San Diego Civic Youth Ballet Builds Skills and Self-Confidence

from the San Diego Jewish Journal

Written by Eva Trieger

November 28, 2021

SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Civic Youth Ballet was founded in 1945 and makes its home in Balboa Park.  As the resident dance school, the company puts on three shows a year at Casa del Prado Theater.  In addition to the classic and holiday favorite The Nutcracker, there is a full-length spring ballet, and a summer gem, Fairy Tales in the Park.  When possible, the company takes its performances to the community to share the joy of storytelling through movement.  I had the great fortune to speak with a former, and current student, Sara Goldman.

Goldman, daughter of New Yorkers, grew up with a love of classical music and movement. Born at local Sharp Hospital, Goldman is one of a rare breed of native San Diegans. At the age of six, Goldman, accompanied by her sister, enrolled in the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet. The year was 1964, and at the time, it was still considered safe for two little girls to ride a bus from North Park to Balboa Park.

For Goldman, the ballet experience was nothing short of transformational. As a tall, lanky little girl she was often bullied and made to feel poorly about herself. Being part of the dance company and performances gave her a sense of purpose, Goldman told me. She never considered herself a prima ballerina, but she enjoyed being cast in the chorus and other peripheral roles.  Her first role with the SDYCB was as a Snowflake in The Nutcracker. For the next ten years, Goldman enjoyed these classes with a ratio of 30-40 students to one or two teachers. Though the classes were stringent, Goldman felt she gained so much self-confidence and appreciation for the world to which dance introduced her.

Goldman shared that the biggest lessons were psychological and intrinsic. Though she did learn the five basic dance positions, she also found contentment and a growing sense of self-worth through the classical music, the beauty of the costumes, and the synergy of her classmates. Guest ballerinas and other professionals taught classes that made quite an impression on the budding ballerina. However, as I was told, many of the lessons were life lessons, not simply the mechanics of a tour jete or a ronde de jambe.

Sara Goldman returned to San Diego and to classes at the San Diego Civic Youth Ballet. She reported that adult classes are less stringent and she is delighted that she meets classmates of all different backgrounds, shapes, and sizes. The mission statement of today’s SDCYB, states,” SDCYB promotes excellence in all endeavors and a spirit of service to the San Diego community through sustainable practices that prioritize a child’s desire to dance over their ability to pay.”  They are also committed to inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (I.D.E.A.) As for the rest of the world, COVID-19 posed challenges, which the company rose to meet. Classes were taught via Zoom to ensure that this lifeline would continue.

Goldman expressed her belief that ballet is crucial to every arena of life. When she has faced dark times, she has turned to music and ballet. The skills learned from her early decade of ballet at SDYCB gave her the necessary tools to deal with job interviews, relationships, disappointments, and myriad life lessons with grace and direction.