Lafayette Ballet Theatre company dancers and students passed stringent admissions screenings and auditions to secure coveted spots in the nation’s most intensive ballet study programs this summer. The young women competed against advanced-level students from around the U.S. and abroad for these opportunities to build their skills under the instruction of some of the world’s top ballet professionals.
Bethany Buller, 19, of Opelousas, is attending a five-week course on full scholarship at
Boston Ballet School – the official school of the
Boston Ballet and the largest school of its kind in North America.
Last year, Buller was one of only 12 dancers invited to study at the elite level in the summer intensive at the
School of American Ballet – the official school of the
New York City Ballet. She also has studied at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Fla., on scholarship and has been invited to participate in study programs with the
Houston Ballet,
Ballet Pacifica,
Austin Ballet,
Burklyn Ballet,
Colorado Ballet,
Milwaukee Ballet and
Pacific Northwest Ballet. Performances include
Cinderella,
The Nutcracker,
Coppelia,
The Sleeping Beauty,
Nymphs,
Raymonda and
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Buller, who has been studying classical ballet at the
LBT Dance Conservatory for seven years, is a principal dancer with
LBT’s professional company. She is also a student at LSU-E majoring in physical therapy.
For the third consecutive year, Richard, 19, of Lafayette, is participating in
American Ballet Theatre’s prestigious New York City summer program, forfeiting an opportunity to study with
Boston Ballet School.
In 2003 and 2004, Richard attended
ABT’s Orange County, Calif., summer intensives. Previously, she also has attended four
Boston Ballet study programs and has received invitations to attend programs with countless other acclaimed companies.
Richard began her dance education at an early age with the Performing Arts Academy in Morgan City. She has trained with
LBT for 11 years and served as a principal dancer in
LBT’s professional dance company prior to enrolling in the apparel design program at LSU in Baton Rouge last fall. She currently is a contracted guest artist with
LBT.
Nicole Foreman, 17, of Carencro, is attending the
Joffrey Ballet workshop in San Antonio for the second consecutive summer. Foreman has completed two years of study with
LBT Dance Conservatory. She previously studied with The Dance Place in Carencro.
Adrienne Boudreaux, 15, of Lafayette, is attending a five-week intensive study program with
Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, having received upper division placement. This will mark her third consecutive year participating in this program. Boudreaux has been training with
LBT Dance Conservatory for the past eight years. She is a corps de ballet level dancer with the
LBT company.
Alyssa Leger, 15, of Lafayette, is one of only 190 dancers from across the U.S. and abroad to gain entry into the
School of American Ballet summer intensive program in New York City. Last year, Leger attended
Pacific Northwest Ballet’s five-week summer intensive in Seattle. She previously has gained acceptance into programs hosted by
Ballet Austin and the
Houston Ballet. Leger, who has been studying with
LBT since the age of 8, is a corps de ballet level dancer with the
LBT company.
Aerin Higginbotham, 15, of Lafayette, is attending the four-week
American Ballet Theatre Austin program. She joined
Lafayette Ballet Theatre in the fall of 2007.
Elizabeth Vied, 15, and Lauren Dionne, 13, both of Lafayette, are attending the
American Ballet Theatre Alabama program in Tuscaloosa. Last year, Vied attended
Ballet Austin’s summer program. She has studied with the
LBT Dance Conservatory for the past four years and is an apprentice level member of
LBT’s professional division. This is Dionne’s first summer intensive experience. She has been studying with the
LBT Dance Conservatory for two years.
Blaike Musso, 14, of Lafayette, Alexa Daigle, 13, of Lafayette, and Lindsey Sagrera, 13, of Abbeville, are attending a three-week
Ballet Austin summer intensive program.Last summer, Musso spent five weeks studying with
Ballet Chicago. She is entering her sixth year of study with the
LBT Dance Conservatory. This will be the first summer intensive experience for both Daigle and Sagrera, who have spent three years studying with LBT.
Lafayette Ballet Theatre is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing classical ballet instruction, educational programs and quality stage performances to Acadiana residents. Dance Conservatory – the official school of LBT – supplies more than 80 percent of the dancers to the organization’s professional dance company. For more information on LBT and Dance Conservatory, visit www.LafayetteBalletTheatre.org.
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