School History & Overview
The award-winning New Haven Ballet (NHB) began in the basement of St. Paul’s Church in the fall of 1985, an outgrowth of the Connecticut Ballet. Under founding Artistic Director Noble Barker, NHB provided dance instruction for serious students and recreational dancers alike. Twenty-six years later, NHB has firmly established itself in the Greater New Haven and shoreline arts communities, with studios in New Haven and Guilford, and highly trained faculty that support students aspiring to professional dance careers as well as those studying ballet for recreational purposes. Its broad curriculum includes jazz, modern, tap, hip-hop, and African dance. In addition, the school has become a major arts organization, playing a vital role in the community through outreach and school programs, two student performance ensembles, and collaborations with artists within the community and beyond. In recent years, despite the sluggish economy, the school’s enrollment has remained steady and even increased, and NHB’s annual Nutcracker, performed at the historic Shubert Theater with live orchestral accompaniment and guest stars from world-class ballet companies including New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, has become a New Haven holiday tradition.
As the school grew under Barker and his successors Phillip Otto and John Carney, so did NHB’s goals. In addition to Nutcracker, NHB has two other full-length ballets in its repertory–Coppelia (premiered 1994) and Snow Queen (1997-98), which was created in collaboration with composer Susan Bingham. The school has performed and collaborated with the Chancel Opera Company, Connecticut Ballet Theatre, the Hartford Ballet, the Moscow State Ballet, the New Haven Symphony, the Nutmeg Ballet, the Omaha Ballet, Orchestra New England, the Pittsburgh Ballet, Yale Repertory Theatre, and more. In a 1997 coup for NHB, the George Balanchine Trust awarded the school rights to perform Donizetti Variations, an opportunity given only to schools of the highest caliber. NHB also performs annually at New Haven’s prestigious International Festival of Arts and Ideas.
New Haven Ballet has a strong commitment to ensuring that the joy of dance reaches everyone in the community; to demonstrate and use, in the words of the NHB mission statement, the power of dance to change the life of every person in the community through education, performance, physical exercise, artistic aspiration, personal development, and social interaction to the fullest of their potential. From its inception NHB has sponsored outreach and education programs, including a dance residency program for students in inner-city elementary schools; Shared Ability, which brings dance and performance opportunities to differently abled students; school demonstrations and performances at assisted living and senior centers; and needs-based scholarships.
In December 2010, Jared Redick, a former soloist with Boston Ballet and principal of Boston Ballet’s South Shore school, was named the new artistic director. Under Mr. Redick, NHB is poised to meet the challenges that come with success: maintaining a topnotch dance program that supports students at all levels, from beginner to pre-professional; moving into a dedicated facility that will enable the school to grow and expand; and continuing to develop community ties within Greater New Haven and southern Connecticut.
New Haven Ballet is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization and acknowledges the generosity of our devoted patrons and corporations as well as foundation support including the National Endowment for the Arts, the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism, NewAlliance Foundation, the City of New Haven, and a Mayor’s Arts Grant Award. Please visit our website at www.newhavenballet.org for more information.
The New Haven Ballet school admits students of any age, race, color, creed or national origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded and made available to school students.