Best Ballet Classes in Edison, NJ

We teach students from ages 2 to 72. Classes for our youngest children emphasize creative movements, acrobatics, posture, and rhythm. By age seven, children can start serious instruction in ballet. No exceptional physique, disposition, or athleticism is required before beginning classes at Brighton Ballet Theater because anyone can practice ballet as a form of exercise, relaxation, or strengthening.

Yes, ballet can help scoliosis and in-toeing, but these conditions also require daily exercises and medical supervision, so ballet alone will not be enough. We can also refer students for evaluation to Harkness Center for Dance Injury at NYU Medical Center.

Performances are very costly for any dance school, and most schools sell costumes at a significant markup to cover those costs (typically $150 or more per costume). Brighton Ballet Theater approaches this differently. We rent, rather than buy or sell, very elaborate costumes, and we charge participation fees to pay for the costume rentals, theater rental for rehearsal and performance times, as well as staffing costs for lighting and sound technicians, a wardrobe supervisor, wardrobe attendants and backstage assistants who help children change, supervise younger students as they come on and off stage, and troubleshoot last-minute issues. We keep our participation fees very moderate, typically ranging from $75 for one dance to a maximum of approximately $200 for a student who is performing five or six dances.

Unlike many other schools, we recognize that sometimes illness, travel, and other schedule conflicts may occasionally cause a student to miss classes, so we allow students to "make up" as many as three (3) missed classes during a four-week session. Because we have many similar classes at different times at Brighton Ballet Theater, students may substitute a class outside their regular schedule for one they missed; this is a "make-up." To be eligible to attend a make-up class, students must verify the date of their absence in the class attendance logs, check space availability in the proposed substitute class(es), and submit an application stating this information, along with a nominal $1 filing fee. Make-up class applications are available from the school office.

Sitting at a perfect 180-degree angle ("the splits") in gymnastics is often very important, but this maneuver can overstretch and tear ligaments. It is not the case in ballet, where the ability to do "the splits" is much less critical. We stretch the same muscles during the ballet, but we strive to avoid injury, so we do not emphasize this specific practice, especially with younger children.