A R T S & C U LT U R E
Movement A JOY IN
JENNIFER CHENG PASSES ALONG HER LOVE OF DANCE
D
BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
ance has always been a big part of Jennifer Cheng’s life. She was training to be a professional dancer when college came calling in the late 1970s. Her parents persuaded her to study law, so she put the art form on the back burner. When she retired from her successful law career, she pirouetted right back onto the dance floor. In 2010, artistic director Cheng founded Dance Conservatory of Pasadena to inspire, train and nurture creative endeavors with a focus on ballet.
Cheng says ballet was the logical move for her. “Ballet is obviously an artistic expression, which is important for the development of young kids,” she says. “It’s important to teach the discipline, too. “It’s a discipline that helps kids focus. They understand that working hard and listening to their instructors are big parts of it. There’s a joy in movement.” For 10 years, the Dance Conservatory of Pasadena has challenged students to create work that’s important to the community with three programs — Miss Caroline’s Children’s Division, a comprehensive preprofessional ballet program and an ongoing adult-focused movement program. Annually, Cheng, the teachers and students work toward performances of “Sleeping Beauty” or “The Nutcracker.” “They create a full performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ in December,” she says. “We didn’t water it down. They do a full-on one that you would see featuring the ballet and American Ballet Theater or the Bolshoi Ballet. It was a great experience.” continued on page 12
Photo by Chris Mortenson
Dance Conservatory of Pasadena was founded in 2010 to inspire, train and nurture creative endeavors with a focus on ballet.
10 | ARROYO | 10.21
10-Dance Conservatory.indd 10
10/1/21 12:53 PM
