Saks Fifth Avenue Hosts The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School

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Jun 01, 2015, 03:38 ET

NEW YORK, June 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- On Saturday, June 6^th and Sunday, June 7^th, Saks Fifth Avenue is honored to host 16 dancers from the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School for an unprecedented live performance in the windows of the retailer's Flagship location.

The Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, Inc. (SCBS) is distinguished in Southwest Florida for teaching exclusively in the renowned Cuban style, admired throughout the world for its athleticism, passion and grace. SCBS is committed to cultural diversity in dance, and to using this timeless art form to promote international understanding. This commitment has led to a unique student/faculty exchange program with the world famous Cuban National Ballet School. Each year, selected SCBS students and faculty travel to Havana for an April training course, and the top group of the most advanced Cuban National Ballet students, accompanied by internationally renowned school director Ramona de Saa, come to Sarasota to participate in SCBS' Summer Intensive program. SCBS' Summer Intensive culminates in a spectacular performance at the Sarasota Opera House on August 1, 2015.

The 16 dancers traveling from Sarasota, Florida for the special performance at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York are part of a mentoring program spearheaded by Sarasota philanthropist Dr. Suzanne Kesten who founded her mentoring program in 2012. The mentoring program assists promising young dancers as they pursue professional careers. Dr. Kesten is a benefactor of SCBS, where her generosity has provided her mentees with scholarships for the Summer Intensive, yearlong training courses and private lessons.

The performances will take place on Saturday, June 6^th and Sunday, June 7^th from 10:00AM – 4:00PM in the center six windows at Saks Fifth Avenue New York located at 611 Fifth Avenue.

ABOUT SCBS
SCBS was founded in 2012 by the Cuban-born husband/wife team of Ariel Serrano and Wilmian Hernandez. Trained at the elite Cuban National Ballet School, they performed internationally before moving to Sarasota in 1993 to pursue their American dream as dancers at the Sarasota Ballet.

An exceptional faculty led by Serrano and Hernandez as well as the explosive popularity in the ballet world of Cuban-style dancing has fueled the school's rapid growth from 10 students to 75 in just three years. SCBS features classes for students from age three to adults, but the heart of its program is a rigorous training course to prepare talented, serious young dancers for professional careers.

ABOUT SAKS FIFTH AVENUE
Saks Fifth Avenue, one of the world's pre-eminent specialty retailers, is renowned for its superlative American and international designer collections, its expertly edited assortment of handbags, shoes, jewelry, cosmetics and gifts, and the first-rate fashion expertise and exemplary client service of its Associates. As part of the Hudson's Bay Company brand portfolio, Saks operates 39 full-line stores in 22 states, five international licensed stores, 83 Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores and saks.com, the company's online store.

CONTACT:
Heather Hertz
Saks Fifth Avenue
212.451.3649
[email protected]

SOURCE Saks Fifth Avenue