The Blume School offers a complete program for the young dancer.
Our studio offers instruction in Classical Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, and Children's Dance.
A graded training system is used for all disciplines and with its diversified and growing staff, the Blume School has the ability to offer high quality training in all areas of dance. For more than 70 years Charlotte Blume and the teachers of the Blume School have taught thousands of students at their legendary studio (located in the heart of Haymount) and in school programs throughout the region. All Intermediate and Advanced classes take place at the main studio located at 1312 Morganton Rd.
A Tradition of Quality & Artistry
The Dance Program
Classical Ballet is the central focus of the Blume School of Dance because it serves as a foundation for all dance disciplines. The Blume School is committed to offering the finest classical training in the region as well as strong programs in other dance forms, including contemporary dance styles and tap.
Classes are offered for children ages 3 through adults.
The school's curriculum's is based first and foremost on the principles established by Charlotte Blume, who worked with some of the world’s best dancers, teachers and choreographers, including Leonide Massine of the Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Donald McKayle, Henry LeTang and Alexandra Danilova. (Danilova was the first wife of the famed Russian dancer George Balanchine.)
As a young student, Ms. Blume studied Russian technique at the Hoctor studio in Boston. She built on this training through repeated exposure and professional ties to other Russian masters. She also trained extensively in the technique of Italian classical master Enrico Cecchetti.
Today, there are many training methods and techniques, including the French School, Vaganova, Balanchine, Cecchetti, Bournonville and the Royal Academy of Dance. Each one has been influenced to some degree by other schools and Ms. Blume developed her program pulling from multiple traditions but also making choices between them when necessary to avoid areas of conflict or potential confusion. Ms. Blume also incorporated into her graded curriculum her thorough grounding in classical contemporary dance.
Currently, the role of safeguarding the authenticity and quality of the ballet training falls to Charlotte Anub, Mia Domini, Dina Lewis, Ella Lewis, Kari Lewis, Sheila King Mitchell, and Emmalee Smith. These instructors studied extensively with Ms. Blume and with other masters, with the exception of Charlotte Anub and Mia Domini. Dina Lewis was a confidante of Ms. Blume in all aspects of studio and ballet company management and is now the Executive Director.
The studio is currently rebuilding its tap program under the guidance of Howard Blume, who has tried to parallel in his tap experience, the expertise that his mother brought to ballet. Mr. Blume operates a dance studio devoted to rhythm tap in Los Angeles and has resumed training teachers and students in Fayetteville after a hiatus of several years. Helping lead the tap program this year will be Ella Lewis, who performed a tap duet with Mr. Blume in the 2019 spring festival.
The Blume school is NOT a competition studio. We respect the role and appeal of these studios and there are reputable studios of this sort within the Fayetteville region, but in general we believe our format offers the most consistently high quality and serious training. We also have concerns about the degree of injuries suffered in some competition studios. Of course, students also can be injured in a proper ballet class, but we are constantly monitoring our students' health and physical conditioning and building their core strength. We believe we have a responsibility to treat your children as though they are our children. That is one reason why four generations of some families have returned to the studio.
Although we choose not to participate in the competition circuit, our students have unparalleled performing opportunities through our affiliation with AAB and Laurence Kaplan located in New York, The Grand Kiev Ballet, the Moscow Ballet and other regular and special events.
In addition, we are the oldest entity performing at the Crown Complex as well as community parters with the Cumberland County School System for over 50 years.