From Ballet Storytime to Performing Ballet Stories: Elliana’s Tutu School Story

Long before Elliana danced the role of Clara onstage, The Nutcracker was a story she loved reading with her mom, Stephanie.

She was around two years old when ballet first captured her imagination and she came to the newly opened Tutu School Raleigh (our sister school in downtown) to take a free trial class. 

I remember that tiny dancer so clearly.

Elliana was one of our earliest Tutu School Raleigh students, and she brought such a light into our studio. She loved orange. Whenever it was time to choose butterfly wings, orange was her color. Some of those first classes were incredibly cozy—occasionally Elliana was even our only dancer—and I still have the sweetest videos of her flying around the studio with those orange butterfly wings.

I got to know her parents, Stephanie and Jason, and how they embraced those early ballet years right along with her. They would share how she took the steps she was learning with her wherever she went—including to a pumpkin patch where little Elliana stood between two giant pumpkins, bending her knees over and over as she proudly announced, “Plié! Relevé!” (See that video here!)

Ballet was already becoming part of the way she experienced her world. None of us could have known then just how far it would take her.

Elliana says that after her first trip to see Carolina Ballet’s The Nutcracker, she was officially hooked. 

Where Imagination and Ballet Met

Elliana spent four years at Tutu School, from ages two to six, before graduating.

When Stephanie was choosing those first ballet classes, she wanted an experience that was right for the little girl Elliana was then: a strong, age-appropriate introduction to ballet where movement and musicality could develop alongside imagination and a love for the stories behind the great classical ballets.

The inviting environment of the studio mattered. So did having professional dancers teaching children with warmth and an understanding of early childhood.

And the storytelling mattered tremendously. That feels particularly meaningful knowing the dancer Elliana has become.

Those early years were filled with butterfly wings, Ballet Storytime, first ballet steps, Bravo Bash performances and teachers who became important people in Elliana’s little world. She formed an especially sweet connection with Miss Mayerlin, along with so many of the teachers who helped guide her through those first years.

Slowly, ballet became more than an activity Elliana enjoyed. It became something she loved.

Building on the Foundation

At six years old, Elliana graduated from Tutu School and moved on to The School of Carolina Ballet, where she began the next stage of her ballet education and continued building upon those early foundations with increasingly advanced training.

Over the years, it has been incredibly special to remain connected with Elliana and her family and watch her grow.

Stephanie says one of the joys of watching Elliana dance has been seeing how she interprets choreography and instruction and how ballet has helped her become increasingly in tune with her body. Just as meaningful have been the friendships Elliana has formed within the ballet community. 

And Elliana herself now describes ballet in a way that feels a long way from those first orange butterfly wings—but somehow connected to them, too.

I love the flow of the movements and how, in ballet, you can switch between different tempos and emotions while dancing.

Her favorite step is pas de chat because, she says, “it feels like I’m floating as I jump.” 

As her training advanced, there were new milestones to celebrate. One especially meaningful one for me came when Elliana began dancing en pointe.

I had the opportunity to go to her home, talk with her about her first pointe shoes, help her understand how to break them in, and share a few tips for sewing on ribbons 😊

Years after teaching her as a tiny dancer, getting to share that moment with her felt very full circle. But an even bigger full-circle moment was still to come.

The Little Girl Who Loved The Nutcracker Becomes Clara

Remember that two-year-old who loved reading The Nutcracker with her mom?

For the past two holiday seasons, Elliana has danced Clara in Carolina Ballet’s The Nutcracker. 

It is difficult to put into words how special it has been to watch. And somehow, her Nutcracker story has found its way back to Tutu School, too.

For the past two years, our Tutu School dancers have had the opportunity to visit Carolina Ballet for a special behind-the-scenes experience, getting a peek at The Nutcracker costumes and rehearsals—and meeting Clara herself. (See the magic of that event here!) 

Elliana has answered their questions, signed autographs and become one of the very dancers our youngest students now look up to.

Our Tutu School staff has also had the joy of sitting in the audience and watching her perform.

There is something incredibly moving about seeing a teenager confidently take the stage in a ballet whose story she first fell in love with as a toddler—and remembering the little girl flying around our studio in orange butterfly wings.

From Raleigh to New York City

This summer brought another exciting chapter. At thirteen, Elliana was accepted to and attended the School of American Ballet’s summer program in New York City, an experience she describes simply as “amazing.” 

That milestone has a personal connection for me, too.

As a young dancer, I also attended the School of American Ballet, eventually training there for two years before beginning my professional ballet career. Watching Elliana experience that same school all these years later made an already exciting accomplishment feel especially meaningful.

Her path, of course, is entirely her own. We don’t know where ballet will ultimately take Elliana—and at thirteen, her story is still being written. But what a privilege it has been to witness these first eleven years of it.

From Orange Butterfly Wings to Pointe Shoes

When we talk about giving children a joyful first step into ballet, this is part of what we mean. And as we begin a brand-new chapter at Tutu School North Raleigh, stories like Elliana’s make it especially meaningful to welcome a new generation of little dancers through our doors.

At two years old, Elliana did not need ballet to look like it does for her at thirteen. She needed ballet that met her exactly where she was: movement and music, imagination and stories, caring teachers, age-appropriate technique, opportunities to perform, and plenty of room to fall in love with dancing.

As she grew, ballet grew with her.

Orange butterfly wings became pointe shoes. Ballet Storytime became increasingly advanced training. The little girl listening to The Nutcracker became the young dancer bringing Clara to life onstage.

But perhaps the sweetest part for me is that eleven years later, we still get to cheer her on.

Elliana, we are so incredibly proud of the dancer you have become, but even more grateful that we got to know the joyful little girl at the very beginning of the story.

Wherever ballet takes you next, Tutu School will always be cheering from the audience. 🩰✨