Covenant Ballet Theatre of Brooklyn (CBT) students ages 3 – 18 will showcase their artistic and technical progress with Pointing the Way to the Classics, the end-of-year showcase taking place at the Church of Saints Simon and Jude, lower church (185 Van Sicklen Street) on Saturday, June 24, at 6pm. The performance will also culminate the company’s 35th Anniversary celebration. Tickets are $25 general admission ($10 seniors/children under 12) and available for purchase at https://our.show/pointingthewaytotheclassics.

Curated by founder and artistic director Marla Hirokawa, the performance will feature original, age-appropriate choreography inspired by the classic ballets Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake and other classics. The program will reflect the timeless tradition while featuring original work by Hirokawa and CBT faculty Rebeccah Brann, Stephen Campanella, Colleen Fechner, Karina Fornazaro, Nanako Kitagawa and Joseph Tudisco.

Since 1987, CBT has invested in the children and families of south Brooklyn, where cultural activities and resources are limited. Artistic Director Marla Hirokawa founded CBT on the conviction that a serious ballet education is needed to advance the art form, train youth, and improve the lives of those within its embrace. In an accepting yet rigorous environment, CBT fosters the love of dance through pre-professional training, educational programs in NYC schools, and original ballet productions.

In its 35 years, CBT has trained hundreds of students, age three through adult, who come from CBT’s South Brooklyn region as well as all five NYC boroughs and the tri-state area. Alumni have gone on to study at major performing arts high schools in NYC and virtually every major dance school in New York and beyond, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Julliard School, and the School of American Ballet. Many have apprenticed and danced with professional companies such as Martha Graham Company, Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and the Metropolitan Opera. Others have formed their own dance companies and dance schools. They have also leveraged life lessons acquired at CBT to launch successful careers in education, fashion, finance, health care, law, neuroscience, and public relations, among other fields.

“This 35th year has been a year of growth, many ‘firsts’ and new beginnings,” reflects Hirokawa. “As we culminate the academy year, I can only expect good things as we embark on new adventures.”

CBT Academy has received generous support from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. It is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. 

For further information, visit www. covenantballet.org, call 718-891-6199, or email [email protected].