Performances

Staunton Academy of Ballet offers a variety of performing experiences throughout the year with parent visitations, lecture/demonstrations for area schools and libraries, as well as full scale productions. In the Spring, we have a year end recital for our Pre-Primary – Senior Level students. Many years, we also do a full length ballet for our Intermediate—Senior Division students. Full length ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Coppelia, Happily Ever After, The Wizard of Oz and Cinderella have been presented as well as one act ballets such as Peter and the Wolf, Les Sylphides, Aurora’s Wedding, The Princess and the Pea, Les Patineurs, A Birthday for a Princess, and Stars & Stripes. It is Mrs. McCray’s belief that students benefit greatly from participation in “real” ballets, learning not only the choreography, but the story, the music, and the history of the great classical ballets. “Rather than just learning a dance for a typical year-end recital, being part of something bigger helps my students to learn about their art and it’s importance in the world”. Academy students in the Junior, Intermediate and Senior divisions are given the opportunity to participate in the American Academy of Ballet Performance Awards held annually. Though not a mandatory part of SAB’s program, Mrs. McCray feels this worthwhile experience provides her students with the opportunity not only to realize but also to fulfill their potential and gain great self-esteem and self-confidence through their achievements and accomplishments.