# The Rock School for Dance Education

The Rock School for Dance Education is a classical ballet school located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is headed by director and president Peter Stark, who was director of Orlando Ballet School, and head of the men's division for Boston Ballet School.

## History

At the urging of George Balanchine, Barbara Weisberger founded the School of Pennsylvania Ballet in 1962.
The Pennsylvania Ballet School and Company maintained a close working relationship, but in 1992 they became independent non-profit entities. At that time the Company's Board decided that The School's mission and activities required the attention of an individual staff and Board of Trustees. It became evident that for further growth and increased contribution to the community, The School would need its own development department.
The School's independence was accompanied by the development of a Board of Trustees, led by Chairman Constance W. Benoliel. Expanding its funding base, The School was able to develop its outreach activities and scholarship program. In 2006, The School officially separated from the Pennsylvania Ballet and was renamed The Rock School for Dance Education. In 2011, the ballet documentary, First Position, followed Rock School Alum Michaela DePrince as she trained for and competed at Youth America Grand Prix.
After over thirty-years as a director of the Rock School for Dance Education, Bo Spassoff retired, and in February 2022, Peter Stark became the President and Director of the Rock School for Dance Education. Before joining the Rock School, Peter Stark was the associate director of Boston Ballet II and head of the Men’s Program for Boston Ballet School. He also served as Director of the Orlando Ballet School and founded of the Next Generation Ballet in Tampa, Florida.

## Programs

Many students in the professional division move to Philadelphia to attend the Rock School as full-time students who live in dorms located across the street from the school all while training to become professional ballet dancers and completing their education through the Rock Academics program. The Rock School has had students from over twenty countries and twenty-four states enrolled in the Professional Division. For Students under the age of twelve, The Rock School offers ballet classes through its Pre-Ballet and Ballet Division; these programs focus on progressing students’ ballet training at their own pace while instilling strong foundations for continued classical ballet training. The Rock School students perform throughout the year in their annual Classic Nutcracker, Spring Showcase, and at various ballet competitions.
In the summer, The Rock School hosts about three hundred students for its annual Summer Intensive; summer intensive students train for one to six weeks with Rock School faculty, guest teaching artists, and alums.

## Notable alumni

Since its founding, The Rock School for Dance Education has produced world class ballet dancers including brothers Isaac Hernández and Esteban Hernández, now both at San Francisco Ballet, as well as Christine Shevchenko (American Ballet Theatre), Michaela DePrince (Boston Ballet), Beckanne Sisk (Houston Ballet), Derek Dunn (Boston Ballet), and Gabe Stone Shayer (American Ballet Theatre).
* Michaela DePrince, Soloist Boston Ballet, Dutch National Ballet
* Derek Dunn, Principal Boston Ballet
* Isaac Hernández, Principal San Francisco Ballet
* Sarah-Gabrielle Ryan, Principal Pacific Northwest Ballet
* Christine Shevchenko, Principal American Ballet Theatre