(419) 289-3581ARB Mission Statement & Philosophy
Inspiration! Motivation! Cultural Enrichment!
Right in Your Own Backyard!
The Mission of Ashland Regional Ballet (ARB) is to create dance as a performing art for its community and surrounding area.
In fulfillment of this mission ARB provides:
- a school of dance as the first step in developing talent, and appreciation of dance as a performing art.
- A pre-professional company experience for qualifying students in a professional atmosphere for daily class-work, rehearsals, and performances.
- highly qualified teachers and choreographers to develop the student’s full potential.
- performing opportunities for dancers to develop their skills on stage.
- outreach to community members who may not otherwise have access to this art form.
- opportunities for the community to participate and enjoy the cultural benefits of dance as dancer, staff, backstage crew, volunteer, or audience member.
The School Philosophy
Opus II Dance Studio - Official School of the Ashland Regional Ballet - teaches dance as a performing art. Our curriculum is based upon a sound background in ballet technique, adding elective subjects for the purpose of expanding style and skill. We believe that each class is a preparation for on-stage performances, and each performance is a preparation for life, where success or failure is tied directly to meaningful preparation. Our students learn the importance of attention to details, the ability to work together for a common goal, and the ability to respond and recover quickly if things don’t go as planned. Creative problem solving becomes a natural way of life for a well-trained dancer.
Our purpose is to give dance students a strong foundation in dance to apply in whatever manner they wish as they pursue their lives. The most valuable asset of good comprehensive training is the choices it affords its recipients, whether pursuing a professional career, higher education, or dance as a life-long avocation.
Though some of the dance students will not aspire to careers in dance, they will be able to enjoy the physical, emotional and artistic benefits of dance throughout their lives. It takes a combination of natural talent, self-discipline, and artistic temperament mixed with strong physical attributes to produce a dancer with viable professional abilities. It is our strong belief, however, that anything worth doing is worth doing right, and all students are taught to pursue excellence to the best of their abilities. One never knows when one of those individuals may surprise and delight teacher, audience, and even himself or herself with the unexpected surfacing of great talent and artistic insight.
