Carolina Gardens by Del Webb
Magnolia Ballet This is a 6 week series from June 6th-July 18th(no class July 4th) *Please only register if you can commit to the series barring any unforeseen conflicts Time: 7:00-7:45 pm Fee: No fee Class Limit: 12 Led by resident- Lisa Matthews Magnolia Ballet will offer a low-impact Beginner Ballet class. We will combine “gentle” stretching and strength building while focusing on movement with grace. This class will build on the foundations of classical ballet using the ballet barre and choreography in the center. No ballet experience is required. Whether you are 55 or 95, there is a ballerina in every girl! I would love for you to join me. Let’s embrace our journey together! We may even have a few good laughs! 😊 *wear comfortable clothing *ballet shoes are helpful but not required A little history on the instructor: "I began ballet at the age of 4 years old while living in Atlanta, Georgia. I progressed to dancing with the Atlanta youth ballet. My family later moved to Charlotte, NC where I continued to dance as a child and then in high school we moved to Wilmington, NC. I danced with the Wilmington Civic Ballet in high school and also taught dance classes at a local YWCA while I was in high school. After my 1st year of college at UNCWilmington, I moved backed to Charlotte and danced under the direction of Gay Porter with the Charlotte youth ballet and shortly after that, I auditioned professionally for the Charlotte Ballet. I danced for a short time professionally and then my heart turned toward marriage and raising 3 boys and I put ballet to the side. However, through the busyness of raising three boys, ballet never left my heart. Then in 1997, with my husband and three boys, I moved to Fuquay Varina. Shortly after moving to FV my baby graduated from FV high school and left for college. I found myself an empty nester asking the question, “who am I?” 😊 I soon began dancing again as an older adult at a studio in Holly Springs and my love for ballet quickly resurfaced. I began having the desire to teach and share ballet with anyone who wanted to give it a try - young and old! I soon started a dance program at the Fuquay Varina Community Center. I taught ballet, tap, worship dance, and even hip-hop to students at Fuquay Varina High School. The program at the Community Center grew to about 200 students who participated in recitals twice a year; one at Christmas and one in the Spring. I used the recitals as a forum to give back to our community. For example, with a Story Book theme recital every spectator brought a book to donate to our local library. Another example, a Secret Garden theme recital, every person brought non-perishable food to donate to our local food pantry. Those are just two examples of many years of teaching at the Community Center. As the program grew in number, I added another instructor to the Community Center teaching team. Years later, I pulled back due to life getting too busy. However, I continued teaching on a much smaller scale that demanded less of my time. I took a small group of home school dancers to a space in Angier and created a worship dance company called Radiance. During this time, I was also given the opportunity at Campbell University to choreograph a musical that they were presenting to the community. My dance recital for Radiance was also held on the campus of Campbell University. We presented a recital called “Dances of Hope”. It was an African themed recital and we used the recital to raise awareness for the need for clean water in Kenya. We also raised funds for wells to be dug to supply the clean water. Shortly after that recital, on August 1st, 2013, I suffered a stroke and had to put dance to the side. I am thankful to say that I have recovered! The road to recovery has been long but ballet has remained in my heart. I am now ready to share it again! This class will benefit my own health and wellbeing and I would love to go on this journey with you! I look forward to meeting you in class!"
