 The Rock School for Dance Education
The Rock School for Dance Education is one of the nation’s premier institutions for classical ballet training with a $4.5 million budget and an annual enrollment of 1,200 students.
The Rock School was established in 1963 by Barbara Weisberger as The School of the Pennsylvania Ballet to provide the finest classical ballet training for Pennsylvania Ballet, which premiered one year later.
The School owns its five-story Ballet Centre on the renowned Avenue of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and operates a branch school, RockWest, in West Chester, Pennsylvania (10 minutes from Malvern).
Rock School students and alumni have hailed from across the United States as well as abroad including Canada, Cuba, England, Estonia, France, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Spain, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turkey.
Bojan Spassoff and Stephanie Wolf Spassoff have been the directors of The School for the past 19 years. The Spassoffs are both former dancers with American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet. They directed the schools and companies of the Savannah Ballet and Ballet Oklahoma. Other esteemed faculty members include Violette Verdy, The Rock School’s Artistic Advisor and the former and first female Artistic Director of the Paris Opera Ballet, as well as the former Artistic Director of the Boston Ballet. Christopher Fleming, The Rock School’s Assistant Director and Resident Choreographer, was a soloist with New York City Ballet and is an award-winning choreographer.
During its 40-year history, the school has developed dancers for New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, as well as a host of other prestigious national and international dance institutions. Rock School alumni have also been placed on Broadway as well as in film and television roles including Phantom of the Opera, Chicago (the movie), Aida, Cats, Boy From Oz, and The Crucible.
The Rock School shares student exchange programs with the Royal Ballet School in London, Paris Opera Ballet School, and the Czech Republic National Ballet School which validates its standing among world-class dance institutions.
Christine Shevchenko, has been a student of The Rock School for nine years. A resident of Aston, Pennsylvania, Shevchenko became the youngest recipient ever in 2003 to receive the esteemed Princess Grace Award and won a gold medal at the prestigious Moscow International Ballet Competition, the first American- trained dancer to do so in 24 years.
Isaac Hernandez, a native of Mexico, has studied at The Rock School for the last three years. Hernandez is the only dancer to win the Youth American Grand Prix two years in a row. In 2003, President Vincente Fox of Mexico presented Hernandez with the National Youth Award in Artistic Activities. Hernandez also won a bronze medal in the junior men’s division at the legendary International Ballet Competition in Moscow, Russia and was the first non-Cuban to win gold in Havana, Cuba.
RockReach is the Rock School’s arts education and outreach program that annually serves 10,000 children from the Greater Philadelphia region. This program brings arts instruction, written curricula, and performances into local schools to infuse lives and learning with dance and music, increase student self- confidence, and strengthen academic skills. RockReach has reached more than 60,000 students since its inception in 2000.
RAPA (Rock Academic Program Alliance) is The School’s unique, accredited college preparatory program that guides students through their formative academic years using the power of technology and distance learning. A full time educational staff oversees the progress of each student and provides individual academic attention throughout the school year.
The Rock School’s unique career development program attracts internationally known artistic directors and guest artists as master teachers. Students learn from leaders in the field and have an opportunity to audition for company directors. Guest directors have included Edward Villella (Miami City Ballet), Terrence Orr (Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre), John McFall (Atlanta Ballet), Francia Russell (Pacific Northwest Ballet), John Meehan (ABT Studio Company), Roy Kaiser (Pennsylvania Ballet), and Jonas Kage (Ballet West).
The School’s summer program is a highly selective, audition-only program that immerses aspiring dancers in two- to six-week intensive sessions of dance training. From late June to early August, approximately 350 dancers participate in this prestigious program that includes residence programs in Philadelphia and Haverford, Pennsylvania. By the end of the summer, students develop a stronger sense of confidence and see a significant increase in their development as a dancer.
For more information about The Rock School or BRAVO call 215/551-7010
or visit the Rock School web site at http://www.therockschool.org. |