<a href="http://www.gtherald.com/local/local_story_189070707.html">Ballet not just for kids</a>

By Carol South
Special to the Record-Eagle

July 08, 2009 07:14 am

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TRAVERSE CITY -- When Sue Vignola's husband was seriously ill four years ago, she turned to a childhood friend for comfort: ballet.

A serious dancer until the age of 16, the Lake City dentist searched for an outlet to provide a pleasurable respite as she cared for her husband. Commuting two hours a week for an adult ballet class at Dance Arts Academy, she continued attending classes even after her husband died.

Vignola had reconnected with a regimen that keeps her body supple and strong, sharpens her mind and counters life's tensions.

"When I dance, I have such a release of stress and have so much enjoyment," she said. "It keeps me young and gives me strength, flexibility and stamina for work."

Ballet and other dance forms are wildly popular among the under 20 crowd in the region, with three studios and three companies vying for attention in Traverse City alone. Adults have their choices, too, as each studio offers classes specifically for them with another option available in Leelanau County.

Whether a dancer who put it aside as a teen after years of study or a stark beginner, the study of ballet reaps countless rewards for body, mind and spirit.

"It keeps your mind alive, too, there's just a lot to it," Vignola said. "There's a lot of creativity involved."

After decades in hibernation, Sharon Jackson had her passion for ballet class reignited after she and a friend attended a ballet at Interlochen. They started studying at Ballet Etc. Dance Institute seven years ago, her friend jumping into it despite never having danced before.

Not one to get on the treadmill, Jackson appreciates that the weekly class is a total body workout. For her, however, the physical exertion is secondary.

"I just enjoy ballet and the movement," said Jackson, who also takes ballet classes in Florida over the winter. "We love it, it's inspiring and good for the mind, the soul, the body -- everything!"

The "B word" can intimidate beginners especially, said veteran ballet teacher and former studio owner Ede Meyer. Meyer teaches both continuing and beginner adult classes at Ballet Etc. Dance Institute every week. Motivations among beginners range from always wanting to learn ballet to loving the art form enough as patrons to immerse themselves in it.

Sometimes getting past the learning curve can be challenging. A passion for ballet can be a helpful bridge as students study the moves, terminology and artistry.

"It's not like a drive-thru burger, you really have to work hard at it," said Meyer, who has been teaching for 50 years. "You have to spend time learning how to do it properly and, if you do, you are certainly going to have rewards, physically and mentally."

Melinda Baker at Dance Arts Academy emphasizes another facet of ballet training for adults: keeping the creative flame alive. This means practicing and pursuing creativity regularly, as a way of life instead of an occasional dabble. An inspiration for her classes is dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp, who believed that "being creative is a full-time job with its own daily patterns."

"Many adults want to keep creativity as part of their daily lives, regardless of their occupation so this gives them a chance once a week, a routing, a certainty, that they will have a chance to be creative," said Baker, who has been teaching adult ballet classes since 1990. "Even though I set the combination, I don't tell the adults how to do it, it's their own personality and their own inspiration."

Teaching adults versus young dancers aspiring to or dreaming of a professional career requires a modified approach, said Elisa Brabenec. A teacher for 33 years, including at schools, colleges and her own dance studio in Traverse City, Brabenec is now a freelance teacher affiliated with the Dance Collective of Leelanau.

"There are so many people who danced when they were young or found ballet at a later age so they don't really want to be in a (class) where it's competitive or high pressure with lots of rules," she said. "They just come because they love the art form."

"They like to be challenged physically but they also want to be challenged artistically," Brabenec said.

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