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Sandy Journal

‘Nutcracker’ coming to Eastmont Middle

Nov 03, 2022 07:22PM ● By Linda Steele

By Linda Steele | [email protected]

En Pointe School of Ballet is adream come true for Rachael Ellis, Artistic Director/ Owner of En Pointe. Rachael always wanted an elegant, traditional studio. She has worked hard to make her dream come true, and she’s had her hand in every detail of the making of En Pointe. Marc Ellis, scenery director and Rachael’s husband, has helped in the building of the studio and scenery for performances. Rachael Ellis says, “my husband is my number one cheerleader, he has been my great support since before En Pointe began in 2010 at his encouragement.”

The school has decor of Victorian elegance that is inviting and very relaxing, with an exciting atmosphere of traditional ballet that originated in the 15th to17th centuries in Europe.

En Pointe’s philosophy is to preserve the long-standing ballet traditions and technique. En Pointe is non-competitive, performance and technique based. Their vision is to create dancers with solid ballet technique and self-esteem.

En Pointe teaches classical ballet. They focus on full length theatrical story ballet performances. They have strong core-values teaching discipline, love and artistry of ballet. Classes are taught for age 3 and up, with beginning ballet offered for children through adults. They have strong boys and men’s classes and four levels of partnering classes.

“I love children, and I love watching their self-esteem soar as they learn to dance. I enjoy bringing out the ability to dance, which I believe everyone has within. Classical ballet provides the necessary foundation that is needed to be successful in every other form of dance. Ballet imparts certain gifts to a child which nothing else can. Poise, confidence, discipline, flexibility, grace, and a quick and focused mind are some of the things you can expect for your child to gain. Proper safe technique and French terminology are introduced to children at a very young age, and the joy of dancing is always emphasized.” Rachael Ellis said.

Rachael’s family is involved in the business as well, in reality you could say En Pointe School of Ballet is a family-owned business. All of Rachael’s children help backstage. Mariah Shaw, a daughter, is the Office Manager. She loves being involved with the arts and enjoys being a part of the cultural experience at En Pointe. She loves the studio and is happy to be part of the family business and reduce some of her mother’s stress. Michael A. Ellis, Rachael’s son, is scenery and prop designer/fabricator. He designed the En Pointe website. He teaches weight training for the boy’s and men’s classes. Natasha, Rachael’s daughter, works on music, editing, teaching and she is the Assistant Director of Performances, and she is a dancer in some En Pointe productions.

“Our studio is home to incredible and talented instructors, office and boutique managers, staff, directors and volunteers who share our vision, and put their hearts, time and talents into nurturing dancers and students to achieve their goals and feel at home at En Pointe Ballet,” Ellis said..

“Ballet is about elegance and grace. Ballet's roots are in Europe,” Ellis said. This is what she was hoping to achieve with the décor and atmosphere at En Pointe. It is important to her that the atmosphere at her studio be supportive, respectful and helpful to each other. She wanted to have a classical studio like the European style, because that is where ballet’s roots are. Her studio has achieved an elegance in every part of its being. There are pictures of her dancers in classical Victorian-style frames. The windows are long and draped with Victorian draping. The  studio rooms where students are taught are beautiful. There is a whole section of the studio where props and costumes are stored.

En Pointe has a boutique with everything from dance clothes to shoes for adults and children’s sizes. They can order anything you need for other styles of dance, such as shoes for jazz, character, tap and ballroom dance shoes.

En Pointe Ballet will be performing their unique take on the beloved story of the Nutcracker in December. “It’s important to me that every member of the audience has the most enjoyable experience possible. I like to educate our students and our audiences regarding beloved ballet traditions.” Ellis said.

Nutcracker performances at Eastmont Middle School in Sandy, Dec. 1 and 2 at 6:00 p.m. and Dec. 3 at 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Go to https://28120.danceticketing.com

To find out more about this beautiful studio go to: enpointballet.

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