Remember the first time you went to the ballet? Well, students from 35 New York City public schools in all five boroughs will experience the magic of live dance (many of them for the first time) when they attend a performance today at the Metropolitan Opera House.

The event, hosted by the ABT Studio Company’s artistic director Kate Lydon, will bring in more than 3,500 students and include performances by students participating in ABT’s Make a Ballet program, which exposes young students to classical dance. The schools performing in this year’s program include Chinatown’s PS 1, PS 20 on the Lower East Side and Astoria’s Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, (where those adorable tiny dancers auditioned for SAB earlier this year).

Students performing at last year’s workshop. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor

The performance will also include performances by the ABT dancers, including excerpts from Le Corsaire, The Sleeping Beauty and ABT’s brand-new production, Whipped Cream.

Students performing at last year’s event. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor