Teenage dancers prepare for next step

by Laura Lee Cole

Once the tiniest of feet stood at the threshold of the gray floor of Sonoma Conservatory of Dance. Now on the cusps of their futures, these tender feet have become strong and poised, attached to capable, young women who now prepare to step forward into the world, to chase after their dreams.

This year SCD boasts six dancers — Elizabeth Eagles, Isabel Falls, Angelica Griggs-Demmin, Lizette Hernandez, Siobhan O’Reilly, and Madeline Ortiz — who graduate from high school this spring and move on from Sonoma, looking back fondly on their experiences on those gray floors of the conservatory, experiences they claim shaped them into the women they are today.

“Looking back on my childhood now, my best memories were inside that dance studio,” Griggs-Demmin said. “My experiences there have molded me into the person I am today. Patty has been the best mentor and teacher, and has inspired me to take risks and believe in myself.”

Celebrating ten years as director of SCD, Patty O’Reilly has dedicated herself to a holistic teaching approach, committed to training “artists who might realize the fullness of their personal potential and self-expression while respecting the same in others.” It has been her mission to train the whole person on the floor of her studio, developing not merely highly technical dancers but also persons of fine character.

“I was not only taught the technique of ballet and the qualities needed to perform in front of others,” Falls said, “but I was also taught life skills that I will be able to carry with me forever.”

Griggs-Demmin, an ambitious young woman who plans to pursue medicine at a university on the east coast in fall, agreed with Falls.

“My time in dance classes contributed endlessly to my academic success,” she said. “The work ethic I developed in ballet class will be invaluable in college and beyond.”

Five of these graduating dancers attribute their confidence and work ethic to the public performance opportunities SCD provided them over the years, performances like the annual holiday show, The Snow Maiden, and this weekend’s frolicking twist on a classic fairytale, Appalachian Cinderella. At first shy, and frightened of the bright lights and broad stage of the historic Sebastiani Theatre, over time each stood taller and smiled wider, welcoming the attention and applause and recognizing the importance of those long, difficult rehearsals.

“With my best friends by my side, we performed in numerous shows, small and large, watching the admiring, awe-stricken stares of the small children looking up at us,” Falls said. “The most rewarding part of these performances was not the feeling of completing an entire dance without any mistakes, but rather knowing that we are role models and mentors to these children.”

Sadly, Griggs-Demmin, who was just four years old when she started to train at the conservatory, had to sit out this weekend’s performance of Appalachian Cinderella, due to a surgery scheduled to keep her on track for college in fall. With this being her last opportunity to perform on the stage of the Sebastiani as a student dancer, Griggs-Demmin said the time away from the conservatory and stage has only increased her passion for dance.

“This post-surgery time has been very difficult for me,” Griggs-Demmin said. “I didn’t know how much I would miss ballet. I miss the people, the classes, and the rehearsals that I used to complain about. But, now I would give anything to have those long hours of dance back in my schedule. These few months have helped me realize how much I need ballet in my life, and how deeply my teachers and peers have impacted me. It’s hard to express my sadness at not being able to dance, but I am simultaneously grateful that I have found a passion that I love this much.”

Her renewed passion has led Griggs-Demmin to incorporate her desire to study medical science with her love of dance. She is focused on a future of dance or orthopedic medicine. Falls, who this fall attends Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, has other plans, but won’t forget how dancing at SCD shaped her into the woman she is today.

“Even though I am not pursuing a dance career, dance will always be a part of my life,” Falls said. “After all, this is where I spent the majority of my childhood and it will always be my version of a favorite playground.”

Although they will no longer shine under her direction, O’Reilly wishes them all the best in their prosperous futures, knowing she helped prepare them to shine brightly on any stage.

Join us this weekend at the Sebastiani Theatre, as we send off our graduating dancers when the curtain closes on Appalachian Cinderella, showing at 1:00 p.m., Saturday & Sunday. Tickets can be purchased at BrownPaperTickets.com or at the door.