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A ballerina is ethereal, graceful and light on her feet. And if enthusiasm for the Darien Senior Center's weekly ballet class is any indication, that ballerina is formidable at any age.
The Center has offered the class for seven years and it's always had a strong attendance record (but for an occasional spike in attrition due to participants' health reasons). And teacher Ruth Ann Brinker, at "70-plus" years-old, continues to be awed by her students: "My pupils are great fun for me because they come here not only for the exercise but for their love of dancing."
Ruth Ann embodies the long lean lines of a ballerina. Tall, dark eyed and impeccably postured, her longtime passion for dancing was the catalyst for teaching the class. "As a young girl I studied modern dance but never took ballet because there weren't any classes in Scarsdale where I grew up," she said. Finally, at age 35 when all her four children were in school, she enrolled in a continuing education class at SUNY Purchase. She instantly fell in love with the medium and trained in the Vagamova method, a very precise technique that incorporates fundamental elements of Russian, French and Italian styles.
That strict classical background still informs her teaching methods, which stress developing strength, flexibility and endurance. Although soft-spoken, she runs a tight ship: all students are required to wear pink leotards, ballet slippers and tights along with black skirts. Her syllabus is basic. "I teach adult versions of first-year curricula for 8 year-olds," she said, but classes are far from remedial. And though rigorous, her emphasis in class is less on leaping and more on strengthening, as the gym floor of the makeshift dance studio is not forgiving on participants' joints.
And what of her male students? "Well, we had one man a few years back but he quit after a couple of classes. He was humbled by the experience," she said, grinning.
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