☞ BESPOKE: American Ballet Auditions in Harlem

Saturday, May 8, at 5:30 PM at Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts in East Harlem. The School of American Ballet (SAB), the country’s leading classical ballet academy, will hold special free auditions for the 2010-11 Winter Term for girls and boys ages 6 to 10 on in Harlem.

SAB’s faculty will look for girls and boys who are interested in pursuing focused ballet training. No prior training is necessary. Children should wear shorts and tee shirts, bathing suits or leotards to the audition. Those selected for admission will be invited to enroll for two classes per week at SAB’s Lincoln Center headquarters for the 10-month, 2010-11 Winter Term, which begins in September and runs through mid-June. Tuition scholarships are available.

The School of American Ballet has been the leading academy for classical ballet training in the United States since its founding in 1934 by Lincoln Kirstein and the renowned choreographer George Balanchine. Over the past 75 years, the Manhattan-based school—which is both the official academy of New York City Ballet and a constituent member of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts—has enrolled some 17,000 students, with more than 2,000 having become professional dancers at New York City Ballet and countless other companies around the U.S. and abroad.

Tryouts will be held at 1 East 104th Street, Manhattan (main entrance of El Museo Del Barrio on Fifth Avenue at 104th Street). Children must be 6 by September 1, 2010, to audition for the upcoming school year. The closest subways to this location is the 6 train at 103rd Street ir take the 2,3 express to 110th Street and transfer to the M4 bus. Photo by Ulysses