The Ballet Theatre of Carmel Academy (BTCA) is a pre-professional ballet school dedicated to developing dancers to their fullest potential as both artists and community members. We believe that through encouragement, discipline, and dedication, our professional instructors can nurture dancers to a higher degree of achievement, confidence, and self-esteem. While we strive to give young dancing artists the tools necessary to succeed in the collegiate and professional levels, we challenge all of our dancers, regardless of their long-term goals, to achieve their personal best and, most of all, to have fun as they follow their passion! Our academy environment is one of inclusivity and mutual support, and the studio is a place for young dancers to learn, connect, and inspire one another.
BTCA is proud to include the American Ballet Theatre® National Training Curriculum among its training methods. This breakthrough nine-level program combines high quality artistic training with the basics of dancer health and child development. The ABT® National Training Curriculum consists of a comprehensive set of age-appropriate, outcome-based guidelines to provide the highest quality ballet training to dance students of all ages and skill levels.
ABT’s National Training Curriculum embraces sound ballet principles and incorporates elements of the French, Italian and Russian schools of training. The curriculum assists beginning through advanced teachers in training dance students to use their bodies correctly by focusing on kinetics, coordination, anatomy, and proper body alignment. Artistically, the National Training Curriculum strives to provide dance students with a rich knowledge of classical ballet technique and the ability to adapt to all styles and techniques of dance.
The Ballet Theatre of Carmel Academy has a highly credentialed and diverse faculty team with a wide range of professional and educational experience and training. Jane Hachiya-Weiner, Angela Agresti, and Sarah Woolgar are ABT® National Training Curriculum certified teachers for Pre-Primary through Level 5, and Nicole Dean is certified through Level 3. Jane Hachiya-Weiner was also an ABT Affiliate Teacher from 2009-2013. See the Faculty section of BTCA’s website for complete faculty biographies.