Joan Albright and Susan Alessi established The Huntington Center for Performing Arts (“The Center”) in 2005 to offer Long Island, a conservatory environment in which to learn & experience the performing arts, without having to travel to NYC!

The Center is home to Huntington Ballet Academy, using the “ABT ® National Training Curriculum”, Les Petits Danseurs – “a dance school for little ones”, Suzuki Music School – “learning by listening”. The Center is also home to the Long Island Ballet Theatre, a professional ballet company that provides performing opportunities for students, pre-professionals & professionals from Long Island and the tri-state area.

The Huntington Ballet Academy was formed to support the ambitious work of Long Island Ballet Theatre (LIBT); the organization where they had forged their friendship some 5 years prior. One year later, in 2006, Huntington Suzuki Music School was acquired, a school with a 30- plus year history in Huntington teaching strings to young children using the Japanese method of auditory- learning.

In 2009, the school adopted the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum beginning at age 4  to introduce very young children to the beauty and enjoyment of classical dance and the joy of movement. The Primary level of training is the first level of the American Ballet Theater National Training Curriculum.Huntington Ballet Academy offers Levels 1 – 5 with the opportunity to take exams hosted by American Ballet Theatre”s school the Jacqueline Onassis Kennedy (JKO). In addition to offering classes in ballet & related Pointe & classical variations, the curriculum also provides for the study of jazz, character ballet (folk dancing of other nations) & modern dance.

The Center also offers a course in musical theater training which consists of voice, dance and theater arts culminating in a workshop performance of a popular children’s musical. The Musical Theater Program has performed excerpts from The Wizard of Oz, You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown, Peter Pan, Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory &The Little Mermaid.

Each year the Center, in partnership with The Westchester Sandbox Theater and LI Ballet Theatre, produces a full length musical production performed at the Jeanne Rimsky Theater in Port Washington complete with sets & costumes. Past productions have been Willy Wonka, Mary Poppins, The Little Mermaid and Annie.

In addition The Center offers classes for adults in  private piano & string classes, chamber ensemble, ballet for toning and flexibility and Broadway Jazz.

The teaching staff for all programs is university or conservatory trained, most with post-graduate degrees as well as accomplished performing artists in their own right. The ballet faculty features ABT certified teachers with master degrees from the NYU/ABT program in ballet pedagogy.