On a Tuesday morning in a converted church on Burlington's North Street, twelve teenage ballerinas rehearse pointe work beneath exposed wooden beams. Their instructor calls out combinations in French, correcting a student's port de bras with hands-on precision. This is not New York or Boston. It is Chittenden County—the heart of Vermont's unexpectedly robust dance ecosystem.
For a state with no full-time resident professional ballet company, Vermont punches above its weight in dance training. Burlington and its surrounding towns host a network of schools that have launched dancers onto national stages, while also serving adults lacing up ballet slippers for the first time. The challenge for prospective students is not finding instruction. It is choosing among philosophies that range from pre-professional rigor to creative exploration.
Here is what actually distinguishes four of the region's key institutions.
Where Pre-Professionals Take Flight: Vermont Ballet Theater
Vermont Ballet Theater has operated in the Burlington area for more than four decades, making it one of the longest-running dance organizations in northern New England. It functions as both a school and a performing company, a dual structure that gives serious students regular access to the stage.
The school stages two full-length productions annually, including a Nutcracker performed at Burlington's Flynn Center for the Performing Arts with live orchestral accompaniment. That performance pipeline matters. Students who train here from childhood through their teens often log more stage time than peers at larger metropolitan schools, where competition for roles is fiercer.
The curriculum blends classical and contemporary ballet. Director Maryellen Vickerman, who founded the organization in 1987, emphasizes what she calls "performance-ready technique"—the ability to adapt classical training to contemporary choreography without losing foundational alignment.
Alumni track: Vermont Ballet Theater graduates have joined regional companies including Festival Ballet Providence and Nashville Ballet's second company, as well as commercial dance circuits in New York and Los Angeles.
Best fit for: Students aged 8–18 seeking multiple performance opportunities per year and a clear pre-professional track.
The Cross-Training Powerhouse: Chittenden City School of Dance
Do not let the name confuse you. Chittenden City School of Dance—located in South Burlington, not the nonexistent "Chittenden City"—has built its reputation on breadth. Founded in 1994, the school trains roughly 400 students annually across ballet, jazz, modern, tap, and hip-hop.
The faculty includes former dancers from Dance Theatre of Harlem, Parsons Dance, and Broadway touring productions. But what separates this school from its neighbors is its systematic approach to cross-training. Ballet students are required to take modern or jazz through the intermediate levels, a policy director Laura Cheney defends emphatically: "The dancers who survive professionally are the ones who can switch genres without panicking," she said in a 2023 interview with Seven Days.
The school's college and career placement record is well-documented. Recent alumni have enrolled at Juilliard, Fordham University/Ailey, and SUNY Purchase. Others have joined contemporary companies including Whim W'Him and BODYTRAFFIC.
Best fit for: Students who want strong ballet fundamentals within a multi-disciplinary program, particularly those interested in college dance programs or contemporary company careers.
Finding Your Voice: The Dance Project
Walk into The Dance Project's studio on Pine Street, and the soundscape changes immediately. A ballet barre class might share a wall with a breaking session or a contemporary improvisation workshop. Founded in 2009, this Burlington institution positions itself as the alternative entry point into serious dance.
The faculty includes choreographers active in Vermont's independent dance scene, several of whom create original work on students during the school's annual winter showcase. Creative director Jamal Thompson, a former hip-hop competitor with modern dance training, describes the school's philosophy as "technique in service of individuality."
That shows in the curriculum structure. Intermediate and advanced students participate in regular composition labs where they build their own solos and group works. The ballet program itself draws from multiple syllabi rather than adhering strictly to Vaganova or Cecchetti methods.
Best fit for: Teenagers and young adults interested in choreography, interdisciplinary performance, or a less traditional path into dance—though the school also runs popular adult beginner ballet series.
Classical Immersion: Vermont Dance Academy
If Vermont Ballet Theater offers the stage, Vermont Dance Academy offers the syllabus. This Essex Junction school, founded in 2001, runs a comprehensive ballet program built around the Vaganova method, the Russian training system known for its meticulous attention to épaulement, turnout development, and musical phrasing.
Classes are leveled by examination, not age. Students progress through a ten-year curriculum starting from creative movement and advancing to pre-professional pas de deux and variations study. The school limits enrollment at each level to maintain small class sizes—typically 12 students or fewer in the intermediate and advanced divisions.
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