With the O’Meara Performing Arts Academy bowing out in June, Jennifer Hardesty was concerned budding ballet dancers would no longer have access to the instruction they need to flourish as performers.
“I am hoping to try and preserve the art form because classical ballet, like other art forms, if you are not careful those things can fade over time,” Hardesty said. “If we want to keep the tradition going, people have to keep learning it and teaching. That is what I am hoping to do.”
Passionate about teaching the next generations, Hardesty has founded Port Townsend Ballet, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which opened Aug. 9 at 898 E. Park Ave., Suite 1.
“I have taught ballet before but I haven’t ever been the artistic director in charge of it all,” said Hardesty, a soft-spoken professional.
Opening the new studio has been more exciting than stressful, Hardesty said.
“I was not necessarily expecting to open up a ballet school any time in the near future. The opportunity arose and it was a lot of work to get it going but it was definitely a lot of fun. I have learned a lot from it.”
Completing the paperwork to register as a bona fide nonprofit was the most daunting task, Hardesty said.
Still within its first month, students have already been trickling into the new studio.
Although she will move soon away from Port Townsend, Anna Tallarico, 18, got in one class at the new studio.
“I wish it would have come sooner,” Tallarico said. “I have missed dancing.”
After O’Meara closed, Tallarico was forced to drive an hour to a studio in Poulsbo, she said.
Tallarico is drawn to ballet like a moth to a flame.
“It has always been something I have really enjoyed,” she said. “Even when I was little I was super wiggly. Every time there was music on I would have to dance. It has always been a part of me.”
Her drive to dance was kept alive even when a studio was unavailable, Tallarico said.
“Even though sometimes it has been hard, switching studios and stuff, trying to find new places, it has always been something I have to do no matter what. I am incomplete without it.”
Performing ballet is simply beautiful, Tallarico said.
“It is a way to express yourself without words or anything else. In my opinion it is the purest art form. It teaches you lifelong hard work, dedication and discipline.”
Ruby Mortensen, 11, of Port Townsend, has been trying to get back into ballet for several years, she said.
“I started dancing in kindergarten and then I moved,” she said. “I went to O’Meara when I moved back. But then stuff came up and I couldn’t do it. I found out it was closing and it was too late for me to sign up, so it has been a long time. I really want to do it again.”
Mortensen said she wants to work on her form and muscle development, something that she can accomplish at Port Townsend Ballet.
Tilly Morton, 11 of Port Townsend, formerly danced at O’Meara and was left without a substitute until the new studio opened, she said.
“I was doing a bunch of different styles so I wanted to focus on ballet because it was my favorite. I like how you can do so much with just your body. The form and stuff.”
Focusing on ballet alone is Hardesty’s goal, she said.
“Ballet is really the basis for most forms of dance. If you are a good ballet dancer, you can usually pick up other types of dance pretty quickly,” said Hardesty. “I do think it is important to hone your skills in ballet and be a master of one rather than a jack of all trades.”
Hardesty sees herself in the girls she now teaches.
“I started ballet when I was 7 years old and I fell in love with it instantly,” she said. I feel classical ballet is so unique in terms of forms of dance. You are never trying to be cool or sexy or funky or anything like that. You are just working on accomplishing good technique.”
A good ballet dancer is disciplined and respects their body, Hardesty said.
Additionally, they have good musicality and a love for it, she said.
“That certainly shows through when people are dancing.”
Hardesty said while it has been thrilling to open the studio, she derives even more delight from teaching.
“After people take a class, they say how excited they are there is a studio here in Port Townsend and are really looking forward to learning more and coming into classes. It really fills my heart with joy. I feel so blessed to be part of it because it is not about me. It is about all of the kids and adults getting to experience it. It makes me feel happy.”
Down the road, Hardesty said she hopes the studio will be able to organize grand ballet productions.
“Ideally with time we would be able to put on full-length story ballets such as ‘The Nutcracker,’ ‘Swan Lake’ and ‘Romeo and Juliet.’ But there are a few things missing in this town, one of which is a performing arts center. That makes it a challenge. Until we get a performing arts center we will probably have to do much more low-key performances.”
Such a performance could come as early as spring 2020, she said.
As a nonprofit, Hardesty also has plans to offer scholarships to underprivileged youths who want to participate. Such scholarships will not be merit based, she said.
“They will be for people who maybe can’t afford tuition. I would love to be able to help kids out who otherwise would not be able to go.”
Donations for that purpose are being accepted, she said, and are tax deductible.
Source: The Port Townsend Leader
