Draft:The Dallas Conservatory
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The Dallas Conservatory
[edit]The Dallas Conservatory (TDC) is a private performing arts academy located on three campuses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area. Founded in 2008 by Jacqueline Porter, its current Artistic and Creative Director, the conservatory offers training in dance, theater, music, and fitness.[1] A ten-time winner of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Outstanding School Award, TDC has former students dancing professionally all over the world, including in Broadway theatre productions and with companies like the New York City Ballet.[2]
History
[edit]Upon the conclusion of her own ballet and Broadway performing careers, Porter relocated from New York City to Dallas and opened The Dallas Conservatory studio in 2008.[3] The conservatory expanded in 2019 by opening a North Dallas campus in Frisco, Texas, and then launching its Castle Hills, Texas campus in 2022.[4]
Curriculum/Classes
[edit]There are four divisions at The Dallas Conservatory: Children, Adults, Pre-Professional, and Professional.[1][4]Each division has multiple departments with classes in dance, acrobatics, theatre, and music offered at every level of training (absolute beginner to professional).[3]
Students must audition for acceptance into the year-round Pre-Professional program, selecting either a classical ballet or commercial dance focus. Core classes for all Pre-Professional students include ballet, pointe technique, contemporary, modern, and jazz dance. Additional training may include variations, partnering, hip-hop, tap, acro, singing, theatre dance, and more. Dallas Conservatory students must also commit to attending TDC’s summer program in June and August that includes guest instructors from around the globe.[1][2][3]
The Professional division was added in 2021 to prepare older students at TDC (ages 15 to 21) for professional careers in dance. Former professional ballerina Ashley Ellis, who was a principal dancer with the Boston Ballet, serves as associate director of that division, along with her choreographer husband George Birkadze, who serves as its director.[5]
Faculty
[edit]The Dallas Conservatory has teachers on staff with professional credits ranging from multiple Broadway shows to Hollywood films to Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet.[4] There are 12 year-round teachers that oversee the Pre-Professional division as well as at least 12 guest artists brought in for master classes each year to further the trainees' artistic education.[1][2] In total, TDC has more than 90 employees dedicated to the performing arts training of all its students.[3]
Students
[edit]The Dallas Conservatory trains more than 2500 students annually, including almost 1000 “drop in” adults.[3]
About 40-50 students are selected to participate in the Pre-Professional program each year, with 10% of these students relocating to Dallas from other cities/states to further their intensive training at TDC.[2]
Performances
[edit]The Dallas Conservatory produces an annual holiday spectacular, “Rockefeller Christmas at the Majestic,” which takes place each December at the Majestic Theatre in downtown Dallas.[6] It includes professional guest artists alongside TDC students singing, acting, and performing jazz and tap dance numbers as well as Act II of The Nutcracker.[7][8]
The Dallas Conservatory Dance Companies are the performing and competitive dance companies connected with TDC including the Dallas Studio Company, the Frisco Performance Company, and the Castle Hills Synergy Company.[1] Auditions for these companies are held every June and August.[9]
Awards/Honors
[edit]A ten-time winner of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Outstanding School Award, The Dallas Conservatory has also had hundreds of YAGP awards bestowed upon individual TDC dancers competing in the Junior, Senior, and Ensemble divisions.[10][11]
TDC dancers consistently place in other major competitions as well including the Youth International Ballet Competition and the New York City Dance Alliance (NYCDA).[2]
Recently, TDC Pre-Professional students have also won YoungArts (The National Foundation for the Advancement of Artists) and Texas Young Masters (Texas Commission on the Arts/Texas Cultural Trust) performing arts scholarships/grants.[7][12][13]
Notable Alumni
[edit]To date, The Dallas Conservatory has produced over 25 professional performers who are now working in the dance and theatrical world.[2] TDC alums have joined renowned ballet companies including the New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, Washington Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, and Cincinnati Ballet.[3] Others have found a place in modern and contemporary dance companies such as Parsons Dance, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, as well as on Broadway.[2][3]
Some of TDC’s notable alumni include:
- Olivia Bell (New York City Ballet)[14]
- Kali Kleiman (Pacific Northwest Ballet)[15]
- Allison Whitley (Houston Ballet)[16]
- Abigail Weber (Staatstheater Nürnberg Ballett)[17]
- Rachel Rohrich (The Washington Ballet)[18]
- Lily Bines (Colorado Ballet)[19]
- Ausia Jones (Opera Ballet Vlaanderen)[20][21]
- Ava Noble (& Juliet on Broadway)[2][22][23]
- Téa Pérez (Parsons Dance)[2][8][24]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e Media, Jack Hintze | Star Local (2024-10-10). "The Dallas Conservatory offers dance, music and fitness for all ages". Star Local Media. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Conservatory, Sponsored by The Dallas (2025-02-03). "The Dallas Conservatory: Personalized Training Tailored to Your Dance Aspirations". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Down to a Fine Art". citylifestyle.com. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
- ^ a b c "The Dallas Conservatory - Dance Classes for Kids Guide". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2025-03-28.
- ^ Deocariza, April (2021-03-11). "Boston Ballet's Ashley Ellis Talks About Retirement and Her New Role at The Dallas Conservatory". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "The Dallas Conservatory Presents: Rockefeller Christmas". Dallas News. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ a b "Savannah resident's dance skills place her among Texas' Young Masters". KERA News. 2024-05-07. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ a b "Holiday Sweets". www.playbillder.com. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Find Ballet Auditions, Training, and Jobs". www.balletscout.info. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "YAGP 2024 – DALLAS, TX (FEBRUARY) – WINNERS - YAGP". YAGP - Welcome to the world's largest network of dance YAGP, stay up to date with the international ballet competitions. 2024-06-14. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "YAGP 2025 – DALLAS, TX – WINNERS - YAGP". YAGP - Welcome to the world's largest network of dance YAGP, stay up to date with the international ballet competitions. 2025-02-11. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Student of the Month". citylifestyle.com. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Gracelyn Weber". Texas Cultural Trust. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ Kourlas, Gia (2024-10-07). "A Striking Ballet Gets a New Life. So Does a Budding Ballerina". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Kali Kleiman | Corps de Ballet | Pacific Northwest Ballet". Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Allison Whitley". Houston Ballet. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Abigail Weber". Staatstheater Nürnberg. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ Editorial, BOSS (2023-02-02). "The Washington Ballet's Rachel Rohrich Choreographs a Career Pas de Deux Starring Dance and Medicine". BOSS Magazine. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Lily Bines". coloradoballet.org. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Dancers - Opera Ballet Vlaanderen". Opera Ballet Vlaanderen - Discover our programme (in Dutch). Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Ausia Jones". USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "YAGP 2018 – DALLAS, TX – WINNERS - YAGP". YAGP - Welcome to the world's largest network of dance YAGP, stay up to date with the international ballet competitions. 2018-02-05. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ Marquardt, Rhaine (2023-11-17). "For Ava Noble, '& Juliet' is a heart on her sleeve | USC Kaufman". USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ^ "Board and Staff". Parsons Dance. Retrieved 2025-03-29.