Former Ballerina Will Keep You on Your Toes

Admit it: Sometimes when you drive your tutu-clad little girl to her after-school ballet lessons, you want to join the class. Nancy Schwartz, owner of Norwalk’s Performance Dance Studio, a high-ceilinged studio she rents to local dance companies and instructors, thinks grown-ups should get their own turn in toe shoes.

“There’s really no other class around here for adults to experience the physical release and mental focus that ballet offers,” says Schwartz, who has performed as a professional ballerina for 30 years. “So many skills are enhanced by ballet – spatial. balance. You have the music, the grace. You don’t get that at the gym.”

That’s why Schwartz started teaching adult ballet at Performance Dance, in addition to arranging rentals.  After moving to Greenwich from Manhattan, where professional and amateur dancers regularly rent rooms by the hour for rehearsals and classes, Schwartz saw a need for a shared dance space. “Dancers are more competitive up here,” she says. “It’s like, the modern dance teacher wants to be the only modern dance teacher in town."

Schwartz says adults can find a wide range of classes at Performance Dance, from a Venezuelan troupe to a fitness “boot camp.” But her ballet classes are among the most popular, attracting beginners and pros ranging in age from just out of college to seniors. Schwartz teaches a “Stretch and Strengthen” barre class on Mondays at 7 p.m. and full ballet classes on Tuesdays at 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Each is a  “pick-up” class, meaning you can drop in whenever you wish. For moe details on classes and rental pricing, call 203-855-1118 or visit www.performancedance.com. 

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