Are you an artist, art lover, aspiring thespian or singer or excel at dancing? Do you love watching performances under the stars, listening to music, exploring new exhibits or discovering something new through lectures and events? New Canaan is a community that supports an incredible variety of artists (young and old), arts organizations, and cultural institutions and is an important part of what makes our town unique.

Performing Arts – Acting – Music – Dance

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Do you dance in the privacy of your home or sing loudly in the shower? Does your little one invade your closet and dress up to stage her own performances? Is there a frustrated rocker in your house? There are great opportunities in New Canaan to feed the inner thespian/artist. Who knows?..you could be the next guest at the Actor’s Studio.

 

Performing Arts Conservatory 203-966-6177

performingartsconservatory.com

The Conservatory is a teaching institution that offers a professional multi-disciplined performing arts program to New Canaan and surrounding communities. Our goal is to awaken, nurture and train each student’s creative potential and confidence by offering professional training, workshops and performance opportunities. The Conservatory will provide the techniques and skills needed to learn and grow in the field of the performing arts through Private and group classes in musical theater, acting, voice, theater dance (jazz & tap) fairy tale theater and audition prep.

The Studio 203-966-7056- www.thestudioperformingarts.com

The Studio provides an artistic outlet for all ages. In a fun, encouraging and challenging environment, our instructors provide valuable information and insight into what is needed to succeed in the performing arts. We specialize in small, interactive classes to maximize the personal attention available to each participant. Instruction areas include musical theatre classes, acting classes, voice classes, dance classes, and private voice, piano, guitar, dance, and acting lessons in New Canaan, CT.

Summer Theatre of New Canaan 203.966.4634 – www.stonc.org

Waveny Park plays host every summer to a summer-long program of outdoor theater and events presented by the Summer Theatre of New Canaan, Fairfield County’s acclaimed professional summer theater company. They provide local communities with a professionally produced theatre experience, providing exciting performances for multigenerational audiences as well as learning opportunities for many of the region’s talented performers and technicians who work along side professional performers and production staff. Performances are in a state-of-the-art open-air tent theater and feature four popular shows. Recent productions include the Tony award-winning Broadway musicals “Carousel” and “Legally Blonde” along with “The wizard of Oz” and “Charlotte’s Web” for young audiences. In addition to the main stage productions, special events are presented throughout the summer to complete a full festival season.

The Powerhouse Performing Arts Center (203) 966-7371

– Home to the Town Players of New Canaan. In the early 1980’s, the Town Players renovated the power plant and called it The Powerhouse. See The Town Players of New Canaan, below.

The Town Players of New Canaan 203.966.7084 – http://www.tpnc.org

Community theatre in New Canaan has an extensive history, with productions dating back as far as 1880. The Town Players of New Canaan have been performing for over 60+ years and was formed in 1946 with broad support in the town and with the financial backing of the Lion’s Club. For 38 years, auditions and most rehearsals were held at Town Hall, and performances were given in churches and schools all over town. In the early 1980s, the Town Players renovated the power plant in Waveny Park and called it The Powerhouse. With five shows a year this group of actresses and actors continue the tradition of community theatre and promote mentorship and instruction to aspiring thespians.

For over 33 years the Town Players of New Canaan has sponsored a full theatre program for young people at the Powerhouse Performing Arts Center in Waveny Park. Workshops include pantomime, improvisation, theatre games and scene work, with a staged performance for friends and family at the end of each session. All activities are on the stage of our 115-seat working theatre.

New Canaan School of Rock 203-594-7870 http://newcanaan.schoolofrock.com

We believe the best way to learn music is to play music. We take students from the lesson room to the stage, developing both their confidence and musicianship with programs designed for all skill levels. School of Rock teaches guitar, bass, vocals, keyboards, drums and combines weekly private music lessons and group band rehearsals to prepare students to take the stage in front of live audiences in an authentic concert setting.

Dance

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Whether you hope to pursue a professional dance career or simply wish to learn a few new moves there are classes in a variety of disciplines. From ballroom to hip-hop, Broadway to classical; New Canaan offers wonderfully diverse opportunities for all ages.

New Canaan Dance Academy (203) 972-9174 – www.ncdacademy.com

The New Canaan Dance Academy, founded in 2001 by Elaine Young, offers training in multiple dance styles to students of all ages ranging from 3 years old to Adult. Elaine grew up in London, England, where she studied Classical Ballet, Jazz and Tap dancing. The Academy’s goal is to create a safe and nurturing environment in which students can realize their full artistic and physical potential under the guidance of teachers who have been formally trained in classical dance techniques. Teachers constantly monitor the progress in a student’s core body strength and body alignment to ensure the optimal foundation for technical development.

New England Academy of Dance (203) 972-3265- http://www.neadance.com/

Established in 1968 the Academy was started by Doris Driver who appeared in Broadway shows and as a Rockette. Their outstanding instructors provide careful training based on the Royal Academy and Vaganova methods, which build strength, flexibility and grace in the dancer. Their program emphasizes proper technical and physical development while instilling a love and appreciation for the art form of dance. They offer a broad range of classes for all ages, including ballet, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, yoga, pilates, zumba and adult ballet.

Walter Schalk School of Dance (203) 762-7508 – www.walterschalk.com

Walter Schalk performed professionally on a number of variety and television specials started the his School of Dance in 1957. He began with 13 Ballroom students and now, more than 57 years later, the dance school teaches more than 1,200 students each year. Classes are broken down by grade level and students are invited to perform in their Holiday Spectacular and a fantastic Broadway-like dance Revue in which every student has an opportunity to perform in up to three routines. The Dance school is where you learn to dance, have fun, learn social etiquette, build confidence, make new friends, and are taught by a professional staff.

The Studio 203-966-7056 – www.thestudioperformingarts.com

The Studio provides an artistic outlet for all ages. In a fun, encouraging and challenging environment, our instructors provide valuable information and insight into what is needed to succeed in the performing arts. We specialize in small, interactive classes to maximize the personal attention available to each participant. Instruction areas include musical theatre classes, acting classes, voice classes, dance classes, and private voice, piano, guitar, dance, and acting lessons in New Canaan, CT.

Performing Arts Conservatory 203-966-6177- performingartsconservatory.com

The Conservatory is a teaching institution that offers a professional multi-disciplined performing arts program to New Canaan and surrounding communities. Our goal is to awaken, nurture and train each student’s creative potential and confidence by offering professional training, workshops and performance opportunities. The Conservatory will provide the techniques and skills needed to learn and grow in the field of the performing arts through Private and group classes in musical theater, acting, voice, theater dance (jazz & tap) fairy tale theater and audition prep.

Art Classes

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New Canaan has a thriving art community that encourages and supports both professional and emerging artists. From finger painting to advanced fine arts you can find a venue to inspire the artist within.

Silvermine Art Center 203.966.5617 – https://silvermineart.org

In the early 1900’s a colony of artists settled in the Silvermine area, lured by the picturesque countryside. The artists gathered around noted sculptor Solon Borglum, whose barn was the meeting place where these artists, the so-called “Knockers Club” came to socialize, exchange ideas and critique each other’s work. Eventually, the group outgrew the barn and purchased a larger one, on the present site of the Silvermine Guild Arts Center. Founded in 1922, the Guild of Artists was formally incorporated in 1924. Today, Silvermine presents abundant opportunities for individuals of all ages to enjoy and learn about the arts. The Guild of Artists now has over 300 members. The award winning Galleries present over 20 exhibitions each year. The award winning School of Art is the preeminent learning destination for visual arts in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Hundreds of courses and workshops in numerous disciplines are offered through the School of Art. A variety of programs and lectures are presented in the intimate setting of our auditorium.

Carriage Barn Art Center 203.972.1895 – carriagebarn.org

A unique Nineteenth Century stone barn on the grounds of the Lapham estate is home to exceptional exhibition and performance space. The Carriage Barn Arts Center is host to several premier art exhibitions annually, including two major juried events and curated exhibitions of member and invited artists, as well as art classes for adults and children, lectures, and a variety of live musical performances in the NCSA Acoustic Series and the Waveny Chamber Society concerts.

Arts for Healing 203.972.2982 – www.artsforhealing.org/

Arts for Healing is a unique, nurturing community-based center that helps people with learning and developmental disabilities improve the quality of their lives through music and creative arts therapy. A not-for-profit organization, we’ve been working with special needs children, adolescents and adults, and their families for over a decade. By providing safe and enriching artistic experiences, our students emerge to increase communication, attention span, fine and gross motor skills, social skills, and language development. As they progress, their renewed awareness and self-confidence is carried with them into their family relationships, school settings, and community.