ProviDANCE is Ballet RI’s fully-funded flagship community engagement program for area schools.  It introduces 2nd and 3rd grade students to the art and expression of ballet. The goals for the program are:

  • Introducing students to the joy and rigor of studying dance
  • Providing opportunities for students to express themselves
  • Teaching physical acuity, musicality, and creative thinking via the medium of dance
  • Supporting social emotional learning outcomes by collaborative participation in a dance class environment
  • Cultivating an interest in continued dance study

As students progress through the program, ProviDANCE provides a bridge to School of Ballet RI’s pre-professional classes, offering financial aid and transportation assistance.  Assistant teachers in the ProviDANCE program are often Ballet RI’s professional company trainees. These trainees work under an experienced faculty member who is the lead teacher, and act as mentors and examples to the ProviDANCE students while helping them build skills in dance education techniques. 

Ballet RI’s work with our community partners supports the development of students to become empathetic, critically-thinking members of their neighborhoods.

For more information email Nicole Laliberté Douglas our Community Engagement Manager at [email protected]

ProviDance curriculum

Year One, Semester One (Oct.-Dec.)

  • Ballet RI dancers provide a “dance demo” for participating schools with a goal of introducing ballet equitably to the student body
  • After the “dance demo,” students at participating schools decide whether they want to enroll in the after-school ProviDANCE program
  • ProviDANCE classes provided by Ballet RI instructors commence with one 60-minute after-school class per week. 

Year One, Semester Two (Jan.-June)

  • Ballet RI instructors provide ProviDANCE classes after school
  • Select students from Semester 1 may be invited to join “Academy” classes whereby one day per week the Ballet Bus picks up the participating Providence students and brings them to the Ballet RI studio at 825 Hope Street for a 75-minute class. This is in addition to the weekly classes that take place at their school.
  •  All Academy students receive ballet uniforms and shoes, and a dance bag at no cost to families.
  • At the end of class, the Ballet Bus brings Providence students back to their school to be picked up by parent/guardian.
  • At the close of the semester, Academy students participate in School of Ballet RI’s culminating performance.

Year Two, Semesters one and two

  • If they participated as “Academy” students in Year One, they may be invited to continue as ProviDANCE “Scholars” in Year Two, where they come to the Ballet RI studios for 90 minute classes twice per week for the full Academic Year. 
  • During this time, there is a new round of Year One students.

Year 3

Students may apply for scholarships to continue their study as typical students in School of Ballet RI’s Core Division via the Christine Hennessey and Derrick Davis Scholarship Funds.