Ways to Donate
The Elevé Program is designed to introduce second-grade students from Title I schools to classical ballet through three components: in-school workshops, a lecture demonstration, and the opportunity to attend a live performance.
A Dance Theater of Florida instructor leads six creative-dance workshops on site at the elementary school. The children learn about ballet and other dance styles, and receive instruction on jumping, turning, and stretching their bodies. In addition, they create their own choreography and make a brief presentation of what they have learned during the final workshop.
The second part of the Elevé program brings Dance Theatre of Florida dancers into the school to provide a lecture demonstration for a larger group of students (e.g., all the school’s first and second graders). The students learn how dancers train daily, enjoy watching solo dances performed in costume, and learn how movements are put together to create choreography.
The third element of the program allows students the opportunity to attend a Dance Theater of Florida production in a proscenium theater. Complimentary tickets are provided for the students and their families. When students attend a performance as a school field trip, the cost of busing is covered either by the school district or underwritten by Dance Theater of Florida.
Impact
A significant outcome of the Elevé program is the relationship that has developed between Dance Theater and its partner schools. We have had the pleasure of working with Lake Park Elementary School for the past six years. The school administrators are positive and encouraging, and the tremendous support we have received from the classroom teachers has been key to the program’s success.
During the workshops, the ballet teacher looks for children who show aptitude for and interest in further training. At the end of the workshops, we identify approximately four girls and four boys to whom we can offer additional training opportunities. They might be invited to attend our summer-dance program, and/or receive scholarships for year-round classes at our studios.
The Elevé program has had numerous positive outcomes for children and their families. As an example, a student from Lake Park Elementary participated in our summer-dance program and, as a result, was offered a scholarship to attend year-round classes. The student was joined by her sister who was subsequently invited to enroll at the Bak Middle School of the Arts the following year.
More recently, a young male student from Lake Park Elementary also attended our summer-dance program and then continued on with us during the school year. He is now taking both ballet and jazz classes and will participate in our end-of-year showcase performances.
Program Participation
Join us for the 15th Anniversary Crystal Soiree on Sunday, December 6, 2026, at Frenchman's Reserve Country Club. Celebrating 15 years of Artistic Excellence, Inspiring Lives, and Community Impact. Guest of Honor Emmy-Winner Steven Caras, former New York City Ballet Dancer, renowned photographer, speaker, author, and advocate for the arts and education. Live dance performances, dinner, silent and live auctions.
Proceeds support scholarships, dance education, performance opportunities, and community outreach.
Dance Theater of Florida was founded by Michele Zehner and Maria Konrad in 2012 to address numerous educational needs in the local community of Palm Beach Gardens and in the broader community of South Florida. The Company provides local dance students the opportunity to further their artistic development and training through performing classical and contemporary repertoire in a proscenium theater equipped with professional lighting, sound, and crew.
Dance Theater presents two mainstage productions each season and offers additional performance opportunities for community outreach. While these performance experiences are an invaluable part of pre-professional dance training, they are also of great benefit to dancers with other academic and professional goals. The process of learning dance choreography (and refining it in rehearsal) builds confidence by teaching students about teamwork, group dynamics, creative problem solving, self-awareness, and resilience.
The third prong of Dance Theater’s mission addresses the inequitable access to performing arts training and productions among the citizens of South Florida. Access to dance training and performance opportunities at a private studio has become, to some degree, a function of personal family means. To mitigate this, Dance Theater was founded as a non-profit organization so that charitable funds could be raised to support student scholarships and community outreach efforts.
