Marblehead Y offering ballet classes

MARBLEHEAD – Young girls in pink leotards and tights ran in and out of classrooms at the Boston Ballet School wing of the Marblehead YMCA on a recent afternoon.The Boston Ballet School has three locations that include Boston, Newton and now Marblehead. Marblehead is the newest location and has been at the YMCA for three years now.There are 450 students at the Marblehead location and 4,000 overall in the three locations.”It has been a great partnership with the YMCA,” Administration Manager Carolyn Rock said. “It’s been going great so far.”The Boston Ballet offers classes for ages from 2-adult.The Boston Ballet also stresses that ballet is not just for girls.”When people think ballet a lot of times, they think little girls in tutus,” Rock said. “It is also for guys too. In fact, we offer a class specifically just for guys.”Classes last 10 months and start at $800 for children’s classes.Being located at the YMCA has offered the ballet school some exciting options.”We now offer a ballet class for gymnasts, which has been a huge success,” Rock said.The class helps give gymnasts the grace and posture of a ballerina.”I always thought gymnastics would be so much better if they added a little ballet into it,” Principal Evelyn Cisneros-Legate said, who teaches the class. “One of their coaches told me at their last meet they got the best scores they have gotten before.”There are plans to expand the class next season.Students at the Boston Ballet School have the opportunity to audition for the beloved performance of “The Nutcracker.””We have had many students from the school perform in “The Nutcracker,” Rock said.Cisneros-Legate believes this opportunity gives the students a competitive edge over other ballet students.”It’s a great service for our students to see a world class performance,” she said. “Where else can you get that?”Rock and Cisneros-Legate both agree that the Boston Ballet offers the best training for aspiring ballerinas.”We offer a level of training nobody else does. If you are serious about ballet, this is where you want to be,” Cisneros-Legate said.Cisneros-Legate said it’s because of the dedication and talent of the teachers that makes the school so special.”They have a level of expertise most don’t have,” she said.Cisneros-Legate herself was in the San Francisco Ballet for more than 20 years before becoming a teacher.The Boston Ballet School encourages people of all ages to take part of their classes even if they are beginners.”I believe dancing is good for the soul,” Cisneros-Legate said. “I think everyone has a dancer inside of them.”Sara Brown can be reached at [email protected].