April 30, 2024
In a converted warehouse near the St. George Ferry Terminal, fifteen young dancers plié at portable barres, their reflections multiplied in floor-to-ceiling mirrors. For Staten Island families, this scene represents both opportunity and compromise: world-class ballet training without the daily commute to Manhattan—but also without the institutional weight of Lincoln Center just a 25-minute boat ride away.
This tension between access and aspiration defines ballet on Staten Island, where a handful of dedicated studios and community programs cultivate young talent in the shadow of one of the world's great dance capitals.
The Geography of Training
Staten Island presents unique challenges for aspiring dancers. As New York City's least populated and most suburban borough, it lacks the dense concentration of professional companies and feeder schools found in Manhattan or Brooklyn. Students aiming for competitive pre-professional tracks often face 90-minute commutes each way—via ferry, subway, and foot—to reach programs at the School of American Ballet, Juilliard, or the Ailey School.
Yet local options have matured significantly over the past two decades, creating viable pathways for students at various commitment levels.
Brighton Ballet Theater: A Bridge to Professional Training
The most established presence is Brighton Ballet Theater (BBT), which operates a Staten Island satellite program in partnership with its main Brooklyn academy. Founded in 1987 by Irina Roizin, BBT brings Vaganova-method training—the rigorous Russian system that produced Baryshnikov and Makarova—to families who might otherwise lack access.
The Staten Island program, launched in 2008, enrolls approximately 120 students ages 3–18 at the Joan & Alan Bernikow Jewish Community Center in Sea View. Unlike recreational studios, BBT maintains a conservatory structure: leveled classes with annual examinations, mandatory summer intensives, and a direct pipeline to its Brooklyn headquarters for advanced students.
"We have three girls currently in the professional children's division at SAB," notes program director Elena Korn, referring to the School of American Ballet, official training ground of New York City Ballet. "They take the 6:30 AM ferry four mornings a week. But their foundation came from here."
BBT Staten Island produces an annual Nutcracker featuring guest artists from major companies, and students regularly place in Youth America Grand Prix regional competitions.
Staten Island Ballet Theatre: Community Roots, Professional Standards
Staten Island Ballet Theatre (SIBT), founded in 1995 by former American Ballet Theatre dancer Ellen Tharp, occupies a distinct niche. Operating from studios in the historic Stapleton neighborhood, SIBT emphasizes performance experience over examination tracks.
The company maintains a roster of 35–40 pre-professional dancers who rehearse 15–20 hours weekly alongside academic schooling. Tharp's repertory choices reflect her ABT pedigree: full-length classics (Giselle, Coppélia) supplemented by contemporary commissions from emerging choreographers.
"What we can't offer in institutional prestige, we make up for in stage time," Tharp explains. "Our dancers perform six full productions annually. That's more than some company apprentices get."
SIBT's tuition model merits attention: approximately 40% of enrolled families receive need-based assistance, funded through borough arts grants and private donors. This accessibility has produced a notably diverse student body compared to Manhattan's elite programs, with significant representation from Staten Island's growing South Asian and Latin American communities.
Notable alumni include James Whiteside, now a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, who trained with Tharp before entering the Harid Conservatory in Florida.
Public School Pathways: The Michael Petrides School
Beyond private studios, the Michael Petrides School—a specialized public high school in Sunnyside—offers the borough's only tuition-free pre-professional dance track. Part of New York City's "Dance" educational option program, Petrides admits students by audition and provides three hours of daily technique classes alongside academic instruction.
Graduates have matriculated to SUNY Purchase, Fordham University, and the Ailey/Fordham BFA program. The school's spring showcase at the St. George Theatre, a 1929 movie palace restored to opulence, represents a rare moment when Staten Island's dance community converges publicly.
The Commute Question
For serious students, the ferry remains unavoidable. Maria Chen, 16, has made the journey from her Todt Hill home to Manhattan's Steps on Broadway since age 12. "My mother and I have a system," she says. "Homework on the boat, breakfast walking to the subway, technique class by 9 AM."
Chen now trains six days weekly, splitting time between Steps, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT, and occasional coaching at BBT Staten Island. She was accepted to the Royal Ballet School's summer course in 2023—a trajectory enabled, she notes, by her
