From its inception nearly 35 years ago, José Mateo Ballet Theatre School has boldly challenged a centuries-old tradition of exclusion and elitism to create a more inclusive, just and humanistic approach to expert ballet training.
Today, the School continues to strengthen its outstanding reputation. Distinguishing itself from other dance and ballet schools in the area, it is highly regarded for its comprehensive curriculum, exceptional faculty and welcoming, progressive and diverse environment.
Creatively adapting to the current conditions triggered by COVID-19, the School is now helping define the next phase of the cultural sector, inventively embracing the technology so critical to advancing the role of dance in our reconfigured communities.
The School serves both children and adults, from the beginner to the professional offering:
The Young Dancers Program is JMBT’s yearlong training program for students ages 3–18. After temporarily closing its studios in Harvard Square, Cambridge and Dorchester, Boston, JMBT introduced its innovative online program, Ballet at Home, in March 2020. Further developed and enhanced to serve students looking for a motivating and engaging experience, the program ensures that all students excel – technically and artistically – beyond their expectations.
The program welcomes students from all areas, near and far, to join a genuinely personal and productive online community that offers the most enjoyable and effective training in ballet. Enrollment is currently limited to classes for the Fall Session only.
YouthWorks is the pre-professional dance program within José Mateo Ballet Theatre’s Young Dancers Program. YouthWorks dancers are fully enrolled students in the program’s highest levels and rehearse, perform and video original choreographed variations designed especially for members of the group. YouthWorks applicants are required to submit an audition video.
José Mateo Ballet Theatre offers classes for adults with previous ballet training Monday–Saturday all year. Please stay tuned for our mid-August announcement of the new class schedule for the upcoming Fall Session.
We believe that age should never be a barrier to learning the art of ballet. With our Introduction to Ballet classes for teens and adults, José Mateo Ballet Theatre offers age-appropriate training to older students who have never had the opportunity to learn ballet. Try something new in the comfort of our home and join us for these wonderful introductory courses. Please stay tuned for our mid-August announcement of the new class schedule for the upcoming Fall Session.
… fed by the elegant choreography of its artistic director, José Mateo’s Ballet Theatre has cultivated a distinctive ballet style, a critically acclaimed repertory of original work, a school and 20-member company…He’s bred a generation of teachers who’ve built the finest open enrollment school in the region.
New York Times