Ballet Tech Foundation, Inc.

WHY I GIVE TO BALLET TECH

Forty years ago, Eliot Feld set out to create the nation's only public school for dance. Ballet Tech, in partnership with the NYC Department of Education, is the result of his vision: to seek out city kids who aren't familiar with the world of ballet though have talent, the physique, and an enthusiasm for movement. It is wonderful to see this school full of dancers that LOOK and SOUND like New Yorkers -- all the colors, languages, and cultures of our city. And because of the generosity of others, every student has a full scholarship, with rigorous training in state-of-the-art dance studios and live piano accompaniment, free dance clothes & shoes, an academic program of high standards, and a positive school culture. My son and his fellow students have grace, poise, musicality, confidence, and discipline, as well as a passion for and appreciation of the arts. And the school is half boys, how cool is that! #BalletTech #NYCPublicSchoolForDance #DanceNYC #GivingTuesday #MyGivingStory #WhyIGive

I am so so so much satisfied!!!
My daughter is always happy to go to school.

This is an amazing school. This school has taught my daughter so much. I highly recommend this school to other parents.My daughter really likes this schoool.

Our daughter is in Ballet Tech and is having a rare and very special education she could not have found elsewhere. She is getting incredible dance instruction which will serve her well in whatever she chooses to pursue in the future. It demands a level of focus, discipline and persistence which is unlikely to be found in a generic public school. Her talent as a dancer is being recognized and nurtured. In addition, she has always been a very strong student and her academic classes are quite good. She continues to test at the top end of all the state testing.

We are so grateful to Ballet Tech for giving our daughter such a gift.

Ballet Tech is a perfect school!!! Perfect teachers!!! Perfect school staff!!! I am very glad that my son is a student of Ballet Tech.

Having my daughter in Ballet Tech is a blessing. The environment is great and she is learning so much not only in Ballet but academically. I highly recommend this school to other parents.

The foundation is the most incredible gift to new yorkers I have seen in my 20 years in this town. The respect they show to their little students, the support they give to the families is beyond professionalism: it is very humbling to see such sensitivity and patience and well love.

Thank you Maestro Feld for assembling a team of extraordinary human beings that help uncover glimpses of talent that brightens up this urban jungle we live in.

If the Times were less snobbish you would be on the first page at the start of every school year.

God Bless ! And Thank you from the bottom of my heart for creating this oasis of beautiful expressionism.

My child was fortunate to be a student in Ballet tech for 4 years, I am so greatfull about the discipline and the amount of time they spent teaching these kids, they will go above and beyond to meet the childrens needs . that shows there professionalism .THANK YOU MAMANBOBO

My nephew is a student. Ballet Tech is a wonderful school! I have been to the shows at the Joyce Theater which are PHENOMENAL. Also lucky enough to visit the summer open houses. Such a incredible group of talented children and wonderful, supportive, talented and patient (LOL) faculty. The existence of school like Ballet Tech is another reason NYC is the greatest city!!

Ballet Tech is one of the best public schools in NYC that has its vision and mission on the right track. The FREE professional training of ballet and the excellent academic system makes this school not only unique but also, a model for other schools to learn from. I've never met a bunch of students and teachers where friendliness and ease transitioning into a school so smooth. The school staff are wonderful and approachable. My daughter, one of the dancers there, loves this school and I give much credit to the school for her proactive attitude to complete her work, to practice her steps, and overall positive attitude. She's very blessed to have landed in Ballet Tech in the most unexpected way.

Blown away by this School and its faculty.They go over and above to make every students needs are met
and the quality of the education is very high. Every parent of a dance interested and talented child should consider ballet Tech as an option.

My son has been a student at Ballet Tech since the fourth grade.
He is now a graduating 8th grader. The dance instruction
he's received throughout his time with BT is
priceless. Dance and the love of dance can be
felt in everything that BT does. Amazing people
who I will always remain grateful for.

Ballet Tech have been a tremendous blessing to my son. This organization has done so much for kids from the 5 boroughs around New York City. The environment at the school is so vibrant. The kids seem to smile more, unbelievable. Thanks Ballet Tech keep up the good work.

Ballet Tech is a wonderful, friendly and vibrant institution that enriches the lives of many children. The staff is extremely courteous, kind and communicative. The school provides the children with a family friendly environment that encourages them to strive for improvement and success.

My son has benefitted tremendously from participating in Ballet Tech's school program. It was such a surprise to us how much he enjoys ballet. Ballet was something that he had never been exposed to prior to the beginner program Ballet Tech that offered to his old school. Now, we see such a positive effect on many aspects of his life. Even his learning and interest in school has increased. We all couldn't be more pleased, our nine year old included.

Ballet Tech is a great organization serving students and families from the 5 boroughs of NY. My son is a 4th Grade student at Ballet Tech and he is already reaping the benefits. Ballet Tech's program provides free scholarships to students across the 5 boroughs and introduces them to dance, classical music, and a rigorous academic curriculum. Students learn that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible. Children are exposed to music, professional dance and a quality education.

I applaud what Ballet Tech stands for and their valuable service to children in the NY area. My son is not only learning to dance and appreciate Classical Music. He is also gaining valuable traits like hard work, discipline and perseverance. These traits will allow him to succeed in any endeavors that he undertakes in the future.

Thank You Ballet Tech

I am a parent of a dancer who is currently a student at Ballet Tech, NYC Public School for Dance. My daughter has been a student at the school for three years. Ballet Tech offers my daughter a unique and a once in a lifetime opportunity where she receives rigorous ballet training in conjunction with a full academic curriculum from 4th to 8th grade. The program is designed to train students achieve academic success as well as becoming professional dancers.
Ballet Tech’s rare program not only teaches students to be successful but also provides students like my daughter an opportunity to receive pre-professional level of ballet training tuition free. Mr. Eliot Feld’s (founder and director of the school) belief of teaching ballet to anyone who wants to dance truly makes the school a Cinderella story in the sense of giving an opportunity for students like my daughter, receive excellent academic and pre-professional ballet training tuition-free, and for parents like me to witness my daughter’s progression into a talented, responsible, and motivated young lady. Without Ballet Tech’s free pre-professional training, my daughter would not have the opportunity to further sharpen her talents and skills as a dancer, as I could never financially afford enrolling her to a ballet school. Through Ballet Tech and Mr. Feld’s vision of providing ballet to anyone who has the innate abilities, students are given the chance to learn the beautiful art form of ballet and develop an appreciation of the arts for free.

BALLET TECH HAS OFFERED MY CHILD AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE. THE DANCE PROGRAM IS PROFESSIONAL AND THE TRAINING SHE IS RECEIVING CANNOT BE MATCHED. MY CHILD IS TYPICALLY SHY BUT THROUGH DANCE SHE EXPRESSES HERSELF. BALLET TECH HAS BROUGHT FORWARD A TALENT IN MY CHILD THAT WE DID NOT EVEN KNOW WAS THERE!! SHE HAS ACQUIRED A TRUE LOVE FOR DANCE THROUGH THIS WONDERFUL COLLABORATION BETWEEN THE DOE AND BALLET TECH.

What a wonderful school! The dance program is professional and the academic program is rigorous. The ballet teachers are invested in the growth of their students and stress the importance of discipline and repetition. The academic teachers personalize learning goals and employ sound, up to date pedagogy. There are smart boards, extensive classroom libraries, and lots of academic writing. The class size is about 18, and this is a public school in New York City! Where else would you find such a small class size in the city? The principal and parent coordinator are always available and DO NOT tolerate bullying-- they seem to end potential situations before they grow. The physical space is inspirational with the brick walls, huge windows onto Broadway, the airy loft space, the sunny cafeteria, and the quirky-shaped classrooms that have lots of cool nooks and crannies that are great for small group work. The bus service is reliable, albeit pricey, but they do offer generous transportation scholarships. The students come from all over the boroughs, and seem to form a community almost instantly. The diversity of the student body is embraced, and no one is ever made to feel out of place. Ballet Tech has the feel of a progressive independent school sans all the ego, pretense, and over-the-top tuition.

No other organization in the nation achieves what Ballet Tech does: seeking talent in NYC public school children who would otherwise lack the opportunity to discover dance training and the art of ballet. Their lives are enriched by introduction to a new realm filled with movement and music, and the excitement of being asked to show who they are through rhythm and comportment. Ballet classes demand imagination, an understanding of ideals, and esteem for oneself and others, as well as adherence to instruction.

Ballet Tech is amazing and inspiring in it's purpose and methods.
Being able to learn to dance is something that requires parents' time and money, often more than what many families can provide.
To have your child placed in a challenging, purposeful dance program is usually something limited to parents who have money for many, many lessons and the time to bring their children there and back, and perhaps even professional experience to help them understand how to find these programs and prepare their children for them. Ballet Tech seeks to level that playing field somewhat, to open doors to children who might otherwise never even know those doors exist. I love that purpose.
Ballet Tech is also so wonderful in that both the academic and dance teachers know how their instructional worlds are joined—how their students' characters are being developed by their dance training, how their brains are being wired from practice, repetition, and results. The teachers there are wonderfully encouraging, even as they are challenging the students daily.
My daughter is attending Ballet Tech and has never been happier in her educational life. She has always been a good student, but at Ballet Tech she feels so safe, included, and inspired to strive for her best. It really is remarkable to see her, and her peers, shine!
Ballet Tech is unique and wonderful, and I hope that their example inspires other schools in the arts.

As a teacher, a dancer, and a grateful parent of a Ballet Tech student, I am thrilled to have this opportunity to sing the praises of this quality organization. Not only does Ballet Tech provide precise, thoughtful and artful dance education to students unlikely to receive such training, but it also co-creates a caring yet rigorous academic community within the New York City system. We could not afford such a education for our daughter, and we love her having the chance to thrive and grow in the rich environment that Ballet Tech creates.

Hi,
My daughter attend ballet tech school since last year and I noticed that she is more happier now than before when she used to go to the other schoo. She is very excited to go to school everyday. The school teachers and the entire staff are really nice and very helpful. It is a pleasure to be part of the ballet tech family. Very highly recommended .
Thanks

I am a parent of a Ballet Tech student. I volunteer in many of the events that take place at the school.

My daughter learns how to dance at the school for free. Without the Foundation this would not be possible.

I am so grateful that my son is part of this school. it's a very good schools, very worm environment. All staff works very hard to make your child happy.

My daughter attends this school.If it was not for Ballet Tech,My child would never get this chance to dance or otherwise be exposed to the arts .Thanks to all the hard work and effort to the school staff,and bakket staff.This is a great envirment for a child to strive.Thank you Ballet Tech.

My son, Christopher has been attending Ballet Tech for two years now. He started out only on Wednesdays for 6 weeks and progress to another 6 weeks on Saturdays. He has received a scholarship to attend Ballet Tech full time now. He goes to academic classes in the morning and ballet classes in the afternoon. The Ballet Tech Foundation has given him the opportiunity to learn the Art of Ballet in moving gracefully and confidently in the studio. Since attending Battet Tech, he has become more outgoing and socialable. Ballet Tech is a great experience for him. The Ballet Tech Foundation Inc, has given students like Chris the chance to learn to dance professionally.

The Ballet Tech Foundation, Inc. has helped to provide my son with a terrific educational experience. The Foundation is connected with a marvelous New York city public school and he excelled both academically and artistically. My son learned a discipline that will help him throughout his life. The rigorous ballet training allowed him to express himself physically while also teaching him control. It provided him an outlet for his energy so that he could more easily concentrate on his studies and therefore he could be a better student.

I will never forget the day that my daughter went to Ballet Tech to audition for their scholarship program. She was in the third grade at the time and had very limited experience in ballet. She had many question about the audition in which the teachers answered. I felt like they truly appreciated and understood her curiosity. After she began the scholarship program, they would pick her up every Monday morning and brimg her to their facility. She was so excited about this because it made her feel special that she had been chosen to take part in such a wonderful opportunity. I was amazed at how this organization put forth the effort to pick her up, give her a ballet class, and return her back to school by lunch time. It was like a dream come true as such opportunities are almost immpossible to find! At this point my daughter is now in the 5th grade and has grown more confident in her own abilities. I now also have a son who has been through the scholarship program and now attends the school as a 4th grader. I strongly feel that if there were more organizations around like Ballet Tech, student achievement would be greater as I have even noticed improvement in my children academically. Ballet Tech has enriched the quality of our lives!

My daughter as a 7 year old 3rd grader was asked to participate in a weekly dance session which led to an audition, selection and participatioon in the Ballet Tech academic and dance program. Now a 12 year old 7th grader she is a confident disciplined dancer at her level and a good curious thoughtful student, socially conscious and socially comfortable with her class of diverse and equally disciplined students from all Boros, all striving to grow in their academics and dance. Ballet Tech offers a program of small class size, and intense discipline led by motivated teachers seeking out motivated kids from throughout the City bringing them together to a centrally located well designed facility. The kids graduate with the necessary skills and attitudes to lead successful lives.

When I first became involved with Ballet Tech it had to be around 1990; I was only 9 yrs old. I think at this time the organization was called Eliot Feld's Ballet. I spent most of my adolescent and teenage years in the school as one of the many dance students. In 1999 I graduated from their highschool academic program. Although I did not continue a career in dance as an adult, I found that many of the virtues I was taught while in the school have helped me so dearly in all my pursuits. As a young man in Ballet Tech's dance program I learned dedication, motivation, and most importantly--for me at least--fearlessness. I was recruited during an audition held in my elementary school, P.S. 305, in Bedford Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Five students from my entire school were picked, me included. I distinctly remember the feeling of having won something. Little did I know at the time, this single event would propel me into a world far beyond what was, and would have been, available to me given the economic situation of my parents and the lack of resources in my environment. It may seem a lot to attribute to the school, but in truth the affect that exposure to the arts has on a child is incalculable. History has shown us this time and time again by producing great talents in this manner (e.g. James Baldwin, Ralph Ellison, etc.). In addition, the cadre at Ballet Tech were role models to me as a young man. Many of the lessons that I learned from instructors like Mr. Levans and Ms. Sarry have had applications that transcended the arts. There are so many positive things to be said about my experience with this organization, but by no means was everyday a bright day while in the school. The transformation from pedestrian to dancer is at best a very difficult one, and at times seemingly impossible. The fact that I was empowered to do this at such a young age, performing at venues like the Kennedy Center and the Joyce Theatre, attests the true worth of this organization. In December of 2009 I attended a recital at the school; it was the second time I returned there since graduating highschool (the first time was only a few weeks prior). As I watched the young dancers; heard the swooshing sound of slippers in glissade and the staccato rhythm of the instructors's tapping feet; and experienced, vicariously, the liberation of a grande jete combination; I was inundated with memories of my experience there. Hence, I became a donor. I am forever grateful for the invaluable contribution this organization has made to my life.

I Love the Ballet Tech school. The kids! They are so beautiful. They are so lucky. They are picked up in buses from all five boroughs of New York City and brought to Broadway and 19th Street for dance classes. After a few years academic classes were added and the kids now spend the better part of their day here. Learning, eating, and Dancing. Most of these kids come from families who could never afford lessons, much less expose them to one of the finest dance facilities in the world. These are the gifted ones. Some will go on to dance professionally, others not. But what they learn here at Ballet Tech is incalculable. To discipline a free spirit, to demand that they focus, to show them how to work hard and dream towards beauty, is an undertaking of mountainous proportions. Take the energy for teaching one child and multiply it by hundreds. Now you have a galaxy of long lasting dedication, focus and hard work. What will happen? All of this is going into the future. These human beings with love, sweat, beauty and self knowledge in their veins. Eliot Feld’s broad vision in establishing the Ballet Tech School will have its tendrils out into the universe for years to come. I love Ballet Tech. The kids have no idea the magnitude of the gift, but I do.

When I was ten years old Ballet Tech held an audition in the auditorium of my elementary school in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. That day changed my life. They provided me with free ballet instruction from middle school to high school. They initiated what turned out to be my professional career in dance for approximately thirteen years. Ballet Tech ensured that I received a solid academic education as well- an education that opened the door to a successful admission to both college and law school. Ballet Tech gives these opportunities to all students that walk through its doors. An institution that allows EVERY child to learn how to dance is an institution that deserves exaltation. Even if that child does not become a professional dancer, their experiences at Ballet Tech promote a love of the arts, as well as superior discipline and focus. In addition, the mere experience of being a part of Ballet Tech makes every accepted child a more well-rounded candidate for colleges and graduate institutions. Ballet Tech is a non-profit institution. They provide these services with no expectations. Ballet Techs' only hope is that the arts continue to thrive by creating new, young fans.

Ballet Tech is the only public school in the US that allows talented students to pursue their love of dance and to be trained in professional technique while completing their academic studies - and all for FREE. Whether or not they become professional dancers, Ballet Tech students go out into the world with the grace, strength and work ethic to accomplish their goals and enrich our society. Ballet Tech is a truly unique and Great Nonprofit!

Imagine you are 8 years old and you have just entered a world completely new and exciting. A huge studio space, just for dancing and flying around in. The hush of students as they watch their dance teacher demonstrate a 'plie' and the pianist lifting his hands to play the introduction. And there you have the first ballet step of a new student of Ballet Tech. Culled from auditions in NYC's Public School system, they are bussed into Manhattan, given the leotard and ballet slippers and 8 weeks of classical ballet training. All free to the student who shows the physical capabilities necessary to training in dance. Now imagine my experience as their ballet teacher, a former dancer of The Feld Ballet; facing a new class of 40 or so of these beautiful children, representing every borough of N.Y., every nation in the world, absorbing my every word, copying my movements with intense concentration, and starting a journey of a love of dance that some of them will be blessed enough to follow through to adulthood and a career. All of them will come away changed and benefited from the experience. What a tremendous joy to be involved with a school such as this. An organization that first introduces the students to a venerable art form, and then as the student grows and shows true aptitude, is prepared to educate the student in all academic subjects in an atmosphere that is well structured, disciplined and loving. Ballet Tech is truly a gem within the educational diversity that is available in the 'greatest city in the world' and I believe we should all value and support Eliot Feld's vision of bringing the beauty and discipline of ballet to the children of New York City's public schools who otherwise may never know what it is like to soar across a huge studio space made just for dancing. Can you see their smiles?