Mount Pleasant Dance Student Spends Summer Break Training at School of Nashville Ballet’s Prestigious Dance Program

School of Nashville Ballet accepted one young dancer from Mount Pleasant, South Carolina to participate in its Summer Intensive program—Ava Grebe who studies at The Ballet Conservatory of Charleston and attends South Carolina Governor's School of Arts & Humanities. She spent part of her summer developing her ballet technique and performance skills at the official School of Nashville Ballet.

This year’s Summer Intensive program included more than 300 students from 33 states across the country, as well international students from Canada and New Zealand. Students had the chance to train with Nashville Ballet’s internationally recognized teachers and guest faculty, as well as be seen by Nashville Ballet Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling.

“Summer Intensive allows young dancers to dedicate themselves exclusively to growing their skills during a short, focused amount of time, often in a new environment away from home,” Nick Mullikin, Director of School of Nashville Ballet, said. “Students dance around 40 hours a week in a wide variety of styles so they’re able to improve their technique and artistry significantly from the time they enter the studio from the time they leave.”

This past summer, Nashville Ballet offered seven Summer Intensive sessions for ages 11 and over, ranging from one to five weeks. Students had the opportunity to board at nearby Belmont University in suite-style apartments, offering them a taste of independent living (some for the first time).

“Students attend Summer Intensive to gain the competitive edge in their future training and careers, but what they oftentimes don’t realize is the life skills they’re gaining at the same time,” Mullikin said. “They’re becoming more independent, developing incredible work ethic and becoming more confident both inside and outside the studio. They leave growing not only as dancers, but also as people.”

Nashville Ballet’s Summer Intensive 2018 will take place throughout June and July 2018. The audition tour will begin in January and continue through March at cities nationwide; dates and locations will be released in the coming months. For more information on Nashville Ballet’s Summer Intensive, please visit www.nashvilleballet.com/siinfo.

About Nashville Ballet

Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet presents a varied repertoire of classical ballet and contemporary works by noted choreographers, including original works by Artistic Director & CEO Paul Vasterling. Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2 (a pre-professional training company), provide more than 70,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through season performances and its Community Engagement programming. Curriculum-based Community Engagement programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries and public elementary, middle and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet brings world-class dance instruction to students age 2 to 70.

Nashville Ballet receives public funding from Metropolitan Nashville Arts Commission, Tennessee Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributions from local, regional and national institutional funders and community partners, as well as hundreds of generous individuals, provide ongoing support of Nashville Ballet’s mission-critical programs.