Teaching Adult Ballet Beginners in 2026

We began our 2026-2027 Season last night, and as luck would have it - with the Labor Day holiday on Monday - we started with our Tuesday schedule…which is ALL Beginner Classes. I wouldn’t have necessarily called it, but I absolutely adored starting the season with our beginners.

Why?

Because there’s something beautiful about seeing Adults taking those first tentative steps into something outside of their comfort zones. There’s something magnificent about walking students through Ballet History - and watching them wake up to the fact that, as one of my students said last night, that ballet is a “layered” system of learning (on lots of levels).

My feeling is that lots of grownups think of ballet as a closed system - closed to them, at least…maybe closed to many. My understanding from listening over the years is that adults often feel that if they missed the boat as kids, there’s not a space for them as adults.

Maybe that’s why I love our Beginners. They are the true warriors - the true adventurers carving the path for more and more adults. Just by showing up, they help move the needle on the perceived close system. By showing up, they are asking for a place at the ballet table. That’s super brave.

Ballet actually does have LARGE gate keeping systems in place. If you’ve been following the YAGP discussions happening on socials this week, you’re hearing that reality from all sides of the spectrum.

What I love about Adult Beginners is that together, we are saying No to gatekeepers. We are opening the doors and the conversation. We are widening who fits under our tent.

And that is beautiful and necessary - for EVERYONE involved.