Our Mission
Mission
New Ballet Ensemble & School brings children and youth together by providing a professional standard of dance training, regardless of the ability to pay.
Vision
All Memphis children will have the opportunity to reach their potential in the arts and in life.
Values
- Personal Growth: We build upon the character assets and life skills inherent in students.
- Equity: We vow that no student is restricted by systemic racism, bias or poverty.
- Innovative Teaching: We focus on each child’s unique, optimum capabilities.
- Community Building: We bridge our racial and cultural differences through dance.
- Partnerships: We collaborate with like-minded individuals and organizations to achieve our goals.
- Education: We incorporate dance in schools to educate, discover and recruit talented youth.
- Generosity: We extend hospitality internally and externally.
Who we are
New Ballet Ensemble & School was founded in 2002 to address the lack of access to excellence in dance. It has since developed into a robust nationally-recognized organization centered on placing teaching artists in schools, providing holistic afterschool programming, and using dance and culture as mechanisms for change.
In addition to immersing students in high quality classical ballet training, New Ballet incorporates multicultural dance genres into students’ instruction and dance repertoire. This unique combination of diversified techniques and cultural emphasis informs New Ballet’s engaging and distinctive performances, including the annual NutRemix™.
Alongside a rigorous dance education, New Ballet is committed to whole child development – we combine arts and creativity with academic support, family engagement and access to wellness services. Creative youth development begins with the dancers’ voices, ideas, and their access to leadership roles; and through dance, students develop the critical thinking and life skills that prepare them for life beyond the stage. Through numerous enrichment activities, mentoring opportunities and partnerships, a young dancer’s experience at New Ballet leaves a lasting impression far beyond the studio walls, driving self-direction, academic achievement and career success. This whole-child approach has resulted in a full cycle of developments as former students now teach in their own communities. Recognizing the country’s best Creative Youth Development programs, the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities awarded New Ballet with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, presented by then-First Lady Michelle Obama in 2014. It was a profound honor to be in the company of the twelve outstanding awardees that year.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
At New Ballet Ensemble & School, we are dedicated to breaking down barriers to the Arts
for all children and youth in Memphis. Our mission is to forge an equitable pathway to arts
education, ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their background, have the
opportunity to access and thrive in the world of dance and the performing arts. We hold a
shared commitment with our organizational and community stakeholders to champion
diversity, equity, and inclusion at the core of our values, fostering a space where creativity
knows no boundaries.
DEI Principles
- Equity in Access: We prioritize equal access to arts education for all, especially for children and youth in high-poverty areas and marginalized communities, ensuring that economic or social barriers do not hinder their opportunities to participate.
- Inclusive Programming: We design our programs and curricula to be inclusive and representative of the diverse backgrounds and experiences of our students, fostering a learning environment where all voices are heard and celebrated.
- Community Engagement: We actively engage with our community stakeholders, including students, families, educators, and partners, to collectively uphold our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, actively seeking their input and feedback.
- Cultural Sensitivity: We embrace and celebrate the rich cultural diversity of Memphis, recognizing the importance of cultural sensitivity and competence in our approach to arts education and performance.