About New York Conservatory of Dance

The spirit of Russian Imperial Ballet–legend Olga Preobrajenska jetés over the New York Conservatory of Dance. Founder Vladimir Dokoudovsky—a Monaco-born dancer who worked extensively in Paris before arriving in New York—picked up Preobrajenska's philosophy of pure lines and elegant movements through close study with her at the École des Beaux-Arts. Though Dokoudovsky passed away in 1998, the conservatory is now overseen by his widow Patricia Heyes Dokoudovsky, who focuses especially on bringing classical ballet to adult beginners.

The Conservatory's studio is as stately as its lineage. Dark wood embraces its double-decker space beneath pendant lamps hanging from 28-foot ceilings, with a mezzanine for watching the dancers below and getting a look at the complicated system of pins and pulleys that hold each bun in place.:m]]