The Pre-Professional Program is an intensive training track designed to prepare students for a career in the dance world, with a focus on classical technique, diverse genres, and performance experience. Students receive rigorous instruction, work with guest choreographers, and perform alongside the professional company in various Charlottesville Ballet productions.
Pre-Professional, Level A
From left to right: Julia Aguirre, Natalie Macbeth, Georgia Barrow, Lily Lischke, Kasumi Furukawa
Pre-Professional, Level B
Front left to right: Layla Quinton, Preston Silvers, Jocelyn Hurd, Eleanor Trimble, Ela Bassett-Taurel
Pre-Professional, Level C
Front Row (from left to right): Narumi Furukawa, Hazel Fulton, Serita Barzun, Ailyn Green
Second Row (from left to right): Gracie Toe, Juliana Kelly, Solveig Stewart, Ellie Gay, Walker Kretlow
Pre-Professional, Level D
Front Row (from left to right): Arlo Johnson, Ysolte Green, Emm Maurer, Cate Suggs DeSorbo
Second Row (from left to right): Virginia Stipe, Adrienne Largiader, Polina Salerno, Niah Montero
Third Row (from left to right): Abigail Gowin, Del Samadi, Aria Magula, Lacy Daniel
The Student Ensemble Program offers dancers performance opportunities throughout the academic year with a focus on ballet & other optional genres. This program emphasizes training, choreography, and performance while offering students the flexibility to pursue other interests.
Student Ensemble 1
Front Row (from left to right): Leapy Sexton, Lucrecia Mullins-Aviles, Miranda Wagner, Jasper Pompano, Beatrice Campanelli, Kinley Little, Eliza Benedict
Second Row (from left to right): Olivet Nguyen, James Barzun, Alana Renshaw, Polly Krause, Harper Scaglione, Maxwell Miller, Poppy Sexton, Theodora Athayde
Not Pictured: Elliana Clayborne
Student Ensemble 2/3A
Front Row (from left to right): Genevieve Hegge, Ruthie Gentry, Tigerlilly Schornberg, Lucy Throneburg, Miriam Lotter, Maeve Hutchinson, Evelyn Blake
Second Row (from left to right): Eleanor Walter, Billie Harrison, Cyrus Cacatian, Emery Nicolette, Maria Barzun, Clara McCready, Cora Davis
Student Ensemble 3B/4 
Front Row (from left to right): Rowan Green, Ashby Hall, Elsie Nabb, Camille Cacatian
Second Row (from left to right): Hannah Grace Schilling, Dorothy Shirley, Meredith Fleming, Nadia Howard
Not Pictured: Tabitha Lotter, Kate Thompson, Aislin Wolfman
Student Ensemble 5 
From left to right: Abby Stiffler, Evelyn Popescu, Tilda Rajagopalan, Carson Fields, Alicia Jiang, Caroline Schilling
Not Pictured: Charlie Breton-Whipple, Jack Henry Harris
Thank you to everyone who made Stars of Tomorrow & Momentum possible!
Our Mission
To elevate the art of dance through wellness, performance, education, and community outreach.
About the Ballet
Charlottesville Ballet is a professional ballet company, academy, and nonprofit organization founded by Sara Clayborne and Emily Hartka in 2007. The organization has three parts:
PROFESSIONAL COMPANY
Charlottesville Ballet has no rigid physical aesthetic for its dancers and all body types are celebrated. The company includes dancers from across the United States and abroad and is the Resident Dance Company in Lynchburg’s Academy Center of the Arts.
ACADEMY
Charlottesville Ballet Academy (CBA) is a nonprofit center for dance education serving ages 1.5 through adult in all dance genres.
CB MOVES COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Our FREE programming designed to serve underrepresented populations including seniors, disabled individuals, and those facing economic challenges. Classes are currently offered for ages 1-100 through the following programs:
- Chance To Dance (C2D) serves students in grades K-5 in local public elementary schools. Each year, students are selected to receive lifetime scholarships to continue their dance training at CBA.
- Movement For Parkinson’s weekly class for participants with movement disorders and their care partners; currently serving ages 50-100.
- Silver Swans offers ballet classes for seniors age 50+ in partnership with The Center at Belvedere.
- Adaptive Dance classes for students with Autism, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, or any other developmental or intellectual disabilities to explore the joy of dance.
- Once Upon A Ballet and other free programming for schools, libraries, and communities across Virginia.
An integral part of the Ballet’s mission is to increase access and inclusion in dance. Classical ballet has historically catered to a specific body type and level of physical ability — we aim to change that stereotype and believe that dance is for everyBODY.
COME DANCE WITH US!
We launched a scholarship initiative in July 2024, and we are will be accepting applications for the 2026-2027 Aacademic Year in July! See more at www.CharlottesvilleBallet.org/KLDF
