20 YEARS OF BALLET

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the CTAC School of Ballet’s founding by Artistic Director Heather Raue. Heather has grown the School of Ballet into a nationally recognized program with the support of instructors, alums, donors, and volunteers. But the program, which has garnered attention for its high professional artistic and creative standards, had humble beginnings.

Heather instructed all levels of ballet six days a week in the small dance studio at CTAC for the first five years. As the program grew and young dancers advanced, Heather knew she needed help training the next generation of performance artists. So, she brought instructor Karrie Benedict on board in 2008.

“For the past fifteen years, Karrie has been responsible for developing the critical foundational skills for most of the dancers in our program,” said Heather. “She is a patient educator who works miracles with our young students.

Without Karrie’s dedication, our program would not be as successful as it is.”

As those familiar with the dance program know, ballet education requires years of dedication and discipline. It took Heather and Karrie years of hard work to develop the program. One significant step in the program’s development was finding a larger studio space, as the older students had quickly outgrown the small studio.

“Upon moving our older dancers to the large studio location, it was like watching caged animals experiencing freedom for the first time,” recalled Heather. “Our ladies were not hitting the ceiling or light fixtures in lifts anymore, we could adequately space staging for our full-length ballets, and our dancers’ movement quality and cardio aptitude dramatically improved. Plus, we could provide simultaneous classes in two studio locations.”

As the program expanded, so did its reputation, to the point of Heather being honored as Dance Magazine’s Dance Teacher of the Year in 2010.

“The award was, of course, a great honor, but it also reinforced for me the confidence and support that CTAC has given me over the years,” said Heather.

“Without the support of the community, especially parents who had entrusted their young dancers into my care, I could not have come to the attention of Dance Magazine. We are fortunate to have a community and arts organizations that recognize and support dance education.”

Since 2010, community support has enabled the School of Ballet to continue expanding its outreach to include collaborations with other organizations and artists. The School of Ballet has collaborated with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra, Good Hart Artist Residency, Big Water Creative, The Croft Residency, Bay View Association, and 12-year-old Pellston musician Blaze Beairl.

“These collaborations provide our students and the community with exciting new ways of looking at dance, music, and art and help to make our work even more dynamic,” shared Heather. Many of the program’s talented students have earned professional contracts, graduated with BFAs in dance, and enjoy dance-related careers, and some have returned to the School of Ballet as professional instructors.

“Working with dance artists like Hannah Bianchi, Ellie Esford, Marie Millard, Haley Van Patten, Benjamin Cheney, Tracy Thomson, Eleanor Chaney, Taylor Naturkas, Esmae Gold, and Bri Wilson is tremendously gratifying,” said Heather of the alums.

As alums reconnect to Northern Michigan and the dance program, they bring new energy that enhances the School of Ballet’s underlying foundation of creative yet rigorous dance education. “We have developed our own distinct style, and having alums work with the program makes passing on that style to our students all the easier,” added Heather. “I’m looking forward to working with our alums for many years to come – some of our young dancers are already planning to come back to join the faculty!”

Over the past twenty years, the program has grown consistently with support from dance families, instructors, donors, and friends. Going forward, Heather hopes to further elevate the School’s reputation as an innovative and creative arts resource. Plus, she has some other plans for the program as well.

“I’m excited about the possibility of establishing a professional dance company under the umbrella of the School of Ballet and CTAC,” shared Heather. “We are blessed to have a strong arts community here, as well as support for the arts, and I think we can harness that energy into a truly special dance company. I look forward to making our programs accessible to as many people as possible.”

Since 2003, the School of Ballet has seen exponential growth – increasing class sizes and educational offerings, adding staff and collaborations, and creatively enriching the community – without a doubt, the next twenty years will be just as rich and fulfilling as the last.