By Irena Choi Stern, Member, Board of Trustees, Bronxville Adult School

Mar. 23, 2016:  Mikhail Baryshnikov may be more familiar to millennials as Carrie Bradshaw's Russian "lovuh" on HBO's Sex and the City, but those of a certain age recall his defection in 1974 and the enormous impact he had on ballet in America. And many are not aware of the involvement of painters and writers in the dance form. Pablo Picasso painted the stage curtain for the ballet Le Tricorne, and Jean Cocteau wrote a one-act scenario for the ballet Parade. The connection between the arts and the history and development of ballet is covered in Behind the Ballet, a new two-part course at the Bronxville Adult School that begins April 4. 

"It's very connected to the other arts," said Helen Coope, who will teach the classes. "[The course] will bring people up to date with how ballet developed." 

The informative series, which will employ slides and videos, will facilitate the understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment of ballet, and performances will be suggested for each class. The first class, The History of Ballet from the Renaissance through the Twentieth Century, will provide an overview of the development of ballet from early Renaissance to its form today, and the second class, Ballet into the 21st Century, will focus on ballet in the 20th century and the influence of certain dancers, in both America and Europe, and their impact on ballet today. 

"I absolutely adore ballet but never get around to going to a performance, as Donald is not so enamored of it," Kathy Gray said. "Hence, when I saw this offering in the Adult School brochure, I decided it would be a good way to learn something about the art of ballet and see a visual presentation of some of the artists and techniques. I'm very much looking forward to the two nights I signed up for!" 

Coope is looking forward to building a larger audience for ballet, which has been such a big part of her professional life. Trained at the Royal Ballet School in London, she has spent the majority of her career in the U.S. teaching and coaching, working for the San Francisco Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, and Feld Ballet, and serving as the ballet mistress for a Connecticut company for 25 years. In her free time, she has worked on the Bronxville School theater productions, teaching boys and girls to dance for productions such as West Side Story and Les Misérables. 

Local fans of ballet are thrilled to gain a deeper appreciation for the art form. "I signed up because I have been a 25-year-plus subscriber to the New York City Ballet and thought the classes would add more knowledge and context to my ongoing viewing of ballet performances, including performances this spring," Paula Cummings said. 

Coope is looking forward to sharing her knowledge of and enthusiasm for ballet, which are evident when she describes a recent performance by Stella Abrera in Giselle and Natalia Osipova in The Bright Stream, both for the American Ballet Theatre. "It was the first time I’d seen [Osipova] dance, and she's extraordinary," Coope said. She did everything that the men were doing, but in pointy shoes!" 

Kevin and Rachael Collins signed up to take the class together "because it sounds like a great opportunity to learn more about this beautiful art form. It's wonderful to have something like this on offer close to home." 

Classes are conveniently scheduled weekdays, weeknights, and weekends this spring at the Bronxville Adult School. To find out more about the school's spring course offerings and to register, go to https://www.bronxvilleadultschool.org or contact the office at 914-793-4435 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Pictured here:  Helen Coope.

Photo courtesy Helen Coope