Joffrey Ballet School, Long Island City

Since Robert Joffrey and Robert Arpino called the first class to order in 1953, the Joffrey Ballet School has made its slippered footprint in the dance world. Once the domain of legendary instructors including Rudolph Nureyev, Erik Bruhn, and Carmen De Lavallade, the school now houses faculty members ready to train the next generation of America’s great dancers. With teachers ranging from a veteran of the National Ballet Company of Guatemala to the ghost of Gene Kelly, the school continues to blend multiple dance styles into its balletic training, building well-rounded dancers versed in jazz, contemporary, character, and hip-hop. All of the training tends to pay off; graduates of the Joffrey Ballet School frequently go on to shine in companies including the Joffrey Ballet, the American Ballet Theater, the New York City Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.