SPAC Launches School Of The Arts

SARATOGA SPRINGS — A new multidisciplinary school featuring instruction in dance, music, theater and other art forms will open in September at the National Museum of Dance/Lewis A. Swyer Studios, on South Broadway. 

Elizabeth Sobol, president and CEO of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, on Aug. 12 announced the launch of the project. The school is scheduled to open in September. 

“The National Museum of Dance and its School of the Arts has an exceptional history of philanthropy and artistic vision thanks to individuals like Lewis A. Swyer, Marylou Whitney and Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney. In more recent years, that spirit, vision and generosity has been carried on by Michele and Ron Riggi,” Sobol said, adding that the launch of the school was made possible with support from Stewart’s Shops and the Dake Family.  Additional funding from the Charles R. Wood Foundation will go toward tuition assistance, supplies, instruments and transportation. 

The school will operate out of the Lewis A. Swyer Studios, a state-of-the-art facility located behind the National Museum of Dance and will focus on creating a joyful learning environment to include introductory and exploratory arts instruction for all age groups, physiques and abilities, designed to complement offerings by other community arts organizations and schools. 

“The opportunity to open a school dedicated to year-round arts education is a thrilling addition to our rapidly expanding education programs. With this new venture, we look forward to providing something truly unique to the Capital Region – a creative space where children can access and explore multiple art forms,” said Dennis Moench, SPAC’s Senior Director of Education and the School Director. 

The school will also further SPAC’s mission to facilitate inclusion, equity and access in arts education, and complement the organization’s extensive education program, which currently serves 49,000 students throughout the Capital Region annually and partners with more than 120 schools and non-profit organizations across the region. 

Following the Museum’s closure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, SPAC has collaborated with New York State Parks and the administration of the National Museum of Dance to reopen it to the public. The Lewis A. Swyer Studios are part of the National Museum of Dance campus.

Online registration for fall classes begins on Aug. 18. For more information or to learn how to register for classes, visit www.spacschool.org.