The Gold Coast Arts Center has opened their 2015 fall dance class program and Ellen Schiff, director of the center’s School for the Arts, said they are looking to continue expanding the program through student development.
“The programs are designed for the children to grow. A lot of students start when they are three and now they’re 10 and still come,” Schiff said. “We offer programs that graduate according to ability.”
Schiff said a major reason for the successes and expansion of the program has been the experienced instructors that the center is able to bring in each season.
“We have top notch talent,” Schiff said. “We have professional performers as well as instructors with teaching experience.”
Evelyn Balassanian, a ballet teacher at the center, taught and choreographed ballet at the Long Island School of Dance and Berest School of Dance for 15 years.
Lancelot Theobald Jr. is a former Broadway and Metropolitan Opera performer who currently teaches a boys hip-hop class at the center.
“Our instructors are here to learn but also here for the love of dance and to enjoy it,” Schiff said.
While they have a talented staff of instructors, Schiff said the center always looks to bring in new instructors to give a fresh feel to the program.
We always take proposals for new exciting classes or exciting instructors,” Schiff said. “We are always looking for something fresh to bring in.”
The center’s dance program has grown to include advanced ballet classes, an expansion to the hip-hop program that began last year, and more private lessons taught by the instructors.
Most of the dance classes are for children, pre-teens and teens, but the center offers one adult ballet class.
Schiff said incorporating speech with dance classes has also played a big role in advancing the courses offered by the center, as they now include several Broadway programs for children of all ages that use choreographers, voice teachers, and vocal music teachers.
“It’s another way to hone dancing skills in addition to vocals and acting,” Schiff said.
Dance classes at the center consist of 6 month semester sessions in the fall and winter/spring seasons, as well as week-long summer programs.
While dance lessons in Nassau County can be expensive, Schiff said she makes sure the center offers affordable classes to the public.
“The prices vary for different classes but we have competitive, affordable pricing,” Schiff said. “We compare with other dance instruction places and make sure it is competitive.”
The Gold Coast Arts Center is located on 113 Middle Neck Road in the Village of Great Neck Plaza.
