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About Us
Mission
Classical Ballet Academy's mission is to provide the highest quality classical ballet training in Colorado based on the Vaganova Method which supports the development of strong classical technique, exquisite artistry, musicality, and purity of line. With a highly qualified faculty trained in the Vaganova curriculum, CBA trains well rounded dancers with instruction in classical technique, pointe, pas de deux, character, and contemporary dance. Founded on the vision of Artistic Director Elizabeth Shipiatsky, CBA addresses the full spectrum of development from beginners to early-career professionals. In addition, our sister performance company, Ballet Mélange, provides various opportunities for students to perform on stage throughout the year, and serves as a nurturing place for the young dancers to launch their professional career.
2023/2024 Season Highlights
ADC IBC-Seattle: Sr Classical 2nd Place, Sr Contemporary 2nd Place
UBC - Denver: Ensembles 1st & 3rd, Sr Classical 2nd, 7th & 8th, Sr Contemporary 7th & 9th, Jr Classical 15th Primary Classical 13th.
ADC IBC - Denver: Sr Classical 3rd, Sr Contemporary 11th, 15th, Junior Classical 3rd, Jr Contemporary 12th
YAGP - Denver: Sr Classical Men 2nd, Sr Contemporary Men top 12
Tanzolymp Private Schools: Sr Classical 3rd
Denver Ballet Guild - Category IV 5th
* Over a dozen scholarships were awarded to our dancers this season
Accomplishments
CBA participates in several prestigious dance competitions including the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) in Denver, the Denver Ballet Guild, and the Grand Prix Kiev, ADC IDC and Universal Ballet Competition. Throughout the years, many of our students have placed in the Top 12/10 for both Junior and Senior Classical and Contemporary categories at YAGP, UBC, ADC IBC and Denver Ballet Guild. Our ensembles and pas de duex dancers consistently place in the top spots at these competitions. In addition, students have placed as finalists at the Grand Prix in Kiev, Ukraine in 2018, 2019, and 2020 with several receiving special judges' recognition & prizes as well as international professional contact opportunities. CBA has received the first place school and/or classical coaching award at local competitions in 2018, 2022, 2023, 2024
CBA's excellence in training has opened opportunities for our students to pursue their careers in dance at prestigious schools and companies worldwide including Ballet Arizona, Colorado Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Virginia National Ballet, Colorado West Performing Arts Company, Richmond Ballet, Vaganova Academy (Saint Petersburg), Bolshoi Academy (Moscow), Dutch National Ballet (Amsterdam),English National Ballet School (London), and National Ballet of Ukraine.
Above all, our main success is the nurturing and inclusive environment that we have created, and that makes the CBA family the perfect place to grow.
Performances
An important part of dance training is to develop artistry and stage presence, which can only be cultivated through performance experience. Throughout the year, all levels of CBA students have the opportunity to audition and participate in various ballet productions with our sister company Ballet Melange. Among these are the beloved production of The Nutcracker every winter, and the annual Spring productions of full length classical ballets such as Giselle, Le Corsaire and Cipollino. Academy students also perform in our Spring Show which showcases their hard work and progress as they perform excerpts of famous classical ballets and innovative contemporary pieces. At CBA, there is always an exciting production to look forward to!
