Finger Lks Ballet

Finger Lakes Ballet Academy is a classical ballet and dance school at 24 Coy Street, Canandaigua, New York, established in 2003 by owner and instructor Catherine Sciarratta, who trained and danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and previously owned the Durango Ballet Academy. Four faculty members teach six disciplines to students from age 3 through adult. Ballet follows primarily a Vaganova syllabus with Royal Ballet (French) and Cecchetti influences, and pointe is taught. Other offerings are contemporary tap, contemporary (ages 10 and up, requiring prior ballet), modern including Bartenieff Fundamentals and improvisation, jazz, and hip hop covering jazz funk, popping, locking, tutting, waving and shuffling. Combo classes introduce the youngest dancers to ballet and tap fundamentals in three age bands: 3/4, 5/6 and 7/8. The academy emphasises intention, expressiveness, musicality and performance quality, stages an end-of-year recital, and runs evening summer classes and workshops from June through August. Graduates have gone on to collegiate dance programs and local companies.