A Day of Learning and Inspiration for Baltimore Dancers and Teachers

The School of American Ballet, the official training academy of New York City Ballet, partnered with Baltimore’s Morton Street Dance Center in September to present a full day of classes and workshops for students and teachers. For ballet instructors from around the region, it was a hands-on introduction to SAB’s unique curriculum and training methods, led by SAB's Director of Children's/Preparatory Divisions Katrina Killian. For students aged 7-18, Killian taught a series of master classes, including pointe and variations. The entire day of learning and dancing was free to all participants.  

Students and faculty from the Baltimore School for the Arts, the George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, and from studios in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania were welcomed to the Morton Street Dance Center for this event. Two members of the Morton Street faculty, director Donna L. Jacobs and ballet instructor Liz Pelton, are alums of the SAB National Visiting Fellows Program, and they worked closely with the SAB team to make the day a success.

“For our students to learn Balanchine variations from an eminent teacher who performed his work herself was just an extraordinary opportunity,” said Morton Street teacher Liz Pelton. “This event brought together so many beautiful dancers, and they absolutely soaked up the new knowledge being shared with them.”

Jaquetta Colson, director of Living Arts Dance Studios, who traveled to Baltimore from Philadelphia with five of her students, said “I appreciated the generosity of both Morton Street and SAB. Instead of limiting this incredible opportunity to their own students and faculty, they opened it up to so many others.”  

Eleven-year-old Morton Street student Drew Dunn relished the opportunity to learn and grow as a dancer. “There were so many useful corrections I can apply in my other classes,” she said. “It gave me new ideas about what to work on to improve my technique.”

For Morton Street Director Donna L. Jacobs, who is also Artistic Director of Full Circle Dance Company, hosting the SAB workshop program in Baltimore yielded benefits both concrete and intangible. “For my own faculty and students, it was a day of incredibly detailed and intensive instruction,” she said. “Perhaps more important, it was a coming together of so many teaching artists—old friends and new—who care about the future of ballet and about young dancers.”

"My heart is shining with gratitude for Donna Jacobs and Liz Pelton, who hosted our Teacher’s Workshop and Introduction to the School of American Ballet at Morton Street Dance Center," said Katrina Killian. "I loved every minute sharing our wonderful SAB syllabus with the teachers from the local area and all of their wonderful students. We hope to see everyone at our upcoming summer auditions in Baltimore in January!" 

Photos By:Dorret Oosterhoff