A Tribute To A Dance Teacher

To The Editor:

As the kids get settled in school and extracurricular activity schedules become routine, I am reminded of, and get moments of peace in my life to reflect on, our fortunate life here in Newtown.

After the school’s production of Coppelia this summer, three graduating seniors, Patricia Culligan, Mary Alice Upshur, and Jennifer Tichon, spoke of their experience with Jennifer Johnston at the Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet. In their words, I found my hopes for my own children spoken. I’d like to share with the community publicly their speech of thanks, as I know many of us share their appreciation:

“We just wanted to say a few words about a woman who has inspired us and touched our lives in a truly remarkable way for over ten years.

“We’ve all grown up with ballet, dancing with Mrs Mark, and at her retirement, transitioning to Newtown Centre of Classical Ballet with Jen. For the past seven years we’ve each attended at least three classes a week.

“As we became the head of our high schools, we became the head of the ballet school and earned the lead roles. As we leave for college, we also leave ballet with fond memories.

“We have no plans to pursue professional dance. That’s why people always ask, ‘Why do you dance?’ ‘Why do you sacrifice four nights a week to something that’s so hard?’

“The answer is easy. It’s the people. And mainly it’s Jen.

“For the past seven years Jen has taught us about life through ballet:

“With each group dance, we learned teamwork.

“With each Friday night we sacrificed for ballet, we learned commitment.

“With each dance we rehearsed repeatedly to perfection, we learned dedication and perseverance.

“With each little girl we helped, we learned leadership.

“And with each day at ballet with Jen, we learned to value respect, friendship, and love.

“Because of her remarkable patience and positive attitude, we’ve all developed a deep respect for Jen. That’s what keeps us coming back to ballet. It’s not just the love of dance; it’s the love of the friends we’ve made, the laughs we’ve shared, and the memories we’ve created. And, it’s especially the deep love and respect that we hold for Jen.

“The lessons we learned in ballet transition into all other aspects of our lives. All of the seniors had leadership roles in school and are going to attend excellent colleges in the fall. In large part this is because of our dedication and commitment to our studies — values we learned from ballet.

“Jen taught us to believe in and be true to ourselves. She teaches each girl that she is unique and beautiful and she has the potential to do anything she wants. I hope the students here stay with ballet. It will truly shape you into the young women you will one day want to become.

“Thank you Jen — our role model, our mentor, our friend, and our inspiration.”

Erin Nikitchyuk

23 Bennetts Bridge Road, Sandy Hook             September 24, 2008