MMAC Presents Manhattan Youth Ballet's Spring Workshop March 31 - April 1

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center presents Manhattan Youth Ballet's 2012 Spring Workshop from March 31-April 1. Performances: Saturday at 4pm and 8pm and Sunday at 1:30pm and 5:30pm. The workshop will take place at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center at 248 W. 60th Street, NYC (between Amsterdam and West End Avenues) in the Lincoln Center area. Tickets are $30 ($20 for students) and are available at www.manhattanyouthballet.org.

The program will include an excerpt from George Balanchine's Stars and Stripes TM*, the Scherzo from Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream TM* with special guest, New York City Ballet Principal Dancer, Daniel Ulbricht, featuring new costumes by costume designers, The Fates, a world premiere by Choreographer-in-Residence, Brian Reeder, and excerpts from Don Quixote, Swan Lake and Le Corsaire.

The spring workshop is held annually by MYB students who participate in a winter workshop, for which auditions are held during the Christmas holidays.

Manhattan Youth Ballet (MYB) is a non-profit organization committed to providing the highest artistic quality of instruction and dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the art of dance within the local community. The Company is committed to providing the opportunity to experience ballet to audiences who might not otherwise have that chance.

Since moving to its new home at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center in September 2008, over 2,500 New York City school children have participated in lecture demonstrations and/or been Manhattan Youth Ballet's invited guests at full-length performances. This year MYB has strengthened its Outreach program by partnering with the Police Athletic League. Manhattan Youth Ballet also hosted the benefit Healing for Haiti, which raised over $50,000 for the Haiti relief effort.

For more information about Manhattan Youth Ballet, visit www.manhattanyouthballet.org

Modeled with an emphasis on European classical ballet, Manhattan Youth Ballet (MYB) offers world class training in a nurturing environment focused on discipline, precision and artistry. MYB is the culmination of Ms. Rose Caiola's effort for the past fifteen years to create a viable and curriculum-based ballet academy in Manhattan in order to serve the needs of the multifaceted community. Principal members of the faculty have received their training in schools such as the School of American Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and the Kirov Ballet. The faculty strives to bring out the individual potential of each student with an emphasis on artistry as well as technique to create truly versatile dancers for the current dance world. Education is a top priority at Manhattan Youth Ballet and the school has numerous community outreach programs to promote dance education. Since moving to its new home at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center in September 2008, over 2,500 New York City school children have participated in lecture demonstrations and/or been MYB's invited guests at full-length performances. For more information, visit www.manhattanyouthballet.org.

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center was developed by Rose Caiola as the home of the Manhattan Youth Ballet, a graded, pre-professional ballet academy and performance company. Ms. Caiola, a former dancer and actress, founded the academy in the fall of 1994 as Studio Maestro at 48 W. 68th Street, and today serves as the youth ballet's executive artistic director.

The school is modeled after the European academies. The Manhattan Youth Ballet has acquired a reputation for excellent teaching in an intimate and individually supportive environment. The school's graduates have danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet de España, San Francisco Ballet and Complexions.

As the ballet academy grew, the search for a larger space inspired in Ms. Caiola a highly personal vision of a studio and theater complex that would encompass all aspects of dance education and performance.

MMAC opened its doors in June 2008, occupying a dramatic bi-level space within The Element, a luxury high-rise condominium. In addition to the Manhattan Youth Ballet, mmac's studios and theater host daily adult dance and fitness classes, the mmac Kids program, summer intensive programs, as well as an array of performances and special events.

For more information about MMAC, visit www.manhattanmovement.com.