A performer who played Young Lola in Kinky Boots on Broadway as a child is opening a performing arts conservatory for teenagers in Great Neck. The Douglas Baldeo Conservatory of Performing Arts, known as DBCOPA, will hold its first weekend classes on January 16, 2027, and enrollment is open now for 50 students between the ages of 10 and 18.

Who is behind it

Douglas Baldeo is the founder, chief executive and artistic director. According to the conservatory, his credits as a young performer include Young Lola in Kinky Boots on Broadway; the young Stevie Wonder, Berry Gordy and Michael Jackson on the first national tour of Motown: The Musical; and Fletcher in The Bodyguard.

In 2016 he performed The Schuyler Sisters from Hamilton at MCC Theater's Miscast gala. The video of that performance spread widely online and led to an appearance on NBC's Maya and Marty. He later graduated from the Denzel Washington School of the Arts and earned a bachelor of fine arts in dance from Montclair State University.

What students will study

The program is built on four parts that the school calls its pillars:

  • Dance: ballet, jazz, West African, hip-hop, street jazz and modern, plus strength and conditioning.
  • Vocal performance and musical theater: breath and vocal technique, Broadway repertoire, acting through song and ensemble staging.
  • Acting: character work, scene study, speech and dialect, poetry and film interpretation.
  • Etiquette: taught twice a month on Sunday mornings, covering introductions, rehearsal conduct, audition readiness and a formal dress and dining day built around a mock formal dinner.

Two guest-artist master classes are planned each month. Students also prepare a Broadway song chosen from the founder's own collection of scores for a midterm presentation, and the year ends with a student showcase in August 2027 at a performing arts venue that has not been named yet.

Two divisions, 25 students each

Students are split by age. Junior Artists, ages 10 to 13, focus on foundations; Senior Artists, ages 14 to 18, work on advanced technique and audition preparation. Each division takes up to 25 students, and the two train separately with some shared rehearsals and master classes.

Classes meet every weekend: Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., according to the school's published schedule. The exact Great Neck location will be sent to enrolled families before the first class.

What it costs

Tuition for January through August 2027 is $800 a month for eight months, plus a one-time $120 enrollment fee, for a total of $6,520. Families can instead pay $6,500 in full, which includes the enrollment fee. The $120 fee covers the conservatory uniform, a lapa and a student notebook. Dance shoes are bought separately.

Tuition covers weekend and summer training, the guest-artist classes, a planned Broadway educational trip and showcase preparation, with no separate activity or summer charges, according to the school.

How to apply

A parent or guardian fills out the online registration form at thedbcopa.com. Submitting the form does not hold a seat: places are first come, first served, and a spot is secured only once the school sends written acceptance and the enrollment payment is received. January tuition is due December 15, with a grace period through December 20. Questions go to [email protected].

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