Our Mission
Providing arts opportunities for all through exceptional dance education, community outreach and inspiring performances.
About
Founded in 1989, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre & Academy (MBT) is a nonprofit dance education organization dedicated to providing exceptional dance training, inspiring performances, and meaningful community outreach. Our mission is to make the arts accessible while helping every dancer grow with confidence, discipline, and creativity.
MBT offers professional instruction in a welcoming and supportive environment for students of all ages, abilities, body types, backgrounds, and aspirations. Whether dancing for enjoyment or pursuing a professional career, every student receives high-quality training from experienced faculty. Many of our students have continued their training at renowned summer intensives, collegiate dance programs, and pre-professional companies across the country.
With studios in Gaithersburg and Clarksburg, Maryland, MBT provides training in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, hip hop, contemporary, and more, along with opportunities to perform in professionally produced productions throughout the year.
Vision, Mission & Values
MBT’s Mission:
Providing arts opportunities for all through exceptional dance education, community outreach and inspiring performances.
MBT’s Vision:
​As a leading dance school in the DC Metro area, MBT nurtures dancers of all ages and abilities through inclusive, high-quality training and performance experiences, supporting both students exploring dance for recreation and those pursuing pre-professional and professional paths, while enriching the community with lasting engagement in the arts.
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MBT’s Core Values in Instruction and Performance:
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Care – teach each child to their individual ability in a caring and nurturing environment
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Character – emphasize confidence, discipline, responsibility to the community and to the artform, responsibility to studio classmates
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Community – create a welcoming and family-oriented focus for MBT families and the community
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Diversity & Equity – actively advance racial and gender diversity and equity initiatives in the study of dance at MBT, and strive to build a staff and board whose racial and gender diversity mimics the community we serve
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Excellence – promote exceptional instruction and performance
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Inclusivity – advance cultural diversity, gender diversity, racial diversity, and welcome all shapes/sizes/abilities to study dance
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Opportunity – promote unique opportunities for students, and be flexible to offer different opportunities, reacting to student or patron demand
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Reliability – provide consistency in instruction, performance, and outreach; reliable communication to stakeholders
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MBT’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access:
As part of MBT’s ongoing strategic planning and organizational development, members of our staff and Board of Directors have participated in education and training focused on cultural competency, inclusion, accessibility, and recognizing and addressing bias within the arts.
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MBT is committed to creating an environment where all students, families, faculty, staff, and community members feel welcomed, respected, and able to participate fully. We recognize that equitable access to arts education requires ongoing reflection and action, and we continue to examine our practices, programs, and partnerships to identify opportunities to reduce barriers and expand participation.
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Our strategic planning process includes specific goals and objectives related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), with progress reviewed as part of our ongoing organizational work. MBT’s Board of Directors has also established a standing committee (IDEA Committee) dedicated to supporting these efforts and working collaboratively with staff and Board leadership to advance our DEIA goals.
Our Impact
$55,000+
awarded in scholarships and tuition assistance annually
