Charlottesville Ballet

Charlottesville Ballet is a professional ballet company, dance academy and non-profit founded in 2007 by Sara Clayborne and Emily Hartka, and is the only full-time professional dance company in the Charlottesville, Virginia area. Its mission centers on dancer wellness, performance, education and community outreach, and the company deliberately keeps no rigid physical aesthetic, celebrating all body types. The Charlottesville Ballet Academy, opened in 2011, is the official training school and serves over 700 students across Central Virginia from two studios - 29North on Seminole Trail and Downtown at IX - with training in all dance genres for ages two through adult. Advanced students progress through pointe, partnering, Student Ensemble, pre-professional and trainee programs and perform alongside the professional company. Community programs include adaptive dance, Movement for Parkinson's, Once Upon A Ballet storytime and Chance To Dance, an after-school outreach scheme giving under-served K-5 pupils lifetime scholarships to train at the academy. Summer camps and an annual Nutcracker are also part of the calendar.