And That's a Wrap (August 2026)

Can Adult Ballet Dancers put on a show that is full performance instead of simply recital?

For more than 70 guests this past weekend, the Adult Ballet Conservatory of St. Louis Dancers answered that question with a resounding YES!

From adult ballet dancers with only one year of training under their belt to adult ballet dancers who have been working with Director Leigh Brockman Horowitz for 7+ years, the dancers put on a thematic show rich in history, immersive experiences and of course, dance.

The premise of the Adult Ballet Conservatory of St. Louis can be summed up by the show's theme: RESISTANCE ("Still We Dance": The Radical Act of Dancing"). Hearing from fellow teachers, administrators and even students themselves that adult ballet was only "for fun," that "adults don't want real training," and "why train adult ballet dancers anyway? It's not like they are going to have a career in ballet anyway?," Brockman Horowitz felt an instant resistance to that narrative. In her mind, the question was more: why teach if you aren't giving your students 100% of your teaching ability?

After working with adult ballet dancers for a short time and hearing their input and stories, Brockman Horowitz became convinced that training adult ballet dancers who were interested in learning from the ground up - in the same way and using the same methodologies she used in training pre-professional youth dancers - was not only a right adult ballet dancers deserved, it was an opportunity to showcase adult stories and inner worlds - a landscape often missing in traditional ballet and dance spaces. In resisting the voices around her, Brockman Horowitz has opened the door for adult ballet dancers who are looking for their own serious training space.

This performance was shaped in three sections: Ballet, Character/Folk and Contemporary Dance. In taking the audience through these forms of dance, the cast was able to tell not only their story of resistance to the naysayers in their lives, but also broaden the idea of resistance through dance to encompass historic ways different cultures have asserted their existence through music and dance, showcase the idea of rest as resistance and ask audiences to reflect on the idea of hope as resistance. The performance also showcased a debut of "Quietly Yours," a dance video that tells the story of an adult ballet dancer taking class for the first time.

Brockman Horowotz shared this quote in the performance regarding contemporary dance, "Ballet asks for 100% perfection; Contemporary Dance asks for 100% human storytelling." The dancers of The Adult Ballet Conservatory of St. Louis absolutely captured the art of human storytelling - and for the audiences this weekend, those stories were met with great enthusiasm.

Didn't catch the performance this year? Stay tuned for August 2027!

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