Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirsta Sendziak.
Hi Kirsta, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started taking ballet when I was seven years old in Buffalo, NY with Clare Fetto at Festival School of Ballet. At first, I found ballet to be kind of boring because the focus of beginner classes is concentrated on the discipline and building technique, and it is very repetitive. However, my mom made me stick with it, and I am glad that she did! Three years later, the studio had to temporarily close because the rent became too expensive, and the director had to find another space. It was during that time I realized I missed dancing. In the three years of taking classes, I was developing an enjoyment for dance and finding it more challenging than the sports I was playing at the time. I also really missed the community, my friends, and my teacher. It was helpful to be able to take a step back and say, “Oh, this is what I like about it.” I also discovered I enjoyed ballet for the art form that it is and the physical movement-once you go and take a class or perform, there is really no rush like it!
In high school, I added modern dance into my training, and I danced with Elaine Gardner of Pick of the Crop Dance. At Hampshire College, I double concentrated in dance and psychology. I was interested in dance therapy, but during the summers, I taught at my high school’s summer camp. When I moved to Boston after college, I performed as a freelance dancer for local choreographers and companies. It was fantastic, but I always had a love for teaching.
A friend of mine, Ariella Amshalem, was an instructor at the School of Classical Ballet, and in 2009 one of the original directors wanted to sell the school and wanted Ariella to take it over. She did not want to run it by herself, so we decided to take it over together. We took over ownership in the summer of 2009, but Ariella moved away in 2010, so that is how I ended up being the sole director of The School of Classical Ballet.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
When Ariella and I took over the school in 2009, we had 13 students registered for our first Summer Term of six weekly classes. I have been the sole owner since Ariella moved away in 2010. By 2019, we had 32 weekly classes, 200 students, and six employees. I grew the school by working, working, working; six-seven days a week for years. I spent that time doing administrative work in the mornings, teaching in the afternoons and evenings, going home and doing more administrative work into the night. On vacations, I spent time writing emails and processing registration forms at midnight. It was challenging, but overcoming it was seeing the community being built full of lovely families, students with a passion for dance, dedicated and caring employees, and students who are now dance teachers and professional dancers themselves.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The School of Classical Ballet?
The School of Classical Ballet was founded in 1985 by Anna Myer and Patricia Adelmann. For over 30 years, the school has provided students with classical ballet training and helped to develop student appreciation for dance as an art form. In 2009, Ariella Amshalem and I incorporated additional dance forms into the curricula. Over the years, we have offered classes in ballet, contemporary, jazz, tap, and hip hop. The School of Classical Ballet is a technique-based school with an emphasis on learning. Performances are all-inclusive opportunities for students to showcase their technique and gain experience performing for an audience.
My role as the director is to oversee the whole school in addition to teaching. I spend the mornings and early afternoons doing administrative work, bookkeeping, answering emails and phone calls, putting together newsletters, etc. The afternoons and evenings consist of teaching, and I currently teach ten classes per week.
Running the school requires customer service, as a huge portion of my job is interacting with parents and students. I think what sets us apart from other schools is the detail I dedicate to communication. I have always tried to make the school feel welcoming to every student wanting to dance, and I have heard from so many of our families that they love being a part of our community. Over the years, countless students and employees have moved away, but I am still in touch with them. I feel rewarded in knowing that we are all part of this community, even though we do not see each other on a daily or even yearly basis. Just a couple of weeks ago, I attended a former student’s college dance performance. Sitting in the audience, I felt overjoyed and awed in seeing her growth and progress, and I felt rejuvenating happiness that dance is, as she describes it, “my favorite thing”.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
The pandemic has definitely impacted the performing arts. I hope in the next five years that enrollments for dance classes and performances can rebound and that this art form can continue to inspire a new generation of dance artists and choreographers.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.theschoolofclassicalballet.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/schoolofclassicalballet/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-School-of-Classical-Ballet/100057094374899/
Image Credits
Headshot photo: Bill Parsons Performance photography, photo of dancers in red dresses: Jeffrey Engel Performance photography, photo of puppets and lions: Siobhan Beasley Performance photography, photo of dancers in blue dresses: Carven Boursiquot
