Ballet Chesapeake’s mission is to enrich the community through the transformative power and joy of dance. We empower dancers with exceptional dance training, inspire audiences with artistic excellence, and enhance community engagement by expanding the accessibility and impact of dance.
Ballet Chesapeake has been recognized as Harford County’s premier ballet conservatory for classical dance training since its founding in 1996. Established initially as the Dance Conservatory of Maryland, the school created its performing group, Harford Ballet Company, in 2000, which was renamed Ballet Chesapeake in 2015 to reflect its growth as a leading regional nonprofit.
Today, Ballet Chesapeake serves as both a resident pre-professional company and a training school, presenting two major productions each season—including the beloved holiday tradition of The Nutcracker and a spring fairy-tale ballet—while also prioritizing community engagement through extensive outreach programs that bring dance to schools, libraries, and community events across Northern Maryland.
With programs catering to dancers from 18 months through adulthood, Ballet Chesapeake offers exceptional dance training alongside opportunities for recreational dancers, all within a nurturing and inclusive environment. Together, the company and school enrich the community through performance, education, and access to the art of dance.
Guided by a mission to foster artistic excellence, personal growth, and a lifelong love of dance, Ballet Chesapeake prepares its students not only for the stage but for success in life beyond the studio, while proudly upholding a policy of nondiscrimination.
BC offers a comprehensive curriculum through our ballet conservatory, covering ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and other disciplines. We serve students from their earliest creative movement classes up to advanced pre-professional levels. Faculty and staff promote the highest standards of classroom behavior, supporting community engagement by assisting students in discovering their strengths and challenges within a nurturing and professional atmosphere. This environment fosters leadership, mentorship, and friendships among all dancers.
We strongly believe that ballet training forms the foundation for all other dance genres. Dancers in different disciplines develop greater technical abilities when they have a solid core of ballet training. For this reason, we highly recommend that all dancers, regardless of their primary interest, enroll in and continue with classical ballet training alongside other genres. This approach enhances their technical advancement and improves the overall quality of technique for each dancer.
Furthermore, we are proud to support dancers aspiring to pursue dance training at the collegiate or professional level through our BC Launch Program, which includes coaching, mentorship, audition preparation, and portfolio building. As part of our commitment to excellence, BC also hosts a chapter of the National Honor Society for Dance Arts (NHSDA), allowing students to gain national recognition for their artistic merit, leadership, and academic achievement.
BC students have access to unique and meaningful performance experiences at our ballet conservatory. The student company presents two major productions each year, including The Nutcracker and a full-length spring ballet, along with community engagement performances. Dancers, aged 11 and older, must audition to participate in our student company or join our children's cast, which is open to ages 6 and up. These opportunities enable our dancers to gain invaluable stage experience while performing in professional-caliber productions alongside guest artists and company members, enhancing their dance training.
At Ballet Chesapeake, we uphold the highest standards of safety, wellness, and age-appropriate artistic practices, essential for our ballet conservatory. We are committed to ensuring that every dancer experiences dance training in an environment that prioritizes both physical and emotional well-being. Our faculty is dedicated to creating a healthy, respectful, and inspiring space where dancers can grow in technique and artistry, while also building confidence, character, and community engagement. Through mindful instruction and supportive mentorship, we empower each student to flourish both on and off the stage. To enhance our dancers' journey, we regularly offer seminars on nutrition, cross-training, and injury prevention to our company members.
Graduates of Ballet Chesapeake have pursued their dreams at esteemed programs and institutions, including the American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, The Rock School, and various university dance programs nationwide. This achievement illustrates our commitment to excellence and our dedication to exceptional dance training, helping every dancer realize their full potential. Whether your ambition is to dance professionally, engage in collegiate dance studies, or simply enjoy the joy and discipline of movement, Ballet Chesapeake provides a pathway to grow, perform, and succeed. We invite you to join our vibrant dance community and experience how our community engagement initiatives can harness the transformative power of dance.
Our passion for dance is what drives us. The deep respect we hold for our students and audiences, faculty and staff, and the art of dance dictates that we hold ourselves, and those around us, to the highest standards in all we do
We strive to create a nurturing environment in which the student’s development is supported, encouraging growth and lifelong learning through passion, hard work, and critical thinking. Our pre-professional program provides students exceptional clarity and strength while encouraging a love of dance and healthy body image.
Our purpose is to enrich the lives of our patrons, inspire them, broaden their horizons, and lift them higher. Our patrons, in turn, inspire us to reach new levels of excellence. Without them, we could not exist.
We endeavor to create a space for everyone in our organization to feel respected, embraced, and celebrated for our differences, and to build a community that appreciates each individual for their contributions regardless of race, color, gender, age, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, religion, or sexual orientation. We will consider diverse perspectives in creating programming and be mindful of different backgrounds as we collaborate with artists to support our work. We will strive for diversity in recruiting company dancers, staff, leadership, and board members. We will create policies that support equity and diversity.
We strive to perform in various easily accessible and affordable venues throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.
Ballet Chesapeake
3473 Merchant Boulevard, Abingdon, Maryland 21009, United States
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