Last month, students at Hidden Lake Secondary School attended a special performance from the esteemed Colorado Ballet Company– right in their very own building! The high school gym was converted into a stage, complete with backdrops, costumes and orchestral music, transforming the everyday space into an enchanting venue.

“It's hard to appreciate something you don't understand, right?” says Director of Education and Community Engagement, Emily Herrin. “Ballet has a traditionally rather classist history. There are a lot of barriers in access, so we’re really trying to break that down by bringing dancers and teachers out into the community.”

Arranged by Hidden Lake teacher Kendra Schreck, the From the Page to the Stage assembly happens at a requested location, whether that’s a school gym, or a Girl Scout troop. “It's a really amazing opportunity [for the dancers] because they get to work with our rehearsal directors and our ballet masters working on choreography that's typically soloist or principal level, which tends to be really late career opportunities.”

The students watched, engaged and respectful, as seven professional dancers from the Colorado Ballet Studio Company performed excerpts from ballets based on folk tales and literary classics. The dancers' elaborate costumes included a dark witch, pastel fairies, a Scottish kilt and even modern tennis attire.

Herrin explained how stories are translated into dance and answered questions about pointe shoes, male roles in dance and much more. The assembly concluded with a fun round of audience participation where students and teachers were invited to the stage to attempt some of the challenging dance positions. The dancers shared insights into their rigorous practice routines, emphasizing the athleticism and dedication required to master their craft.

So, what does Herrin hope the impact will be on these students in the future?

“Anything would be a win, even if it was just, ‘I thought I hated ballet, but it's actually not that bad.’ Maybe they saw part of this process of setup and takedown today, and they thought…’I don't want to sit at a computer all day, I'm not a dancer, maybe I can be the one doing the tech behind the scenes.’’

Herrin goes on to say, “Any connection that they make to the art form, ideally, it would be fantastic. Do they become patrons of the arts, appreciators of dance, of ballet? Do they notice how dance can be part of a healthy lifestyle and choose to engage recreationally? Just for fun? Does it give them something to talk about after today? Great, for us, it's all a win!”