By Stacie N. Galang
"Let me see these nice, quiet tiptoes," ballet instructor Jennifer Markham said.
The seven pink-clad 3-year-olds pranced about the studio as silently as they could manage, distracted occasionally by a glimpse of themselves in the wall-to-wall mirrors.
The Rhythm and Movement class is part of the Boston Ballet School's North Shore Studios, which opened this month at the Lynch van Otterloo YMCA atop Leggs Hill. Already, the school has 200 students enrolled, exceeding early sign-up goals, said North Shore Studio manager Carolyn Rock.
The Marblehead facility is the fourth for the renowned Boston dance company, which also has studios in Boston, Newtonville and Norwell. At the newest location, Boston Ballet currently offers 14 classes, six days a week for dancers age 2 to adult.
The studio manager said that as Boston Ballet looked to grow, the North Shore was the next natural step. The opportunity arrived to join the YMCA project with the generosity of Marblehead residents and Boston Ballet supporters Belinda and Henri Termeer.
"We're really similar in our mission in terms of community work," Rock said of the partnership with the YMCA. "So it's been a really great fit."
Classes convene in four dance studios in the second-floor space of the YMCA.
The school's 54-foot-by-93-foot rehearsal area, the Grand Studio, is a duplicate space of the stage and wings at Boston's Wang Center, the current home of the Boston Ballet. The Grand Studio has a floating wall that can divide the space in two.
"Space is so important for dancers," Rock said. "To be able to dance and rehearse in the same size and proportion is pretty rare."
In the afternoon, light floods the school's 12,000-square-foot studios, lobby and offices with a bird's-eye view of Salem and Marblehead.
"This is just gorgeous," Rock said. "You can see all the way to Salem Harbor."
The state-of-the-art facility has professional-grade floors, which are joint friendly, and rubber surfaces with just enough traction. Custom-built ballet barres line the walls of each dance space. Each studio has a piano or keyboard.
"It was great for everyone to walk in here and say, 'Wow,'" Rock said.
Visitors can watch the action inside because of the ceiling-to-floor glass windows in the lobby.
"It's really demystifying ballet a little bit," Rock said. "It's nice to be able to make it much more accessible."
Mothers could also watch their daughters take ballet for the first time. They welcomed the dance company, especially since it's so close now.
"It's so nice to have the Boston Ballet here," said parent Evemarie Davis of Marblehead. Her daughter Claire, 3, is enrolled in the Rhythm and Movement class.
The closeness also sold Doris Hawthorne of Marblehead on signing up daughter Emma, 3.
"It's so near to us and she just loves to dance around," Hawthorne said.
With the connection to one of the country's premier ballet companies, students have access to a variety of professional resources and opportunities like discount performance tickets.
"Part of the goal of the school," Rock said, "is to inspire a lifelong love of dance."
