Rochester teenager enrolls in elite ballet school

September 12 , 2006
Post-Bulletin, Rochester, MN
By Christina Killion Valdez

Back home in Rochester, most of Sara Stockwell's peers spent the first day of eighth grade catching up with friends at their old schools in their hometown.

That same day, Sara woke up in a foreign country next to a new roommate in a residence hall adjacent to Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet School.

"It was really stressful the first day," said the 13-year-old Rochester girl, who is one of only 30 dancers from around the world accepted to the Professional Division of the internationally renowned ballet school this year.

The first day marked a huge change in the young girl's life.

Just recently she was living with her parents, Matt and Patricia Stockwell, and being home-schooled with her older brother Phil. Now she's learning math and social studies in a classroom full of kids, and she shares a room with another dance in a 60-bed residence.

But even though she's far from home, Sara is closer to what brings her the greatest joy, dance, with daily dance classes based on the Russian school of classical ballet.

"That's what I'm here for," Sara said during an interview from the school.

Sara began studying ballet at Janet Lang Dance Studio at the age of 3. She also studied at the Allegro School of Dance, performed with the Children's Dance Theatre and was a junior member of the Rochester Dance Company.

For the past two summers, Sara also trained at her new school, but this is her first time going through the fall/winter program, a full-time academic and dance program for grades six through 12 that runs from September to mid-June.

"Psychologically it is a big commitment," said Arlene Minkhorst, Sara's ballet teacher and the school's director. "It's sort of almost taking a 12-year-old and asking them to make the decision to have a career, but they do that. They know if this is what I want to do and to do it well, this is the choice I have to make."

As for Sara, "She is a very motivated young dance who is determined to make this happen for herself, which is a quality we look for," Minkhorst said. "She is also quite talented and has a physique for dance."

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