Marblehead School of Ballet Presents “Fall Celebration”, Featuring Classical Ballet, Spanish, Cumbia, Baroque

The Marblehead School of Ballet’s 55^th anniversary season (MSB) presents a special program --“Fall Celebration: An In-Studio Performance”-- on Sunday, November 22 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at 115 Pleasant Street in Marblehead, Massachusetts. The performance is free and open to the public. Donations are appreciated. Seating is limited. Reservations may be made by contacting 781-631-6262 or msb@havetodance.

The performance features students enrolled in the MSB's Repertory Class and the 2026 Fall Dance Adventure workshop. The audience will experience the artistry and discipline that defines the MSB’s training, with young dancers performing a demonstration ballet class led by the school’s founder and director, Paula K. Shiff. This behind-the-scenes offers a glimpse into the dancers’ ongoing training and the technique, discipline, and artistry involved in classical ballet. The dancers will also perform an excerpt from The Nutcracker, sharing the beauty, musicality, and expressive qualities of this beloved holiday ballet composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Together, these presentations will highlight the dancers’ dedication, progress, and love of dance.

“The Repertory Class guides dancers through every stage of the creative process: learning, rehearsing, and refining choreography to bring a work to a full performance level. Through this program, students deepen their understanding of musicality, precision, and stage presence, while cultivating the dedication that ballet demands. We are delighted to see them showcase their new skills and training in this special performance,” explained Shiff, who trained with E. Virginia Williams at the Boston Ballet School and continued her studies in New York at the American Ballet Theatre and the Martha Graham Studio. Shiff, who performed with Boston Ballet, received Salem State University's Lifetime Achievement Award in the Arts in 2009.

Paula K. Shiff

Spanish, Latin and Baroque Dances

Dancers enrolled in the school’s Fall 2026 Dance Adventure will present Spanish inspired and Latin dances. Dancers Rosemary Grant and Adora Maharaj will perform the premiere of Malagueña—A Spanish Shawl Dance. Guest artist and MSB faculty member Carlos Fittante, a Salem native and artistic director of the New York City-based BALAM Dance Theatre, created the choreography for the school’s recurring adult dance workshop series. This mysterious, spirited work is set to the iconic Hispanic music, Malagueña, by Cuban-Spanish composer Ernesto Lecuona. Featuring the artful use of mantones (Spanish long-fringed shawls), the dance blends stylish movements from Spanish Sevillanas and Escuela Bolera dances. The dancers will also perform, Cumbia Graciosa, a Latin piece choreographed by Fittante for MSB.

Fittante, a former choreographer and principal dancer with the Boston Early Music Festival, will debut and perform the new, original, Baroque dance choreography, "Baroque Ritual Drum Dance". The captivating solo, inspired by the commanding melody of March of the Turque (circa 1670) by Jean-Baptiste Lully, highlights a hand drum and intricate baroque dance steps. With the intention to summon ancient goddesses, a period-dressed figure communes with the spirit world.

The “Fall Celebration: An In-Studio Dance Performance” program is sponsored in part by the North Shore Civic Balletand the Ruth N. Shiff Memorial Fund.For information about the program, classes, customized private lessons and other details, call 781-631-6262, send an e-mail or visit the organization's website.