Tara Miller, the co-founder of the New Albany Ballet Company, says most of her students start their training early in life – as early as 2 years old. Miller herself began lessons when she was 3 years old. She says it can be challenging to balance academics and training, but that experience instills discipline in her students early on.
Madeline Miller
“We train them to be very on top of their school work, like if they have to be at studio we imply that it is their responsibility to get ahead with their schoolwork beforehand,” says Miller, “so when they get back from school, they already know they have an hour to get their homework done and eat dinner before making their way to the studio. And they do.”
Now the artistic director of the NABC, Miller doesn’t teach as often as she did in the early years when the company was founded in 1999. She now focuses on running the many different programs offered. Miller’s daughter Madeline has been training at the NABC for 16 years now, since the age of 2.
“Over time, I learned that I needed to get my work done as quickly as possible. Now that I’m a senior in high school, I go to dance straight after school and get my homework done beforehand,” Madeline says. “Sometimes I could have five hours of homework, sometimes I just have one hour of homework, but I really try to get as much done as I can starting Monday so as to figure out what I need to do for the rest of the week. This helps reduce the burden, so that by Thursday and Friday I’m not trying to cram everything in all at once.”
Admitting that balancing studies and a six-day-per-week commitment is not easy, Madeline learned early in her freshman year of high school that she couldn’t afford to procrastinate.
“On Fridays, I always ask my teachers if there is anything I can do to get ahead for the week,” she says. “Like if I know I’m going to be in the studio 3 o’clock to 9, they’ll sometimes give me next week’s assignment as well. So, I try to get as much done as I can on Sunday, then I can have more time to do dance after school Monday through Friday.”
NAHS student Sydney Cohen started training with the NABC after her mother signed her up for ballet lessons after watching The Nutcracker. She has been training for 15 years.
“Balancing school work and ballet lessons is really hard, no doubt about that,” she says, “but in the end it’s totally worth it. My grades wouldn’t be where they are without ballet. Dance makes you more aware of time and what needs to get done, so you don’t waste any part of your day. It also works as a great stress reliever, because having to focus only on my studies wouldn’t be as rewarding of an experience.”
One piece of advice Madeline has for students interested in starting training at the NABC is to not put things off until the last minute. She also recommends using your Sundays to get ahead on homework.
“In the end, ballet inspires people to develop a really great work ethic, which is why I think more people should sign up and give it a try,” she says.
“When students become part of our program, they become part of the progressive division. We teach them discipline and structure very early on so they learn to adapt,” Miller says. “They are already excelling at school and are extremely advanced. If they don’t have time, they find a way to make time. As a result, they always excel at schoolwork because the skills we teach them here at the academy enable them to get ahead and succeed in every aspect of their lives.”
Sanaya Attari is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
