Beyond the Barre
Our Commitment to Community Outreach
Beyond the Barre is peer mentorship program in which participants can sign up to be paired with a member of Harvard Ballet Company. Company members will share general tips and tricks and serve as a friend and accountability partner for mentees who want to improve their ballet or dance skills. Mentees will get to attend rehearsals and gain a behind-the-scenes look into how the semesterly Harvard Ballet Company shows are put together. They will also get the opportunity to put together a piece, with guidance from HBC members, and perform with Harvard Ballet Company in our fall 2023 show.
How to Join
Beyond the Barre is a non-selective, no audition program, meaning that participation in the program is purely based on availability of Harvard Ballet Company members to match with. This being said, due to the novelty of the program, we anticipate there being a waitlist as there may not be many peer mentors available. There is currently no deadline to apply, as we will pair you with mentors as they become available.
Mentorship
Mentors will grouped into mentor/mentee pairs or families, with one mentor for one to two mentees. Mentor/mentee pairs and families will be matched by concentration, extracurricular interests, career interest, and any identity that is important for the mentee to have in common with their mentor—mentees will identify such identities in the registration form. Mentor/mentee matches will not be by dance training nor dance background.
What to Expect
Beyond the Barre is primarily what the mentee wants to make of it. This being said, there are no specific guidelines the mentor and mentees have to follow. However, we encourage a first one-on-one meeting between the mentor and mentees, such as a coffee chat where you discuss preliminary goals for the partnership. Beyond the Barre can be as structured or as flexible as you would like it.
Perks
A built-in buddy to go to dance class with! The dance space at Harvard can be difficult to navigate - it can be difficult to get motivated to attend class if you don’t know anyone else who will be there; now you’ll always have someone to ask!
Discounted Boston Ballet tickets! If you register for ballet classes at the Harvard Dance Center, oftentimes, you have access to discounted tickets!
Behind-the-Scenes Access! As mentees, you can attend a few of your mentor’s rehearsals, (with the express permission of the choreographer and fellow dancers in the piece) to gain an inside look into how Harvard Ballet puts together their semesterly shows!
Monthly Company Class! Aside from attending classes in the Cambridge/Boston area and at Harvard proper, Beyond the Barre members will get to attend monthly HBC-member-taught company classes at the Office of the Arts
Registration
If you are interested in participating, there is no application! Just fill out the registration form and we will match you with a mentor when they become available.
Please reach out to our DEI chair, SoEun (Sonya) Park, at soeunpark@college.harvard.edu with any questions!