in addition to heavy focus on classical ballet includes contemporary dance, master classes, etc. The new location at Waterfront Place has well equipped studios and a huge free parking lot (shared with the other businesses in the development). The two major performances a year (along with several special events throughout the year) are always of very high quality. The school is managed by a board consisting mostly of parents, so their focus is very much on running the program efficiently and to the benefit of the children.

To address a few of the negative reviews directly, many seem to stem from recent staff turnover. In our experience turnover has been limited (our daughter is still studying with the same teachers she's had for the past 5 years), but I understand that may not be the case for all student levels. The timing and circumstances around the departure of our beloved artistic director also caused some disappointment. The reality is that running a studio like this is very different from working at a swiss watchmaking factory. Between management, teachers, guest stars, students and parents, you are dealing with many artistic personalities and different worldviews and needs. There are and always will be staffing issues, occasional friction between students, disagreements between parents and staff, etc. But in our experience, virtually everyone associated with the school is primarily motivated by the success and well-being of the kids who study there, so as long as you realize that everyone's motivation is the same, the rest is just details.

Louis A.

Greenwich Ballet is an elite pre-professional ballet academy that prepares young dancers with rigorous training that will be invaluable for them in professional dance and life regardless of their profession. To those of you who are shocked that the "hours are long" I would like to point out that professional ballet is REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HARD and you can not expect a career in professional ballet unless you work REALLY, REALLY, REALLY HARD. You cannot be among the best dancers in the country and perhaps the world without rigorous training and toughness. I am sure your children have many gifts -- but perhaps professional ballet is not in the future -- however, the rigor and discipline and toughness that is built from this training is invaluable again regardless. It is part of the training at Greenwich Ballet Academy.

For our part, my daughter came from the world of competitive dance and the hours and the time commitment at Greenwich Ballet are far less than competitive dance, the technique is far superior to competitive dance, the environment at Greenwich Ballet has been welcoming and the teachers at Greenwich Ballet have been great.

To those of you who think the teachers at Greenwich Ballet are rude -- they are not. They are tough, demanding and exactly what you would expect from an elite pre-professional ballet academy that is training and developing some of the best dancers in the United States. Greenwich Ballet Academy continues to excel at Youth America Grand Prix.

This may not be for everyone … and that is because not every school has had such success at Youth America Grand Prix. The environment is built for that level of excellence. My daughter may not reach such a level of performance - but we are grateful to be part of an environment that is striving to be the best in the world.

Lastly, the artistic director was let go recently. Change is hard. Change is messy. But sometimes change is necessary. And -- to sound a familiar theme -- it takes TOUGHNESS to execute change. Current management has shown courage and toughness that should make the dancers at Greenwich Ballet proud. Toughness. These are attributes I hope my daughter continues to learn.

John B.

The teachers are very unpleasant. The hours are complete insanity. They forced my daughter to go for FOUR hours on friday and saturday since March and the performance is in June. They all condemn you and make you feel bad for missing any rehearsals and they tell you to “cancel all your plans” because you “need to come” otherwise you’re kicked out. They spend hours on end weekend after weekend doing the same dance over and over again. My daughter cries in her closet because she does not want to go. And the woman at the front desk is very rude. Please do not send your kids here if you care about your child’s well being, go somewhere else.

thatb360

Waste of time, money, energy. This place has been a burden on me and my family. Inconvenient location and long hours, unfriendly staff and girls. Not flexible at all. Mr. Yuri was a better director. Daughter complains all the time. She is being worked like a horse. She comes home crying and she cries before going here as well. I want my money back.

David B.

Our daughter attended Greenwich Ballet Academy for several years. The teachers are dedicated and the training is excellent. Great place for the serious ballet student.