PORT JERVIS – Port Jervis teen Audrey Shannon, 16, is one step closer to making her dreams of becoming a professional ballerina come to fruition. 

She attended Boston Ballet School’s Summer Dance Program, auditioning and getting into the five-week program where she lived in dormitories and attended classes at the renowned dance company’s studios.

The program offers an unparalleled experience for serious-minded, high-level ballet students between the ages of 12 and 18. Each summer, students from around the world immerse themselves in a professional training environment.

Audrey has been dancing since she was four years old and is currently a student at The Dance Center in Sparrowbush, NY where she takes classes in Ballet, Pointe and Contemporary and is a teacher for Ballet 1 and Ballet 3. She appears annually in the Delaware Valley Dance Company’s production of The Nutcracker and spring full-length classical ballet.

Audrey says she enjoyed learning new perspectives and teaching standpoints at the summer intensive. 

“I especially loved taking classes from professional dancers at Boston Ballet,” she said. “I think the whole experience was a great opportunity to advance my training as well as understand the different pathways and work it requires to become a professional dancer.”

The Summer Dance Program is designed to develop each student’s ballet technique, while also offering supplemental curriculum such as Character, Jazz and Modern dance.

“My Character teacher Mrs. Ala was one of my favorite teachers because of her brutal honesty. She was very hard on us even though most of us had never taken Character before, but because of that I improved drastically from the first class to the last,” Audrey remarked. 

In addition to dance, Audrey also enjoys reading, art, knitting and crocheting, and spending time with her family and dogs. She is also a top student at Port Jervis High School, where she will be a junior this year and performs in the school’s musical theater productions.

The Dance Center is currently accepting new students. For more information, call 845-856-3373.