Maria Fielding, Founder of the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet
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Maria Fielding, Founder of San Diego Civic Youth Ballet
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In 1945, Maria Fielding was a dance teacher who worked for the city. At the conclusion of World War II, many of the buildings in Balboa Park that had been used for military training for many years now found themselves vacant, Maria asked if she could have one room in the corner of the Food & Beverage Building (now the Casa del Prado) in order to start a ballet school. She believed that after facing the horrors of war, the youth of San Diego were in particular need of the unique beauty, strength and grace that was inherent within the training of ballet. She was right.
Over the years, many things have changed. We have faced more wars, political upheaval, and even a recent global pandemic. But for almost 80 years, the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet has survived it all, continuing to provide stability and peace in often uncertain times. Generations of dancers have come through our doors, and we have Maria Fielding to thank for starting it all.
The original Food & Beverage Building circa the 1940s:
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