A Brief History of The Ballet Studio

          The Ballet Studio began in 1992 as an outreach project, with the support of the Arts Council and Service Ministry teams at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church in Washington, DC. (now National UMC, Metropolitan Memorial campus).

         Independent non-profit educational corporation status was granted in 1993. 

         From 1992-2004, all-scholarship classes were held at Wesley UMC on Connecticut Avenue. 

         From 2004-2013 the program operated as an outreach project in residence at Brightwood Educational Campus (DCPS), serving children in Head Start through 8^th Grade.   Literacy through movement and other dance-related educational programs were offered during the school day, and substantial scholarships for beginners were a feature in the after-school ballet program where dancewear was also provided at no cost.

         In fall 2010 our Tenleytown/AU Park studio was added, offering high-quality small-group and private classes in ballet technique, as well as dance education programs for children and adults. Select students from the Brightwood program were invited to join this program.

         The Brightwood residency ended in 2013 due to lack of available space at BEC, but our relationship with children from that neighborhood continued through 2016, providing tuition scholarships and assistance with dancewear, as well as support for participation in other studio activities such as regional ballet workshops and summer programs.  Later, other other relationships evolved with various schools and organizations serving lower-income and otherwise-challenged families, offering dance-related field trips and attendance of live performances, as well as other outreach activities promoting literacy in and through the arts. 

Currently, our focus is on private and semi-private lessons for middle school ages, adults, and on teacher training.