Ballet brings a myriad of benefits for people of all ages. From a strong, flexible physique to increased brain function, the perks of practicing ballet leave a lasting impact on quality of life.
In addition to “flexibility, strength and balance, our brain functions differently after having a long-term amount of ballet,” explains Lisa Cuizon, founder of Cuizon Ballet Centre. “There are so many factors that go into ballet—listening to music, counting and recognizing patterns are all integral parts of ballet that are really good for the brain. The benefits are not just physical.”
As is often the case, learning under the guidance of an experienced, passionate teacher amplifies the positive effects of practicing this art.
“If you have good quality ballet teaching, you can modify the range for a layperson’s body and work in a range of where they’re at and build from there,” explains Lisa, a master dancer celebrating 25 years of teaching ballet to children and adults at her Westlake Village studio, Cuizon Ballet Centre.
“I’ve been teaching for 42 years,” she says with a smile, reflecting on her journey in the world of ballet, which started when she was just 7 years old.
“I decided I wanted to do ballet, and I begged and bugged my mom…I’ll never forget when she walked me across the street to the ballet studio and the front desk receptionist asked me how old I was,” Lisa shares. “I was 7; she told me I’d have to wait until I was 8. I remember walking back home and making my mom promise to take me back there on my 8th birthday!”
Lisa received her birthday wish and began training at the San Fernando Valley Balanchine-based school, “which would become quite a famous school but, unbeknownst to us, was directly affiliated with the New York City Ballet and gave scholarships to The School of American Ballet,” says Lisa. True to form, at 15, she received a ballet scholarship and flew to New York for the first time with her mother.
“Back in those days, a scholarship meant you had a full ride, per-diem and airline tickets. My mom found us an apartment in Columbus Circle near the school, and I’d walk there every day for 6 weeks—it was lifechanging for me,” she recalls.
Dancing professionally at age 18, Lisa sings the praises of her teachers, especially prima ballerina assoluta (exceptional dancer) Melissa Hayden of the New York City Ballet who trained under Balanchine himself.
“Melissa Hayden was a taskmaster like no other; I attribute my success at becoming a dancer to her; she was so hard and so demanding,” she shares, noting her privilege of training with “world famous teachers at the American School of Ballet, such as Stanley Williams—the greatest dancers of the world would flock to him—and Willy Burmann, a famous teacher, dear friend and mentor. I was so fortunate!”
Today, Lisa’s students are lucky to receive the benefits of such an icon’s teaching. While she loves her role as a teacher, Lisa notes that she had not planned on pursuing a teaching career.
“I really stumbled upon teaching,” says Lisa, sharing how she had offered to help a fellow dancer who felt too tired to teach a class after one of their daily 4-hour rehearsals. “I fell in love with being a teacher and found that I loved teaching as much as I loved being a ballet dancer.”
“I love being able to pass on the knowledge that I was given; I was given so much and I worked with some of the greatest teachers to live.”
Teaching classes at various schools throughout her five pregnancies, Lisa opened Cuizon Ballet Centre in 2001, with financial backing from the parents of her devoted students. As she celebrates the school’s 25th anniversary this May, Lisa marvels at her accomplishments, as well as those of her students.
“The beauty of ballet for the kids that do choose it as a steady practice is that they learn discipline, they learn focus, and how to overcome adversity; they see that you can have goals and you can achieve them if you put your mind to it and that you have to be committed…all of these lessons are so valuable in life,” she notes. “Some of my students have gone on to be professional dancers, doctors, surgeons and university professors…it’s really truly been incredible.”
Lisa’s small class sizes allow her to offer individual attention to every student.
“There are general corrections which are very important for everybody, and because I know all of my students, I know what needs to be worked on,” says Lisa, who also teaches adult ballet on Monday, Wednesday (10:30-11:30) and Saturday (10-11) mornings in addition to a full schedule of children and young adult classes.
“As we get older, the big fear is falling; ballet teaches balance with a focus on finding alignment in the body so you don’t injure yourself…adults, many of them in their 60s, are really taking advantage of what ballet can do for them,” notes Lisa, adding that the perception that ballet is an exclusive art is changing.
“There used to be a stigma that ballet was only for certain bodies, or for those who are young and flexible. It’s really changed, partly due to social media with people seeing other adults doing it.”
This July, Lisa offers her 25th season of Summer Intensive classes. Held 5 days a week, 3 hours daily, for 4 weeks, the training covers everything from body conditioning, Pilates, floor barre, ballet technique, pre-pointe, pointe and variations.
“Everybody who does my summer intensive comes out very amazing,” says Lisa. “It’s very focused; my goal is to see everybody improve and achieve their potential.”
Cuizon Ballet Centre is located at 2977 Willow Lane, Suite 200, in Thousand Oaks. For more information, call 805.494.8800 or visit CuizonBalletCentre.com.
“I love being able to pass on the knowledge that I was given; I was given so much and I worked with some of the greatest teachers to live.”
“As we get older, the big fear is falling; ballet teaches balance with a focus on finding alignment in the body so you don’t injure yourself."