Community Engagement
The Sarasota Ballet is committed to the belief that dance is for everyone, ensuring it remains accessible to all. Since its founding, The Sarasota Ballet has been fulfilling its mission of “strengthening community through the art of dance”. Through initiatives such as Dance – The Next Generation for underserved children, adapted classes for people living with limitations, and complimentary tickets for marginalized groups, The Sarasota Ballet has demonstrated a 35-year commitment to community enrichment through the art of dance. With five Community Engagement programs, The Sarasota Ballet extends into the community, ensuring that people of all ages and backgrounds can experience the transformative power of dance through complementary or low-cost programs, performances and classes. By engaging new audiences, The Sarasota Ballet deepens the cultural richness of the area and helps revitalize communities, offering individuals the chance to discover inspiration through dance.
Dance – The next generation
Dance – The Next Generation (DNG), The Sarasota Ballet’s pioneering community engagement program, provides underserved children in Sarasota and Manatee Counties the opportunity to study dance tuition-free if they are eligible for free or reduced lunch. Operating since 1991, Dance – The Next Generation (DNG) immerses students in grades 3–12 in an inclusive, diverse, and well-rounded after-school program that combines quality dance training with academic support, mentoring, and enrichment opportunities. Serving 150 students each year, DNG is more than a dance program—it is a program designed to nurture the whole child.
Dance Education Experiences
school performances & programs
The Sarasota Ballet is honored to introduce many children in our community to their very first live, classical ballet experience. Through Dance Education Experiences, the Ballet partners with schools across Manatee, Sarasota, and Charlotte counties, engaging students with in-classroom workshops, in-school performances, and special School Matinees at FSU’s Center for the Performing Arts.
ADAPTIVE DANCE
JOYFUL MOVEMENT THROUGH PARKINSON’S & Silver swans®
With great pride, The Sarasota Ballet offers adaptive dance classes that make the joy of dance accessible in a supportive and structured way. These classes create inclusive, safe, and welcoming spaces for individuals living with long-term or lifelong physical, cognitive, or social disabilities. Through a partnership with the Neuro Challenge Foundation, The Sarasota Ballet offers Joyful Movement Through Parkinson’s, a tuition-free program of weekly dance classes for individuals with Parkinson’s, taught by Sarasota Ballet faculty trained in the Mark Morris Dance Group’s renowned Dance for PD method. Silver Swans® is the Royal Academy of Dance’s special dance and movement program for adults ages 55 and older. Offered inside retirement communities across Sarasota and Manatee counties, The Sarasota Ballet proudly presents this program, which combines history, movement, and music in conjunction with the current Sarasota Ballet season.
Community Experiences
Community Experiences opens the doors of The Sarasota Ballet to underrepresented audiences by removing barriers to the performing arts. Opportunities include backstage tours, talkbacks, lecture demonstrations, complimentary or discounted tickets, and performances in unique community settings. With continually expanding community partnerships, The Sarasota Ballet is inspired to broaden these offerings while cultivating long-term, invested audiences.
