For five high school seniors, leaving Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance (RCD) means saying goodbye to a place that has been part of their lives for years.
Anahit Abernethy, Evangelina Bloechle, Victoria Diana, and Hadley Hopke will graduate from Ridgefield High School in June, while Charlotte Jacobs will graduate from John Jay. After all this time, they’ll take with them plenty of the expected lessons of dance—perseverance, strength, good posture.
But RCD has given them so much more. It has been the backdrop for triumphs, frustrations, and rehearsals. It’s where they have spent their afternoons, their evenings, their weekends—countless hours adding up to some of the most formative years of their lives.
We caught up with the seniors on a recent Saturday, in the middle of a full day of classes. They were doing what they’ve done thousands of times before: moving from one class to the next—conditioning to pointe—grabbing a bite, then returning to the studio a few hours later to rehearse for The Nutcracker. Some will spend the entire day at RCD. And that’s part of what makes leaving so bittersweet: this isn’t just a studio where they’ve trained. It’s somewhere they’ve been coming to since they were small enough to walk under the barres.
Patricia Schuster, a professional ballet dancer who studied at the American Ballet Theater School in New York City, founded the school that would become Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance more than 60 years ago. As a conservatory, RCD offers a structured, progressive curriculum designed to develop dancers over time, with each level building on the last.
“When I moved to the area about 20 years ago, I looked for a studio to teach at that embodied the same qualities of the school I grew up in, which led to my own professional performance career,” says Amy Piantaggini, Executive Director. “It’s this combination of training excellence from world-renowned faculty and the camaraderie and mentorship that makes RCD so special and sets students up for success, no matter what they pursue after high school. This year’s group of seniors includes talent across all disciplines and forms, both academically and artistically.”
In 2003, RCD became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, reflecting its focus on dance education, its students, and the local community rather than profit.
For Anahit, Evangelina, Victoria, Hadley, and Charlotte, RCD has been a place to train and a place to spend time with friends. Now, as they prepare for their final performance in The Nutcracker and look ahead to the spring performance, we asked each of them what they’ll take with them.
ANAHIT ABERNATHY
Anahit moved to Ridgefield when she was 10 years old. After seeing The Nutcracker at the Ridgefield Playhouse, she was inspired to take ballet lessons.
“I was interested in exploring new opportunities in my new town,” she recalls. “I started dancing other styles, like jazz, when I was 9. But I didn’t start ballet until I was 11.”
Starting ballet at 11 meant she had some catching up to do.
“There was a serious learning curve for me because I started late,” Anahit says. “And at some points, it wasn’t easy to keep trying to improve. But of all the lessons RCD taught me, discipline is one of the biggest.”
That discipline is something Anahit expects to take with her to college, where she plans to study chemistry or biology on a pre-med track. She’s wanted to pursue medicine since she was little.
But some of what she’ll remember most about RCD has less to do with what happened at the barre. Throughout high school, dance has been an outlet—a chance to leave the pressures of the day behind and lose herself in something she loves.
“It’s a time when I can shut my overwhelmed brain off and just focus on myself and the movement.”
And then there are the moments that had nothing to do with technique at all. One of Anahit’s favorites is warming up for The Nutcracker at the Ridgefield Playhouse, with the entire cast doing crunches in time to Cher’s contralto dance-pop.
“I think this perfectly shows the balance of fun, community, and also discipline that RCD promotes,” she says.
For The Nutcracker, Anahit will dance the roles of Louise, Marzipan, and Blossom. As she looks toward graduation, she says one of her priorities is to stay present and soak up the time she has left with her friends and family.
After starting ballet later than most, Anahit knows firsthand that progress doesn’t always come quickly. What she’ll leave RCD with is the discipline to keep working, even when it’s not easy.
EVANGELINA BLOECHLE
Evangelina fell in love with dancing while playing the video game Just Dance with her siblings. That playful competition sparked something in her, and she joined the RCD community when she was five.
For Evangelina, dance has opened an unexpected door. The confidence, strength, control, and body awareness she developed in the studio have carried over into her athletic career.
Now, she’s weighing her college options and being recruited for track and field at the Division 1 level. As an FCIAC Champion, Class LL State Champion, and returning national competitor, she credits much of her success on the field to her years in the studio.
“I truly believe that all my years of dance training laid the foundation for my success as a discus thrower.”
And then there are the people she met along the way. Her time at RCD introduced her to two of her very best friends, Charlotte Jacobs and Marlena Soni. The trio has been “inseparable” since eighth grade, ever since a backstage moment during the annual performance of The Nutcracker at Ridgefield Playhouse.
“Marlena offered to help me with a quick costume change from Louise to a Snowflake, and Charlotte did my hair while I scrambled to get my shoes on,” she recalls. “This chaotic, unforgettable moment is where our friendship truly began—it’s a memory I will carry with me forever.”
These days, Evangelina’s schedule leaves little room for downtime. In the spring, her blistering pace takes her straight from school to track practice to dance class. She’s learned how to make room for all of it.
“Learning that balancing act—of giving everything I love my full effort without sacrificing anything—taught me a level of discipline that I don’t think I could have learned anywhere else.”
She learned that what happens after a mistake matters just as much as technique.
“I learned that if I forgot a step, or missed a formation change, none of it mattered as long as I kept moving with confidence and presence,” she says. “This is a mindset I carry with me on and off stage.”
VICTORIA DIANA
Victoria started dancing at RCD when she was four. Her mom, who had been a dancer herself, noticed how much Victoria moved as a little girl and thought she might enjoy it.
“I was nervous and unsure if I wanted to go into the studio,” she recalls of her first class. “But I immediately fell in love with dance. As soon as class was over, I couldn’t wait to come back.”
Some of Victoria’s earliest memories at RCD are of watching the older dancers and imagining herself in their place. Even when things have been challenging, she has learned to persist and stay the course—if she didn’t get something on the first try, she could keep trying until she succeeded.
This December, that perseverance will come full circle as she steps into some of the very roles she once dreamed about. In this year’s Nutcracker, Victoria will dance in Snow, Flowers, and Arabian—the latter of which is especially meaningful.
“I specifically remember watching the Arabian dance and imitating the lead dancer on the sides, hoping I would get the role one day,” she says. “I’m very excited this year to dance in the same role I was dreaming to be as a kid.”
But Victoria will take more with her than the roles and performances. Some of her favorite memories have been made with the friends she takes classes with almost daily—in the quiet moments before the curtain goes up.
“I will always remember the joy I have waiting with my friends, anticipating the moment it will be our turn to step on to the stage,” she says. “My favorite memories are those moments we hold hands backstage and dance together to help get rid of our nervousness.”
Victoria plans to continue dancing in college and beyond, and she’ll return to RCD to take classes when she can.
“Dancing is a huge part of my life,” she says. “And RCD has helped shape who I am.”
HADLEY HOPKE
Hadley moved to Ridgefield in first grade and started dancing soon after. Ten years later, she can measure her progress by something not insignificant to a ballet dancer: She has perfected the art of the clean bun for classes and performances—“with the help of a ton of hairspray!”
This year, she’ll take on three roles in The Nutcracker: Harlequin doll, Gray Mouse, and Flower. She’s looking forward to dancing multiple roles—and is especially excited about having a solo.
Much of what she’ll take with her from RCD, she says, comes down to discipline and hard work—traits that have shaped how she approaches everything else in her life, especially school. Dance has also taught her patience, a lesson that started with a single tendu.
“From being unaware of the true effort it takes to do a simple tendu, I learned how to be patient with myself, as well as to be resilient,” she says.
She’s also learned to balance dance with schoolwork. Between classes and rehearsals, she’s found time to sew pointe shoes, go over choreography and, somehow, finish every assignment on time.
Dance has even influenced how Hadley experiences music. She has played trumpet since fifth grade and has participated in band throughout high school.
“As my ability to count rhythms in band class got better, so did my musicality within dance class,” she says.
Last spring, Hadley danced the role of a bird in RCD’s Carnival of the Animals.
“That experience shaped my dancing,” she says. “I became more confident in myself. When I am so focused on getting the choreography right, I frequently forget to smile and show how much I love this sport. The bird was a happy animal—and by embodying the bird, I trained myself to find the joy in dancing—even if it was hard.”
Next year, Hadley plans to study biology in college, and she hopes to keep dancing, either through a minor or a club.
CHARLOTTE JACOBS
Charlotte first walked through the doors of Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance when she was just three years old.
One of her earliest RCD memories is dancing in her first Nutcracker at the Ridgefield Playhouse—dressed as a bumble bee. Fifteen years later, she’ll be back on that same stage as a flower blossom, while a new group of little dancers takes the stage as bumble bees. She’ll also dance the roles of Mouse Queen en pointe and Arabian Jasmine.
But when Charlotte thinks about what she’ll take with her from all those years at RCD, she doesn’t mention a role, a performance, or even dance itself. She thinks of the people who have been there with her.
“I’ve gained two best friends through dance, and I don’t know what I would do without them,” she says. “We’ve grown up together, gone through different stages of our lives together, and have been there for each other through all of it.”
What started as three girls taking dance classes together grew into a friendship that extended far beyond the studio. Charlotte lives in New York and attends a different high school than her two best friends, and she says she likely never would have met them if it weren’t for RCD.
“I think that’s one of the most special parts of my experience here, knowing that when I look back on all of these years, I won’t just remember the dances or performances, but the people I got to experience them with.”
Next year, Charlotte will head to college to study finance and accounting. And while she’ll be leaving the studio behind, she’ll carry the friendships she found at RCD with her.
The relationship with dance doesn’t necessarily end when you graduate from high school. Polly Kingsbury, RCD’s Educational Director, knows that firsthand.
Originally from Westchester, Polly spent her career teaching students in Chappaqua. After retiring and moving to Connecticut, she started taking adult classes at RCD. She soon found herself becoming part of the school in other ways, too—as a guest teacher, rehearsal assistant, and seamstress—and then as the Educational Director.
“It has been my honor and joy to watch our students grow and evolve into not only beautiful dancers,” Polly says, “but exceptional young people.”
Anahit, Evangelina, Victoria, Hadley, and Charlotte will leave RCD with something different. But all five will take the stage together one more time this December—and somewhere in the wings, the next generation of dancers will be watching. Hopefully someone will seize an opportunity to help with a costume change or pin someone’s hair.
“Our students are learning more lessons than dance, alone. We encourage our dancers to honor the commitment of their training with self-discipline, teamwork, accountability and consistency. Students take these skills with them and use them long after graduation. In addition, dancers must have a daily ritual of self-care built into their regimen. Learning how to take care of yourself is an important skill to have before going off to college.”
This year’s performances of “The Nutcracker” will be on December 11, 12, and 13 at Ridgefield Playhouse under the direction of Henry Seth and Amy Piantaggini. Visit the studio at 440 Main Street during the Holiday Stroll to see their beloved live window mannequins.
To learn more about Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance and to see a list of their offerings, please visit ridgefielddance.org*. To see the seniors—and other students—in action, follow along on Instagram* @RidgefieldDance*.*