Studio Company
The Mt. Laurel Ballet Studio Company is a performance & competition based group with multiple levels tailored to each dancer’s needs & goals. By working closely with the artistic staff and guest choreographers, students in the Studio Company receive a high level of detailed coaching in classes and rehearsals. This experience is invaluable for the dancer who desires opportunities to perform more throughout the year, build friendships with other students who have a passion for dance, increase skills in classical and contemporary dance, and prepare for both college dance programs & careers in dance. It is also a beneficial experience for dancers looking to do large scale productions in the city.
The MLB Studio Company competes in esteemed dance competitions such as YAGP, Universal Ballet Competition, and more. They participate in masterclasses & compete for scholarships & additional dance opportunities including summer intensives and contracted jobs. Additionally, this is a performance opportunity through which all dancers can learn and grow in their artistry! The confidence and sense of accomplishment gained by dancers who join a group like this is an incredible and essential part of their development as dancers and as people.
Company auditions are complete for 24 - 25 dance season
Company auditions are complete for 24 - 25 dance season
Company Levels
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Designed for our dancers who are just being introduced to the world of ballet at a pre-professional and pre-competitive level.
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Designed for our dancers with some experience who are deepening their training and looking forward to pre-professional training.
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Our intermediate to advanced dancers with at least two years of experience with our studio company. These dancers are training a minimum of 12 hours a week outside of productions.
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Our Advanced dancers who are training 15+ hours a week and are less than four years away from being able to receive a professional contract from a ballet or dance company.
Professional Costuming
We are thrilled to be working with Laura Bonner & Costumes on Cambridge to ensure that our MLB Studio Company dancers have the highest quality professional costumes for their competitions and performances.
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Laura began her lifelong love affair with costuming the minute she saw Scarlett O’Hara run down the stairs at Twelve Oaks in the classic film, Gone with the Wind. Walter Plunkett’s attention to detail in period garments had her writing “sewing machine” on her kindergarten Christmas list. Laura studied theater in high school and Shakespeare in college and in 2010 she put her 2 year old daughter in a ballet class. She was asked to assist with some costume alterations, and became obsessed with tutus.
Laura was privileged to be taught tutu construction by Claudia Folts, founder of Tutu.com. Over the next 15 years she would go on to work 5 seasons at The Alabama Shakespeare Festival as a Stitcher and Assistant to the Director of Costume Production, and do contract work for The Montgomery Ballet, Alabama River Region Ballet, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Andalusia Ballet, Alabama Youth Ballet, Symphony Q Academy of Dance, Mt. Laurel Ballet Studio, and Magic City Performing Arts. Her costumes have been worn for ballet competitions and pageants at local, state and national levels, including Universal Ballet Competition, Youth American Grand Prix, Distinguished Young Women, and Miss Alabama.
While she loves running wardrobe and designing costumes, her favorite part of the process is sitting at the sewing machine. A close second to building costumes is vintage costume restoration, and her newest hobby is designing her own fabric to make ballet class skirts. Laura and her husband Paul have three children and live in Prattville.
She is thrilled to be working with the MLB Studio Company dancers, ensuring that they have the highest quality professional costumes for their competitions and performances.
Costuming is an integral part of performing.
Each role brings a new story to tell, and it is important for the dancer and the audience that the costume helps to tell that story. The gossamer threads of the ghostly maidens in Giselle, the flaming feathers on the Firebird, the delicate vines and roses on Aurora’s tutu all enhance the dancer’s technique by creating a shared spell that is cast over everyone watching. Costumes spark the imagination.
A costume is not a work of art that sits on a shelf - it must be properly structured. A well made tutu shows respect: for the art form, for the performer, and for the audience. It enables the dancer to move freely and showcases their beautiful lines, while drawing the audience into the magic being created on stage. We believe it is important for our Studio Company Dancers to experience professional quality costumes at this stage in their training, as it will strengthen their performance, prepare them for their future careers, and deepen their understanding of what it means to be a professional dancer.