| Academy of Dance Arts |
| Official School of the Greater Lansing Ballet Company |
The Academy’s Mission is to provide students of all ages with quality instruction by nurturing their skills and increasing their knowledge of the art of dance which would lead to a lifetime avocation and gifted aspiring students would lead to a professional career in dance.
Academy of Dance Arts was established in 1984 by Barbara Banasikowski Smith. It became the official school of the Greater Lansing Ballet Co. (formerly Academy Ballet Theatre) in 1990 when she founded the company. In 1984 the Pre-professional division was developed to provide an intensive and comprehensive dance training program for talented young students. The caliber of training at the Academy has allowed Academy’s students to receive scholarships and launch careers in dance.
Distinguished Guest Instructors have Included:
Dmitri Roudnev, Director of Ballet Intensive from Moscow with distinguished faculty Marina Levasheva, Eldar Aliev and Andrei Klemm, Marianne Simmons from Minnesota Dance Theatre, Steven Rooks of the Martha Graham School, Irena Tarasiewicz, National Ballet School of Gdansk Poland, Mieczyslaw Morawski, Maria Gribanova, Dean of the Vaganova Ballet School of St. Petersburg Russia, Laura Alonso, Director of Havana Ballet and Kip Sturm, Caroline Rocher, Akua Parker, all three, principal dancers with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Caryl Maxwell and Myron H. Nadel, Assoc. Dean at University of Texas, El Paso.
Scholarships for Talented Students
For six consecutive years, Academy students had been selected to attend the Boston Ballet Summer Program. In 1994, following a national audition, five of seven students were accepted into the Boston Ballet Summer Program.
Since 1996 through 2007, Academy students have received scholarships from Regional Dance America Mid-States and Dance Magazine Award to attend the The National Performance/Choreography Conference, the Joffrey Summer Dance Program and Interlochen Arts Academy. Academy students have been recipients of scholarships to the Eglewsky Ballet in New York, Alvin Ailey School, Steps in New York, Milwaukee Ballet Co., Pennsylvania Ballet Co., North Carolina School for Performing Arts, Ballet Intensive from Moscow, Ballet Internationale, American Ballet Theatre Summer Program, and Julliard. During Regional Dance America 2006 Festival Auditions, 8 GLBC – Academy dancers placed. There were 400 participants, 200 auditioned, 12 summer program scholarships were awarded. Six GLBC – Academy dancers received scholarship to Joffrey Ballet, N.Y., Jordan Academy at Butler Univ., Interlochen Arts Academy, Kansas City Ballet, Geiger Ballet and American Dance Center. Two dancers placed in auditions for Craft of Choreography Conference and one received the scholarship. At the RDA National Festival in 2007 dancers received scholarships to Canton Ballet, Arkansas Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Geiger Ballet and two received scholarships to the RDA National Choreography Conference.
In 1999 Amanda Lopez Betanzos was the recipient of the prestigious Emerging Choreographer’s Monticello Award which was awarded by the Regional Dance America/Mid-States. This scholarship provided her with the opportunity to study the craft of choreography at the National 39th annual Craft of Choreography Conference in Texas.
Former students are pursuing dance careers in Dance Theatre of Harlem, Ballet Hispanico, Canton Ballet, Disney World Dancers in Florida and Japan and National Tours of “Carousel” and “West Side Story”. Former students are completing higher education in the dance field at Columbia College, University of Michigan, Arizona State University, University of California, Boston Conservatory, Hope College, University of Cincinnati, and Western Michigan University.