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FAQ

Both – students enrolled in Ballet Tech’s full-time school (PS 442M) receive classical pre-professional dance training AND their academic classes all on-site at 890 Broadway. The school is a cooperative venture between Ballet Tech Foundation Inc. and NYC Public Schools.

There are two ways that students can be admitted into the full-time school:

  1. THE “INTRODUCTION TO BALLET PROGRAM”: students who excel in Ballet Tech’s “Introduction to Ballet” classes are invited to audition for the full-time school. 

    OR:

  1. OPEN AUDITIONS: students may audition directly for the school at one of our open auditions. Students who excel in the open audition may be invited to attend a callback audition. Some applicants may be invited to participate in Ballet Tech’s Summer Session before a final decision regarding acceptance is made.

Ballet Tech’s full-time school starts at grade 4, which is when most of our students enter the school. However, we do transfer students in at the higher grade levels. Please note that students entering the upper grades (grade 6 and above) typically need prior dance training in order to successfully integrate into our school. Learn more about admissions.

2023-2034 test results: 91.5% of our students scored at level 3 or 4 on the NY State ELA and Math exams. These percentages are well above city and state averages. Our NYC School Quality Snapshot is available here. More NYC Department of Education statistics are here.

The “Introduction to Ballet Program” is a beginner series of ballet classes that Ballet Tech provides, free of charge, to approximately 300 3rd graders each school year. Through the “Ballet Tech Across New York (BTANY) Program,” each year Ballet Tech engages with approximately 5,000 children at 65 public elementary schools across NYC. Approximately 300 of the 5,000 who demonstrate aptitude and enthusiasm for dance in the “BTANY” classes are invited to participate in the “Introduction to Ballet Program.” Students are bused from their elementary schools to Ballet Tech one morning a week for six weeks. Those who excel in the “Introduction to Ballet Program” are invited to audition for our full-time school. Your school’s participation in the program is at the discretion of your principal – so please speak with them if you would like your school to participate. Please click here to learn more about the “Introduction to Ballet Program”.

Registering for one of the open auditions is easy! View our upcoming audition dates, learn more about the auditions, and register online.

The number of dance classes our students take depends on their grade level.  Students in the 4th grade study ballet 2 days a week and take a creative movement class once a week. 5th graders study ballet 3 days a week.  During middle school students take 10 dance classes a week, which includes a daily ballet class and one of the many elective classes we offer to supplement their training. Dance classes are integrated into the regular school day. At the middle school level, dance classes typically extend the school day until 4:30PM.

Yes – Ballet Tech students have the opportunity to audition for KIDS DANCE, our annual student concert at the Joyce Theater. Learn more about Kids Dance.

Ballet Tech’s students come from all over New York City. The Department of Education does not currently provide free bus service to Ballet Tech’s full-time students (though they do provide bus service for our “Introduction to Ballet Program”.) Our full-time students are entitled to full-fare student MetroCards.  Some of our elementary school families sign up with a private van service. The service has a monthly fee; the Ballet Tech Foundation helps subsidize the van costs for those families. We also assist families who are struggling with transportation in finding other BT families who live near them so that they can arrange a buddy or car pool solution. The majority of our middle school students travel on their own.

Yes – ROADS TO SUCCESS provides after school services to our students every day from 2:35 pm until 6:00 pm. There is a monthly fee, but the BT Foundation partially subsidizes the program in order to keep the cost for families down. Please click here to learn more about ROADS.

Yes – our faculty utilize Ballet Tech’s central location in the city to take students on educational field trips. In addition students attend various dance performances throughout the school year to complement their dance instruction.