Ballet Etudes was created by Sharon Seder Meko in 1986 to fulfill the artistic needs of serious young dancers who desire performing opportunities of the highest caliber. Company members are selected through open auditions by a panel of adjudicators each August, and if selected, the dancers strive to meet the same high artistic standards of a professional company in their dance training, rehearsals and performances. The Artistic Staff offers young dancers an opportunity for expert training and stage experience under professional guidance. In recent years, three Ballet Etudes company members have studied at American Ballet Theatre in New York City after having received the National Training Program Scholarships, two others have been accepted into the Professional Division of Pacific Northwest Ballet’s school, and countless others have gone onto professional dance careers and college-level studies with scholarships. The performance schedule of Ballet Etudes includes its popular productions of The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. Additionally, the company has performed with The Phoenix Symphony, the Phoenix Boys Choir, The Phoenix Girls Chorus, Valley Youth Theatre, the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, and at a Phoenix Suns game, the Arizona Renaissance Festival and an Arizona Opera gala.

It is the mission of Ballet Etudes to provide professional-level experiences for Ballet Etudes company members with expert training and stage experience under professional guidance.