Adult Ballet Takes Center Stage as Coral Springs Instructor Builds a Thriving Community

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Ballet instructor Isabella Picinic (left) working with student Nicki Riettie. (Photo courtesy of Isabella Picinik)

When dance instructor Isabella Picinic moved to Coral Springs from Miami last February, she identified a niche that needed filling — ballet classes for adults.

Picinic, 25, a New Jersey native, has been dancing her whole life and about 10 years ago began using her skills to teach children to dance. She taught all types of dancing to youngsters. She relocated to Miami from the Garden State in 2021, during the COVID pandemic, and taught dance there, but also drove north to Coral Springs on occasion to give lessons.

That’s when the idea struck. “I wanted to find a dance community for older people, but couldn’t find it,” she said. “So I started it.”

She posted on social media to see if people were interested. The response was extremely positive. A lot of adults expressed interest. Hence, Picinic’s adult ballet classes came to fruition.

Of course, she realizes women – there are no men in her classes – who are almost 60 will lack the same flexibility and coordination they might have had in their younger days. Therefore, she accommodates each dancer’s individual ability with their unique dance routine. “It’s a challenge for sure,” she said. “You have to meet them where they are. I never want to make them feel uncomfortable.”

Her students range in age from 18 to almost 60. As for never having had a male take her ballet class, she said, “I never had a guy, but it would be cool.”

There’s a lot more to learning and practicing ballet than just the physical aspect of it. She describes ballet as more than a full-body workout. “It’s good not just for the body, but for the mind as well,” Picinic said. “I learned so much discipline from ballet at a young age.”

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She feels a great sense of pride in the strides her ballet students have made. “The consistency of my students, to see my ladies come in, to see how much they’ve trained. It was the best decision I made this year.”

At first, Picinic taught one class on Saturday mornings. Because of an increasing demand and interest, she now teaches three classes a week.

Nicki Riettie, a Parkland resident, took her first class after seeing Picinic’s original post on Facebook. She’s been hooked ever since and describes these ballet classes as something special to be celebrated and spotlighted for the community. The classes are filled with women of all ages, backgrounds, and professions who were eager to learn ballet, many for the first time. Riettie, 57, is the oldest in her class.

When she was a young child, maybe between the ages of 4 and 7, Riettie took ballet lessons, but considers herself a complete beginner. “It was always on my bucket list to become a ballerina since I was a child,” she said. “I always wanted to do it.”

As for learning this artistic dance form, Riettie said it’s much harder than it looks. “It’s so good for the brain,” she said. “Learning the steps and putting them to music requires a lot of concentration and memory.”

Plus, she loves the relationships and camaraderie the group members have built.

And now, Picinic and her ballet troupe will showcase their talents on Wednesday, Dec. 17, at 7:00 p.m. at the Willow Theater at Sugar Sand Park in Boca Raton. The show is free, and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Riettie said they’ve been rehearsing for this since August, learning choreography from scratch, understanding musicality, and getting fitted for costumes.

Their Saturday class is held at Milani & Co Dance Studio in Margate, and the other two courses are held at Coral Springs Academy of Dance. For more information about Picinic’s adult ballet classes visit their website or on Instagram, Precious Pace (@preciouspacemia-mi.)

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Martin Lenkowsky

Martin Lenkowsky moved to Coral Springs from NYC in 1982. He has a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College. He has been both writer and editor for a number of South Florida publications since 1983. He considers features writing his specialty.