Wexford School of Ballet & Performing Arts
Established in 1965
A School of Excellence with Professional Standards
Wexford School of Ballet & Performing Arts has now been successfully running since 1965. Many of its past students have written their own success stories, setting up their own dance schools and performing and dancing professionally in London and abroad.
The School now comprises of three centres. Our own private ballet studios in Wexford town are used for examinations and training. The Waterfront Swimming Pools two studios host our Enniscorthy classes and St. Mary’s Youth Centre studio is home to our students in New Ross.
Running three centers takes an amount of work and care so we are well staffed with four fully qualified teachers in ballet RAD (Royal Academy of Dancing) and I.S.T.D Modern and Tap (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing).
We train Ballet, Modern, Hip-Hop and Contemporary. The students also do examinations in RAD Ballet and ISTD Modern. The School has always prided itself with a high standard and that is very obvious in our examination results and performances. Three to four sessions of exams are organised annually along with Christmas and Summer Show performances.
Students also have the opportunity to perform with other theatre groups such as the Wexford Pantomime Society, Oyster Lane Theatre Group, Wexford Light Opera Society, and Wexford Festival Opera. Students have performed with the European Ballet Company in their productions of “The Nutcracker” “Coppelia”, “Sleeping Beauty” & “Cinderella”. They have also had Masterclasses with the British Ballet Company, Monica Loughman Ballet, Ballet Ireland, and have had many West End Masterclasses conducted by West End stars. The students had the wonderful opportunity of performing with Wexford Sinfonia in the National Opera House and then travelling to Tomar, Portugal to perform in the Zezere Festival which proved to be a magnificent success. In December 2015, the School performed its most ambitious production to date, its 50th year memorabilia show, “Reprise”. In July, the entire school performed the ballet “The Sleeping Beauty” in the National Opera House which was a resounding success.
WSBPA produce the full ‘Nutcracker’ Ballet in the National Opera House in December and this is a real Christmas treat for all the students. The senior students dance, each year, on the Main Stage in ‘PERFORM’, Ireland’s largest dance event in the RDS. The senior dancers also get to travel to Disneyland Paris to perform on the Main Stage each Summer.
So, after an impressive school year we really look forward to the holidays but we also run annual Summer School for students who like to keep performing. These are usually a week long and include a show on the final evening.
To enroll in any of our classes or for more information, please ring 0862224945 or email info@wexfordschoolballet.com.
You can also visit our website, www.wexfordschoolballet.com.
What WSBPA means to me…
A Poem from two WSBPA past students
Ann Gayer & Rachel Bermingham
Your feet were born to dance
Your passion can’t be taught
Your talent and friendship has filled our hearts
With a feeling that can’t be bought
We’re both so proud of all of you
We’ve watched you grow with pride
Just know our hearts are broken that
We’re not dancing by your side
Your days are not yet numbered
But treasure each and every one
Through jetes and poses and plies
Make sure you never lose the fun
The applause will eventually subside
But the love stays forever and ever
Know that no matter how far we may be apart
Dance friends always Dance together
The final curtain falls for everyone
One day for us one day for you
Just know you’ll remember the people you love
Not just the dances you do
So head to the ceiling and big smiles
The show’s about to start
Hold onto that feeling forever
You never want it to leave your heart