Classical Dance Alliance, Inc.

*To build an alliance of professionals who actively participate in the training of Classical Dance using a common language and knowledge base to ensure the continuity and quality of Classical Dance.

*To support excellence in Classical Dance training for improved learning outcomes and better performance opportunities for their students.

*To educate ballet instructors and dance educators in Classical Dance pedagogy and promote the Classical Dance curriculum as an exceptional tool for training dancers.

* To enrich contemporary and traditional performances by making the Classical Dance vocabulary in its full depth and breadth more accessible to professionals choreographing, staging and performing dance.

* To foster a better understanding of and appreciation for the Classical Dance tradition through education, by facilitating communication, providing information, and stimulating discourse on Classical Dance.

CDA is working to raise awareness of what constitutes good schooling, to encourage networking and discourse among the dance community, and to prompt ballet teachers to work knowledgeably and responsibly in the classroom.

Central to this effort are CDA BarreRaiser™ events, where teachers and others can deepen and broaden their own knowledge. Training intensives are taught separately and in conjunction with the International Youth Ballet Festival which takes place in both the United States and Russia. Courses taught have included Classical Dance (ballet) Character Dance, Historical Dance and Variations with sessions held in New York, NY, St. Augustine, FL, St. Petersburg, Russia and Lisbon, Portugal. Instruction has been with leading teaching teaching artists and pedagogues. Faculty to date have included Oleg Vinogradov, Anna Marie Holmes, Irina Kolpakova, Vladilen Semenov, Nina Kosesnikova, Sasha Lunev. Irina Guseva, Janet L. Springer along with many associates in Russia.

Through observation, discussion, detailed breakdown of individual steps, and illustrative choreography, participants begin to master the craft through sound pedagogical method. Material is not only practiced but also presented in written form via a comprehensive syllabus. Appropriate music for barre and center exercises has been produced on companion CDs for use by teachers in their classrooms.

To this end, CDA has begun to produce subject-specific CDs introduced in courses and specifically designed for classroom accompaniment. Already released are Music for Elementary Character Dance and musical compositions for Historical Dance Volume I, arranged, composed, and performed on grand piano by Marina Gendel with artistic direction by Nina and Vladimir Kolesnikov. The CDs were directed and produced by CDA's Janet L. Springer.

By making Classical Dance pedagogy more accessible to every contributor to every phase of dancemaking, CDA is providing valuable tools to inform and enrich the entire process.

Producing Ballet Festivals and performances and conducting teachers' courses is hard work, time consuming and expensive! In the last 14 years, CDA has held events, at cost, and with no compensation for those who create and administer our festivals and programs. We have ongoing operating expenses and our very special teaching artists and musicians have often worked at a discount with some even volunteering full time because they are dedicated to our mission! Even with the significant growth of our organization, tuition from events, enrollment fees and audition fees is not enough to cover all of our costs. CDA has heavily relied on volunteers and in-kind service contributions.

CDA is in the process of applying for major grants and soliciting more individual contributions and sponsorships.

Classical Dance Alliance is a 501c(3) non-profit organization with a vision and a belief... when it comes to ballet training there is nothing more important than education! CDA was founded in 2002, to improve and maintain, at the highest level, the quality of classical ballet training. Our organization helps teachers and dancers improve ballet training outcomes by providing them with significant schooling and resources not usually available to them. In 2012, through unprecedented international cooperation with Oleg Vinogradov and the Oleg Vinogradov Foundation for the Preservation and Development of Classical Ballet, we launched the International Youth Ballet Festival. At the Festival, which takes place in the U.S. and Russia, authoritative material and choreography is presented to teachers and dancers. They are taught by world renowned teaching artists who are subject-specific specialists. Through such efforts, CDA hopes to enliven the art form and invigorate classical dance now and for generations to come.