Bloomfield, NJ, Gets Two New Ballet Academies This Spring—Here's What Dancers and Parents Need to Know

For years, aspiring ballet dancers in Bloomfield, New Jersey, have commuted to Newark, Montclair, or New York City for pre-professional training. That changes this spring. Two new academies—the Bloomfield Conservatory of Dance and the City Ballet Academy—are opening within weeks of each other, bringing dedicated classical ballet instruction to Essex County for the first time.

Together, the schools will add roughly 15,000 square feet of studio space and training capacity for approximately 400 students, ranging from absolute beginners to pre-professionals. Whether you're a parent researching options or a dancer considering a switch, here's a breakdown of what's opening, who's behind it, and how each school differs.

The Bloomfield Conservatory of Dance: Russian Roots on Riverside Avenue

The Bloomfield Conservatory of Dance opens March 15 at 214 Riverside Avenue, a former textile warehouse converted into five studios with sprung floors, Harlequin marley, and live piano accompaniment in every class.

Founder and artistic director Elena Voss, a former principal dancer with the Moscow State Ballet, trained at the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg and has spent the last decade running a satellite program in Summit. She chose Bloomfield, she said, because of the untapped demand.

"I kept meeting families from Bloomfield, Belleville, and Glen Ridge at open auditions in other towns. They were driving 45 minutes each way for training that should exist in their own community," Voss said. "We're building that here."

The Conservatory will teach the Vaganova method, a Russian classical technique known for its emphasis on back strength, épaulement, and whole-body coordination. Voss has hired four additional faculty members, all with former professional company experience.

Tuition ranges from $1,800 to $$4,200 annually depending on level and class load. The Conservatory will also offer free Saturday morning community classes for children ages 5 to 10, with no audition or prior experience required. Its first major production—an annual Nutcracker with an 80-student cast—is scheduled for December 2024.

City Ballet Academy: Balanchine Style in a Historic Theater

Two miles south, City Ballet Academy will debut in April inside the renovated Masonic Theater at 89 Broad Street. The building, vacant since 2019, now houses three studios, a 150-seat black-box performance space, and physical therapy offices run by a partner sports-medicine clinic.

The school is the brainchild of Marcus Delgado, who danced with the New York City Ballet from 2006 to 2018 and later served as ballet master at Ballet Hispánico. Delgado specializes in the neoclassical style pioneered by George Balanchine—a sharp, musically precise, speed-driven approach distinct from the Vaganova method's more rounded, theatrical aesthetic.

"Balanchine isn't 'contemporary' ballet. It's classical ballet stripped to its essentials—fast, rhythmic, and honest," Delgado said. "I want students who are hungry for that clarity."

City Ballet Academy will cap enrollment at 150 students in its first year to maintain small class sizes. Full-year tuition runs $2,200 to $$5,100. Delgado is also launching an outreach program with Bloomfield Public Schools, providing after-school ballet instruction at three elementary schools: Carteret, Franklin, and Watsessing.

Additional public programming includes quarterly "Ballet 101" lectures—free, hour-long talks on ballet history, music, and technique aimed at newcomers—and two student showcases per year in the academy's theater.

How the Two Schools Compare

Both schools are unaffiliated and will operate