Classical Ballet Comes to Foxborough

Having a dream and having a dream that becomes reality are two different things. One Foxborough native was determined to beat the odds by making her dream a reality.

Eve (O’Reilly) Keddy, who began her dance journey at the age of five, recently achieved her dream; opening a Classical Ballet Academy in Foxborough. Keddy is not only looking to teach classical ballet, but is determined to prove that classical ballet in America is not the “dying art” that is portrayed. On the contrary, Keddy believes that ballet, in the traditional sense, has “never been needed by children more” than now.

Patch recently had the opportunity to sit down with Keddy in her studio, located at 34 School Street across from the town common, to learn more about her new studio and exactly where her passion for ballet stems from.

Q: What grew your passion for Ballet?

A: I have lived in Foxborough since the day I was born and I came to a point in my life, where I had been thinking about this (opening a Ballet school) my whole life.

When I was four my sister Ellen, who is ten years older than I am, began taking ballet classes at the Boston Ballet in Boston. Being younger, I was dragged along. I then started taking classes myself when I was five.  I was in there every single day and performed with the company even through High School in Foxborough. It was tough. I would be picked up at 2:00pm and would drive into Boston for class. [Keddy entered the apprentice program at 14 and performed in the Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Coppelia].

After I graduated from Foxborough High School in 1975, I went to college at Harvard. Harvard loved the arts. I ended up majoring in economics however. I would occasionally choreographed a show in Foxborough and at both Harvard and Harvard Law School during this time, but I left dance behind and went down the path of business. I become a financial advisor 16 years-ago. My parents owned a drug store on Central Street, so when my mother passed away in 2004, I bought the building and put my Ameriprise Office there.

Q: What was your Inspiration for opening the Ballet Academy?

A: Over the past 30 years you would see recitals around town and on TV. I would say to myself, ‘theses kids have been dancing for 10 years and still don’t know the basics.’ Lots of schools only teach for the recitals.  What kind of also was the inspiration was Facebook. I connected with old Boston Ballet friends and they all had dancing schools and students. I thought that maybe there are kids who are out there who want to do ballet.  I was thinking about it for so long….I was thinking some have a dream and do it and some don’t, so I decided to do it. It was a dream that I have always shared with my sister Ellen.

The space I have is perfect – its right on the common. In the last three weeks, I have had kids signing up each week and the parents are so passionate about it.

My mother, Jackie O’Reilly, was also an inspiration. My mother was active in the arts. She was a Charter mother of the Boston Ballet and then she worked to fund the arts through the lottery. There was not a lottery in Massachusetts at the time. She got together with staff and professors and went to the Senate and asked to start a lottery to fund the arts. Eventually it became megabucks and all the money went to fund the arts.  Now only a small portion goes to it the arts. After that, arts lottery councils were formed in towns, which help for funding of the arts in communities. Because of my mother's involvement, 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts now have an Arts Lottery Council.

Q: What would a class look like at the Foxboro Classical Ballet Academy?

The kids are dedicated and they get it. I teach the basics and start at the beginning, teaching positions. Half of the class time is spent on the bar, and I also spend 10 – 15 minutes just stretching and working on splits. We do center floor; leaps, jumps, across the floor. At the end of class there is the traditional dance and curtsey.

Classes are currently on Saturday and Sunday mornings but because I have the space, I have some classes with one child, so if someone can only come on a Tuesday, I will do it on a Tuesday. I am willing to be flexible. There will be no minimum class size. Class schedules are made to meet the demands of the child. Classes are available to boys and girls ages 5-12.

For more information on the Foxboro Classical Ballet Academy, call Keddy at 508-954-1491 or e-mail her at foxboroballet@hotmail.com. Scholarships are available for interested students.