Professional Training Centre for beginner, intermediate, and advanced students and official school of Chevalier Ballet.
SLK Ballet School
World-class training in ballet and contemporary dance for students ages 5 to 19. Now accepting registration for school year 2024-2025 and summer 2025 programs.
About Us
SLK Ballet School was founded in 2010 by Sara Knight as a year-round daytime training program designed to allow students to train with a flexible schedule and supportive environment. SLK Ballet's Professional Daytime Program is now known as Chevalier Ballet Professional Training Program, and since 2022 SLK Ballet has been dedicated to providing students in its after-school divisions - the Pre-Professional Training Program and the Early Dance Program - with the highest quality of ballet training and an inclusive environment. SLK Ballet school is open to all students with beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels of training.
Under the direction of Sara Knight and her staff, SLK Ballet offers classes in classical ballet, pointe and variations, repertoire, partnering, character, contemporary, jazz, floor barre, pilates, stretch, yoga, and more. Private coaching is also available, upon request.
SLK Ballet's syllabus is based on the Vaganova method and incorporates traditional Russian, English, French and Danish techniques. The school year runs from September into May, with two optional two-week summer programs: one in August in New York, and, beginning in 2025, one in Saint-Raphaël, France, in June.
Throughout SLK Ballet's history, students have gained performance experience through guesting with various ballet companies throughout the U.S. and abroad, including the school's affiliated company, Chevalier Ballet, Alabama Ballet, NY State Ballet, and Staten Island Ballet. Students have also been involved in outreach dancing in hospitals and schools around the New York City area and abroad including the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital (NYC), The Ronald McDonald House of Manhattan, Mount Sinai and Sloan Kettering (NYC), Success Academy (NYC), Holme J & I (Yorkshire, U.K.), Scholes J & I (Yorkshire, U.K.), and Holmfirth High School (Yorkshire, U.K.).
SLK Ballet School has provided students with exchange programs with the Central School of Ballet, Masters of Ballet, and English National Ballet School, in London, England. Select advanced students have been granted the opportunity to study at these prestigious ballet schools.
Testimonials
"SLK helped me grow as dancer in so many ways. Sara Knight and all the teachers give each student corrections very specific to their individual needs and what they need to work on. They were always very focused and worked with me on anything I struggled with. When it comes to company auditions and breaking into the professional ballet world, all the faculty at SLK were extremely helpful guiding me through the auditioning process. The time I spent at SLK is very special to me. The instruction I got helped so much technically, but I also feel I was able to find my own artistry in dance, thanks to the wide curriculum and all the performance opportunities. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for SLK Ballet, and for that I am truly grateful."
— Stella Durden, 2019 Graduate