The HARID Conservatory is a

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

professional-training school for high-school age students. It was established in 1987 and is located in

Boca Raton, Florida Boca Raton ( ; es, Boca Ratón, link=no, ) is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. It was first incorporated on August 2, 1924, as "Bocaratone," and then incorporated as "Boca Raton" in 1925. The population was 97,422 in the ...

. A four-year curriculum is offered that includes ballet and related dance courses. Academic coursework is provided on campus through Florida Virtual School. HARID is recognized as a

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

by the State of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. HARID additionally offered a four-year, tuition-free college music program from 1991 until 1999, when the music program was transferred to

Lynn University Lynn University is a private university in Boca Raton, Florida. Founded in 1962, the university awards associate, baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees. It is named for the Lynn family (Christine E. and Eugene M. Lynn). It has a total ...

. The school's

founder Founder or Founders may refer to: Places *Founders Park, a stadium in South Carolina, formerly known as Carolina Stadium * Founders Park, a waterside park in Islamorada, Florida Arts, entertainment, and media * Founders (''Star Trek''), the ali ...

was Fred Lieberman (1923–2008), who named it for his parents Harry and Ida. Although Lieberman funded the program's annual operating costs, he remained an anonymous benefactor during his lifetime, known only as "the Donor" to HARID students, employees, and supporters. He also established an

endowment fund A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...

to continue funding the school after his death.

Notable alumni

Notable alumni of the Harid Conservatory include: Class of 1990 *

Amy Fote Amy Fote is a former American professional ballet dancer and was a principal dancer with the Houston Ballet and the Milwaukee Ballet. Born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Fote trained with the Jean Wolfmeyer School of Dance in Wisconsin, the Nation ...

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Houston Ballet Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company, consisting of 59 dancers, produces over 85 performances per year. History Tatiana Semenova (1955–1967) Houston dev ...

Class of 1992 * Philip Pegler – The Royal Ballet School Class of 1993 *

Chalnessa Eames Chalnessa Eames (born 1978) is a ballet dancer who performed with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Early life and education Eames was born in Los Angeles, California. She is one of five children born to ...

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Pacific Northwest Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is said to have the highest per capita attendance in the United States, with 11,000 subscribers in 2004. The company consists of 49 dan ...

Riolama Lorenzo The Philadelphia Ballet, formerly known as Pennsylvania Ballet until rebranding in 2021, is Philadelphia's largest ballet company. The company's annual local season features six programs of classic favorites, as well as new works, including the Ph ...

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Pennsylvania Ballet The Philadelphia Ballet, formerly known as Pennsylvania Ballet until rebranding in 2021, is Philadelphia's largest ballet company. The company's annual local season features six programs of classic favorites, as well as new works, including the Ph ...

* Stacey Slichter – Atlanta Ballet Class of 1994 * Joseph Jefferies –

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo is an all-male drag ballet troupe that parodies the conventions of romantic and classical ballet. The company's current artistic director is Tory Dobrin. The dancers portray both male and female roles in a ...

Class of 1995 *

Lilyan Vigo Ellis Carolina Ballet is one of America’s premier arts organizations, programming traditional ballets by legendary masters and new works by contemporary choreographers. The Ballet was launched as a professional company in 1998 under the direction of F ...

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Carolina Ballet Carolina Ballet is one of America’s premier arts organizations, programming traditional ballets by legendary masters and new works by contemporary choreographers. The Ballet was launched as a professional company in 1998 under the direction of F ...

Class of 1996 * Marcelo Gomes –

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...

* Robert Moore –

Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre (PBT) is an American professional ballet company based in the Strip District of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (USA). History 1969 - Founding The Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre was founded in 1969 by a Yugoslavian choreog ...

* Sara Webb –

Class of 1997 * James Sofranko –

San Francisco Ballet San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Franc ...

* Benjamin Stewart –

* Matthew Stewart –

Class of 1998 * Blair Puente –

Alberta Ballet Alberta Ballet (also known as the Alberta Ballet Company) was founded by Muriel Taylor and Dr. Ruth Carse in 1958 and became a professional company in 1966. The company is a resident company of both the Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium in Edmo ...

Class of 1999 * Kathleen Breen Combes –

Boston Ballet The Boston Ballet is an American professional classical ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams and Sydney Leonard, and was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. I ...

* Joanna Wozniak –

Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies and training institutions in the world today. Located in Chicago, Illinois, the Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at Lyric O ...

Class of 2000 * Sasha Edelman –

Ballet Arizona Ballet Arizona is a professional ballet company in Phoenix, Arizona directed by Ib Andersen. The company was created in 1986 by a merger of three smaller Arizonan dance companies that were struggling to survive. Today, the company of thirty-one dan ...

* Simone Messmer –

* Joshua Grant –

Class of 2001 * Robin Bangert –

Texas Ballet Theater The Texas Ballet Theater was founded by Margo Dean in 1961 as the Fort Worth Ballet Association, in Fort Worth, Texas. At the invitation of Dean, Fernando Schaffenburg was invited to direct the company the following year. It became a fully professio ...

* Bo Busby –

* Ashley Laracey –

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

* Elizabeth McGrath –

Ballet West Ballet West is an American ballet company based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was founded in 1963 as the Utah Civic Ballet by Willam F. Christensen, the company's first artistic director, and Glenn Walker Wallace, who served as its first president. ...

* Sarah Smith –

* Connor Walsh –

Class of 2002 * Jonathan Dummar –

Bridgett Zehr Bridgett Zehr (born c. 1985) is an American ballet dancer. After terms with the Houston Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada, she joined the English National Ballet in 2011 as a principal. Biography Born in Sarasota, Florida, Zehr trained from ...

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National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca as the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

English National Ballet English National Ballet is a classical ballet company founded by Dame Alicia Markova and Sir Anton Dolin as London Festival Ballet and based in London, England. Along with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Northern Ballet and Scottish ...

Class of 2003 * Matthew Adamczyk –

* Ludmila Campos –

Amanda Green Amanda Green (born December 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history. Early life and educ ...

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Royal Winnipeg Ballet The Royal Winnipeg Ballet is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America. History It was founded in 1939 as the "Winnipeg Ballet Club" by Gweneth Lloyd and Betty Farrally (who also fou ...

Class of 2004 * Andrew Brader –

Los Angeles Ballet Los Angeles Ballet (LAB) is a classical ballet company based in Los Angeles. While rehearsals take place at the Los Angeles Ballet Center, the company tours venues across LA County, such as the Dolby Theatre and Royce Hall, during its performanc ...

* Sean Omandam –

Colorado Ballet Colorado Ballet encompasses a 31-member professional performing ballet company, a studio company for advanced dance students, an Academy, and an education and outreach department. Based in downtown Denver, Colorado, Colorado Ballet serves more tha ...

Class of 2005 *

Isabella Boylston Hildur Isabella Boylston (born October 13, 1986) is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Early life Boylston was born Hildur Isabella Boylston, named for an Icelandic great-grand ...

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* James Clark –

Royal Danish Ballet The Royal Danish Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Danish Theatre in Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen, Denmark. It is one of the oldest ballet companies in the world and originates from 1748, when the Ro ...

* Heather Crosby –

* Lauren Post –

* Hanae Seki –

Tulsa Ballet Tulsa Ballet is a professional American ballet company located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The artistic mission of Tulsa Ballet is "To preserve the tradition of classical ballet, promote the appreciation of contemporary dance, create works of superior and ...

* Megan Steffens –

Sacramento Ballet The Sacramento Ballet was founded in 1954 by Barbara Crockett and Deane Crockett. During Ms. Crockett’s tenure as Company Director, The Sacramento Ballet gained national recognition as one of the finest regional ballet companies. Through communi ...

* Gleidson Vasconcelos –

New Jersey Ballet The New Jersey Ballet is a ballet company based in Livingston, New Jersey in the United States, founded in 1958 by native New Jerseyan Carolyn Clark and her fellow dancer, George Tomal. History Carolyn Clark's mother established New Jersey Sch ...

Class of 2006 * Emily McLaughlin – Ballet Austin II * Adam Still –

Class of 2007 * Chelsea Adomaitis –

(apprentice) * Isadora Loyola –

Class of 2008 *

Francisco Preciado Francisco Preciado de la Vega (1713–1789) was a Spanish painter, active mainly in Italy. He was involved in a number of artists' associations in Rome, both as a member and an officer. Life Francisco Preciado was born in Écija, Spain, and ini ...

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Ballet San Jose Ballet San Jose was a ballet company based in San Jose, California, US, operating from 1985 to 2016. History The company was founded in 1985 as the "San Jose Cleveland Ballet," a co-venture with the ten-year-old Cleveland Ballet which offered to ...

(apprentice) * Kevin Wilson – Colorado Ballet Studio Company Class of 2009 * Jaime DeRocker – Colorado Ballet Studio Company * Andrew Hellerick –

(trainee) * Christophor Moulton – Colorado Ballet Studio Company * Paige Nyman –

(trainee) * Emma Pressman –

(trainee)

References

{{authority control Ballet schools in the United States Private high schools in Florida Buildings and structures in Boca Raton, Florida High schools in Palm Beach County, Florida Educational institutions established in 1987 Dance in Florida 1987 establishments in Florida