Whiz Kid: Raising the Barre in Ballet

Many little girls dream of becoming a prima ballerina, dancing one day on a stage at a renowned ballet company. For one Woodbury teenager, this dream has already started to come true.

Lindsey Oppel, 13, is a second-year student at the School of American Ballet in New York City at Lincoln Center, a prestigious training ground for future ballerinas hoping for a spot in the New York City Ballet.

She was chosen for the level in her elite program from a pool of talented young dancers from across the country.

Six days a week, Oppel makes the trek from Woodbury to Manhattan, dons her toe shoes and leotard and practices the classic art of ballet for several more hours.

"I have wanted to be a dancer since I was little,” said Oppel, who began dancing when she was two-and-a-half years old at Woodbury’s Main Street Ballet under the artistic direction of Sibley Morosco.

Even though Oppel said she tried other activities like piano and swimming, she always had dancing on the mind.

As she moved up the barre in her career, at 12-years-old, she found herself dancing at Main Street Ballet with seniors in high school. Oppel said there was no next level for her there and she was looking for other places to continue ballet.

At the urging from a dance teacher, a former graduate of the School of American Ballet, Oppel applied to and auditioned at the prestigious New York City school.

One in 40

She was the only one of the 40 other dancers in the 11- and 12-year-old level to make it in.

Oppel is now a member of an elite group of 350 girls and boys that range in age from six to 18, who attend the school either as day students or board there at the Lincoln Center facility’s residence hall.

"I am very dedicated to ballet," said Oppel. "The teachers have helped me so much and I have met so many talented dancers at the school."

The daily commute is difficult, but Oppel and her mother Tammy, who drives her in everyday, both agree it is the desire and chance to make a mark in a the world of ballet that make it all worthwhile.

Things will change once she has to be in New York City for longer periods of time and Oppel will become a boarding student there.

But for now, due to the daily commute into New York, Oppel traded the traditional way of schooling for an online accredited program where she can study and work in the morning and even finish up on the car ride into Manhattan.

Her daily demands of online school, then commuting, then ballet, do not leave Oppel much time for a social life at the moment, but she explains that she has made her decision and her dedication to ballet is what she wants.

"I don’t get to see my friends a lot anymore, maybe once a month, but I have this dance now and I wouldn’t have it any other way," she said.

Morosco, who has seen Oppel grow from a tiny preschool dancer into a talented and gifted ballerina, said it was clear early on that her student showed a special ability.

"Lindsey's natural talent to be a dancer was clear from the time she was very little and I am very proud of her acceptance into SAB," said Morosco, founder and the artistic director of the Main Street Ballet Company. "I wish her all the best, but I miss my baby swan."

Achieving a Dream

Lindsey's mother Tammy said attending the School of American Ballet has always been her daughter's goal.

"She had it in her mind that she wanted to do this," said Tammy. "To be able to see her achieve -- it is the dream of parents to see their kids achieve their dreams."

And that dream is to continue her desired style of ballet -- Balanchine, named after George Balanchine who created the School of American Ballet -- as a member of the New York City Ballet or at one of the few other ballet companies that specialize in it. There is one in San Francisco and one of Washington State.

"I would love to one day dance as Giselle at the New York City Ballet," Oppel said. "It’s such a beautiful ballet."