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Ballet Legends at the Summer Intensive!

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We have EXCITING news… Ballet Palm Beach Academy welcomes ballet legends, Steven Caras and Deirdre Carberry, as guest teachers to the Ballet Performance Intensive on July 17th to August 4th.

Students over 11 years old will be trained by Caras, Carberry, resident luminary Claudia Cravey, and esteemed academy faculty throughout the summer courses.

“We are excited for Caras and Carberry join our faculty this summer,” said Artistic Director, Colleen Smith. “Having guest coaches keeps the training fresh. It’s advantageous for the students’ technical and artistic growth to be exposed to different teachers, especially ones with such prestigious backgrounds.”

Vocationally-minded students over 16 will be considered for Ballet Palm Beach’s Trainee Program.

The Ballet Performance Intensive is located at the Ballet Palm Beach studios, 10357 Ironwood Road Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410. The session is July 17th to August 4th from 11:30 a.m.– 5:30 p.m. Tuition for the 3-week Summer Intensive is $950 or $375 per week. Limited scholarship and work-study opportunities are available. Registrations are still available HERE or by calling 561-630-8235 or contacting school@balletpalmbeach.org.

Additionally, there will be Fairy Tale Ballet Camp for ages 3-7 and Create a Ballet Camp for ages 7-11. Learn more  here!

For any professional or collegiate dancers seeking maintenance classes, Ballet Palm Beach company classes are available to visitors during July 17th to August 4th. Company classes are offered 9:15 a.m. –11:00 a.m. Cost is $20 per class, and professional discounts are available.

About Steven Caras:
STEVEN CARAS
was personally invited by George Balanchine to join the New York City Ballet where he would dance worldwide in numerous masterworks by Balanchine and Jerome Robbins for fourteen years. During this inspirational time, Caras was further mentored as a photographer by Balanchine, whose support led Caras to a luminous second career as one of the most revered image makers of dance in history.
After serving as ballet master and company photographer with Miami City Ballet from 1990 through 1993, Steven Caras moved to Palm Beach where he soon became an integral member of the artistic staff with West Palm Beach dance company, Ballet Florida. In the early 2000’s, he was invited to become Miami City Ballet’s director of development for their northern, tri-county operation. Over the three years that followed, the company’s local revenue tripled. In 2007, Caras joined the staff of Palm Beach Dramaworks where he served as the burgeoning organization’s first development director. Together, they organized a capital campaign, resulting in the purchase and renovation of an all-new home, the Don and Ann Brown Theatre in downtown West Palm Beach.
Today, Steven Caras is much in demand as a keynote speaker, arts consultant, independent producer and guest teacher, but also plays a critical role in South Florida philanthropy as a trustee on a private foundation along with being the founding chairman of two local charities. He is the recipient of the 2014 Career Transition for Dancers “Heart & Soul Award,” presented to him by Broadway legend Chita Rivera.
The Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary, Steven Caras: See Them Dance, is a tribute to Caras’ accomplishments with a special emphasis on the artistry and historical significance of his photographic collection. The film aired on multiple PBS stations nationwide for three consecutive years. (Photo Credit: Jacek Gancarz)

About Deirdre Carberry:
DEIRDRE CARBERRY at age 14 was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to join American Ballet Theatre (ABT). She was their youngest dancer. She continued to dance with ABT in soloist and principal roles for 12 years. She also danced as a soloist and principal with Atlanta Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Memphis Ballet and Miami City Ballet. She later held the position of Ballet Mistress for Columbia City Ballet. At age 13 with special permission, she was the youngest competitor at the First U.S. International Ballet Competition where she won a silver medal, the highest Junior Division medal awarded that year. She was then invited to perform at the Spoleto Festival USA alongside Alicia Alonso, Sir Anthony Dowell and Merrill Ashley. Twyla Tharp cast Carberry to create the ballerina role in Tharp’s new work, The Little Ballet, in which Carberry partnered with Baryshnikov. Carberry also created the leads in Burgoine’s “Carmen”, Poole’s “The Elements”, Pimble’s “Common Ground” and Memphis’ “Taming of the Shrew”. Her other stellar partners included Kevin McKenzie, Fernando Bujones, Patrick Bissell, and Wes Chapman. She performed extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Japan, Israel, Canada, Central and South America, including 3 tours with Baryshnikov & Co., at Paris Opera House, Covent Gardens, Metropolitan Opera House, NY State Theater, Kennedy Center and Lincoln Center.
Carberry taught and adjudicated for “American Idol” icon Paula Abdul’s Company Dance Competition, televised on ESPN Disney and adjudicated for the Cincinnati Arts Overture Awards. Carberry appeared in several PBS Great Performances specials partnered by Baryshnikov and in Dance in America. She taught for Wayne State, Emory and Alabama universities, Alabama Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, ASFA, Serba ’09 and on Faculty of ABT Summer Intensives. She created numerous workshops, outreach programs and public school lectures. She staged, restaged and set student productions of Cinderella, Don Quixote, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Paquita and Swan Lake. Carberry is in numerous editions of Who’s Who of America, American Women, Entertainment, and Emerging Leaders. (Photo Courtesy of University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music)

BPB Academy Dancers, photo by Janine Harris

 

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[Photography by Steven Caras © All Rights Reserved]