"I danced at Lebanon Ballet School from the age of five up until my senior year in high school. Through those years, I learned how to grow not only as a dancer, but as a person. Through the teaching ways of the staff, I learned how to enhance my dancing, and learned about discipline, time management, and how to strategies through every day life.
Not only did Lebanon Ballet School give me a place to dance, it was my second home and a way to focus on the thing that I love most; to dance like no one is watching. Linda, Jen, Crissy, Bryan, and Ann all were extremely supportive of my endeavors, and opened up their hearts and minds to aide me in becoming the person that I am today.
Without Lebanon Ballet School, I wouldn't be dancing with Ballet Austin in their trainee program this year. The classes that I took there throughout the years, and the people that were brought in to guest teach and that I worked with made me realize that anything is possible as long as you focus and set your mind to getting what you want.
Thank you for all that you have done. I know that no matter where I go, Lebanon Ballet School will always be a second home, and the students and staff there can always be considered my second family."
Emily H.
Former student now dancing with Ballet Austin, TX
"I began dancing at LBS when I was nine years old and have been here ever since. I've been in and out over the years but every time I come back to the studio it feels like coming home. The training I received here through classes and performance opportunities with City Center Ballet have given me the technical foundation necessary to carry me forward in dancing and have opened many doors for me. But even beyond technical training this school has been a constant base in my life. The friendships I've made here and the support I've received have never wavered. I've seen young girls grow into young women here and go on to wonderful places, living fuller lives because of what they received at LBS. It is a community that encourages development, self discipline and growth and it's a group of people who support and care for each other. It has been an incredible part of my life for years and I am so grateful for everything."
-Claire H.-R.
Former student now dancing with the Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company in Israel
"Lebanon Ballet School and City Center Ballet provided world class training in an intimate and nurturing small town environment. The artistic and educational experiences I had there are close to my heart and integral to the artist and woman I am today. I was able to perform repertoire I would never have had the opportunity to if I were at any other school or student company. An understanding of a professional setting was instilled in me at such a young age. However, at the same time, Linda fully understood that her students were young girls developing into young women and the sensitivity as well as discipline needed. I don't know how to articulate the deep respect and love I was able to cultivate for dance at Lebanon Ballet School. I strongly believe the introspective but presentation conscious approach to the art of dance at LBS has allowed me to develop into the artist I am today."
-Mina L.
Former student, now a professional dancer, guest artist and teacher.
"Although LBS has produced several professional dancers, I am one of the many who took their lives in other directions. But once you fall in love with dance, you never quite shake it, so I have taken classes in several different studios since I grew up and moved away, and I always get compliments on how well-trained I am. The excellent technique I learned has served me well both in dance classes that I take for my own enjoyment, as well as in the occasional amateur theatrical production and out on the dance floor socially.
But more than technique, LBS taught me self-discipline, self-awareness, poise, the pursuit of excellence, and how to be a lady, and all of those stay with me in my career and in my life overall."
-Katie T.
Former student
"Lebanon Ballet School and those who led it while I danced there helped shape me during my formative years - not only as a dancer, but as a person. Rehearsals were filled with hard work and constant opportunities to push ourselves to become the best dancers we could be. Performing with fellow students and members of visiting companies made the magic of ballet truly palpable for me. From dancing the role of “Clara” in
The Nutcracker to dancing alongside Anna Dinces, Missy Christy and Laura Jorgensen as one of Les Petits Cygnees in
Swan Lake - I will never forget what it felt like to step on stage and create something meaningful through dance. I cherish the traditions LBS established and, most of all, the time I spent with my fellow ballerinas, many of whom I still call friends today."
-Melisse H.
Former student
"My time spent at LBS is something I will never forget. From the time I started taking lessons as an awkward third grader, to the end of my high school career, the teachers there were committed to helping me grow and develop my technique. Many lessons I learned there will always be carried with me. Thanks to LBS, I will continue to dance as long as I can, and continue to be involved with the dance world after that."
-Amanda W.
Former student
"My first experience with Lebanon Ballet School was participating in a summer dance intensive, which included opportunities to work with artists and teachers from all over the country, and even the world. This inspired me to become more involved in ballet and start pursuing it seriously, and Lebanon Ballet School was the perfect place to do that. Although I was a bit behind many of the other dancers when I started, I was able to learn quite a lot in a very short time because of how willing the teachers were to coach and encourage me. Lebanon Ballet School has been a big part of my life, and my time there was well spent; it helped open my eyes to the world of dance and set a good foundation for pursuing dance at the collegiate level."
-Cristia J.
Former student
