MSB 50’th Anniversary Memories

She pinned the number 9 to my back and wished me luck. It was a moment that would have more of an impact on my life than I could have imagined back then. This was the initial audition for the North Shore Civic Ballet and the legendary Anita Novins affixed my number and off I went with a number of other hopefuls. What was seemingly “just an audition “ set me on a path to  decades of friendship, a lifelong passion for dance, and opportunities that clearly sprung from my days at Marblehead School of Ballet and the North Shore Civic Ballet Company. Though the atmosphere and training was professional and within the confines of ballet etiquette, many moments of laughter and joy filled the studio and the stage. Many of us went on to other schools for additional classes, some joined other companies, some became instructors, and many did a combination of the above. Wherever we went, we were almost always noticed for our placement, technique, and movement awareness. So many dancers need to travel to big cities to receive this training. We were fortunate that it was right in our backyard.

Eventually I proudly joined the faculty at MSB. As one who loves to teach and to deconstruct movement, these were joyful years and years that I learned so much! Paula gave me so many opportunities to hone my skills, from little ones in creative movement, to teaching alongside the late Florence Whipple, to working with adult beginners and just about everything in between. These years and the skills and confidence acquired would serve me well for many years to come. College, grad school, and six years abroad minimized my teaching opportunities but upon my return, those skills honed at MSB would return. Picking up where I left off, I went on to teach ballet to figure skaters, primarily at the Figure Skating Club of Park City(Utah) launched an adult ballet program at the Park City Municipal Athletic Recreation Center, and taught at Ballet West Academy and the Ballet West Outreach program.These opportunities were realized because of care, expertise, trust Paula placed on me so many years ago.

Apart from a deep and lasting friendship with Paula and her entire family, social media has allowed me to reconnect with friends made during those early years at MSB and d NSCB. Dee Gauss and I met up in Salt Lake City where we both were members of the Ballet West Guild and attended the adult ballet intensive art Emotion. We were season tickets holders at Ballet West and frequently joined the Company for many gatherings where we reminisced of our Marblehead days. Rebecca Smith Brown and I also reconnected via social media. Rebecca is one of the brightest people I know. She is also one of the kindest, most caring, and most inclusive people and it was great to reconnect. Rebecca is a yoga instructor based in Northern California and while the time zone difference prevents me from attending her classes, I so enjoy her emails with words of wisdom, poetry, etc that precede every class. Karen Pisani and I go back so many years and it was magnificent to reconnect with a friendship that was made even stronger during our years at MSB/NSBC. Talk about a talent! Talk about a great friend! 

I still think back to the days at the barre with all of the above and with Jimmy Raye, Steve Flager, and a number of others. We were very willing students but also rebel raisers who may have had a few moments of naughty behavior. Eye rolling was my specialty and Jimmy, Steve, Karen, and I communicated well this way….ballet is about communicating without words, right? We nailed it and Paula endured it! I’m not sure the generations that followed us ever replicated those early years in the studio. 

Not sure this is shareable but….one day someone called the studio asking about taking lessons in toe tap. Mrs Shiff thought it was me. She was being sassy and funny with the caller and the caller continued the dialogue. It was all fun and games until I walked up the stairs and into the office. The look on her face was priceless!

And, we all know that ballet has many, many unwritten codes of etiquette. When an instructor says “ok, rest “ at the end of a combination, we all know ( well most of us know) that simply means we are not necessarily in a ballet position but generally at ease. Sandy Burt took it literally and plunked down on the floor generating a look of disbelief on Paula’s face and a gaggle of laughter from the class. Hey, rest is important! A lasting memory of Mrs Shiff constantly trying to get classes to end. Hint: they never did. Mrs Shiff had enormous eyes and could use them as well as any seasoned ballerina to convey a message, I do believe Paula was annihilated  more than a few times for “running the class slightly over time.”

Lasting friendships were made at MSB and NSCB. While decades and miles have taken us all in many different directions, social media has fostered a wonderful reconnection. We all share the fond times we remember back when the school and company were in their infancy. The arts have faced some seemingly insurmountable times, but Paula has remained steadfast through it all. Congratulations on this magnificent fiftieth anniversary! You will always have a special place in my heart!

Joanne Gentleman Rupinskas