The School
WHERE PUBLIC EDUCATION MEETS PROFESSIONAL DANCE INSTRUCTION
Ballet Tech, the NYC Public School for Dance, provides its students with a high quality academic education and intensive, rigorous classical dance training.
The school is a collaboration between the NYC Department of Education (DOE) and Ballet Tech Foundation, Inc. The NYC DOE provides the academic instruction and Ballet Tech Foundation provides the dance instruction. The school serves students in grades 4-8, who study both academics and dance on-site at 890 Broadway in Manhattan.
Learning Philosophy
We believe that students learn best in a supportive and positive environment. For students to make progress ad meet the demands of our high standards, teachers must know their students intellectually, socially, and emotionally. Features of our learning philosophy include:
Collaboration
- Faculty and students collaborate respectfully to cultivate positive interactions that result in students feeling safe, valued, and comfortable taking intellectual risks.
Participation
- Students participate in discussions to acquire and build knowledge, and are challenged to support their ideas with specific text or other evidence.
Self-Evaluation
- A variety of forms of feedback, from both teachers and peers, enable students to self-assess and assume responsibility for the quality of their work.
Critical Thinking
- Students are intellectually engaged in well-designed learning activities that require critical thinking.
Hard Work
- While the work is challenging, students are capable of growing and learning if they are prepared to work hard and, if necessary, receive support from teachers prepared to meet the needs of all learners.
Reflection and Growth
- Students understand that learning is a process—one that requires the time and opportunity for them to revise their own thinking and make improvements to their work.
Curriculum
Elementary School
4th and 5th Grade
Ballet Tech’s Elementary School welcomes students into a learning environment that promotes student engagement, fosters strong work habits, and facilitates high-level critical thinking. During their first two years of dance training, students are introduced to the fundamental principles of classical ballet.
Middle School
6th-8th Grade
Ballet Tech’s Middle School builds on the academic foundation established in the 4th and 5th grades, raising the level of intellectual rigor while also addressing the social and emotional needs unique to middle school students. The dance curriculum expands to include daily ballet technique classes as well as classes in a variety of dance genres.
Commitment to exceptional instruction
Faculty and Staff
Our esteemed faculty comprised of accomplished dancers and educators are dedicated to providing exceptional instruction tailored to the developmental needs of elementary and middle school students, fostering a supportive and inclusive atmosphere where every child can thrive and express themselves through dance.
Ballet Tech is proud to provide an inclusive educational program for eligible students with disabilities.
Students who are interested in pursuing a challenging program of pre-professional dance training and rigorous academic courses, while having access to Instructional Support Services (ISS), will find that our team works closely with parents throughout the child’s time at Ballet Tech to ensure student needs are met and that they are on track to successfully graduate and attend competitive high schools. Through services such as Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) services and related services, we embed specially designed instruction and individualized support into our curriculum to meet the needs of diverse learners. Students who are looking for a pre-professional dance program and a rigorous academic curriculum and require accommodations, related services, special classroom support(s) or assistive technology, and have unique management needs as outlined in their IEP, can apply to the school to receive individualized care from our team of Instructional Support Specialists. These supports are provided in our rigorous general education classes.
Ballet Tech’s facilities at 890 Broadway are fully accessible.