Story by Randy Porter
CRETE/LINCOLN (SNR) - Elementary students in five diocesan schools recently learned the basics of ballet while singing was discouraged due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ballerina Rose Kotopka of Lincoln taught ballet to children at St. James School in Crete, and North American Martyrs, St. John the Apostle, St. Michael and St. Teresa schools in Lincoln. Music teachers deemed the program successful.
Born and raised in Lincoln, Kotopka grew up in the St. Teresa Parish and graduated from Pius X High School in 2016. She graduated from Texas Christian University in May with a bachelor’s of fine arts in ballet.
“It wasn’t the best time to go into your profession as a ballerina because of the pandemic,” she said.
While waiting for dancing opportunities to reopen, Kotopka teaches Pilates in a gym and works in a dental office.
She was contacted by Terri Schilmoeller, music teacher at St. Teresa School in Lincoln. St. Teresa received a grant from the Arts are Basic program to fund activities such as field trips, acting, or visual arts. The music teacher was aware of Kotopka’s background and suggested she be an artist-in-residence for two weeks.
“I was looking for something COVID-safe with a lot of movement activities,” Schilmoeller said. “Movement is good for the students and keeps them engaged in the activity.”
Schilmoeller loves the classic and finer performing arts and finds a wonderful connection with God, truth and beauty through them, she said.
In fact, the Code of Canon Law says about Catholic education, “Since true education must strive for complete formation of the human person that looks to his or her final end as well as to the common good of societies, children and youth are to be nurtured in such a way that they are able to develop their physical, moral, and intellectual talents harmoniously, acquire a more perfect sense of responsibility and right use of freedom, and are formed to participate actively in social life.” (795).
Kotopka’s lessons were mostly ballet, but she also taught creative movement, a type of pre-ballet. She taught students in preschool, kindergarten, and second and third grades. The ballerina had teaching experience in college with elementary students and senior citizens.
She said she most enjoyed the energy and imagination the students demonstrated in their movements. Some of the children had dance experience, but most did not. She included a high-energy dance game in the classes.
“Every class was so much fun,” Kotopka said. “It was great to share ballet with them.”
No two class experiences were the same, she added, calling it “a very positive experience.” She said she was grateful for the opportunity to share dance with others.
Kotopka anticipated possible reluctance from a few boys, but the teachers had them well prepared, she said. At St. Teresa School, for example, children watched videos of Kotopka dancing a duet with a male dancer. They also saw a video about a day in the life of a professional dancer, and how many hours the dancers work to perform together as one.
“They thought that was really cool,” Schilmoeller said.
If there was hesitancy, it was great to see that throughout the class they tried the movements, the TCU graduate said. Some gained more acceptance to ballet before the end of the first class, and others followed thereafter.
“The whole point is to enjoy the movement in exercise,” Kotopka said. “It’s always good to mix up the way you exercise.”
Dancing helps children feel more comfortable with movement and builds a strong foundation for physical fitness and an active lifestyle, she said.
Kotopka said she thanks each of the teachers with whom she worked.
“They were wonderful. The teachers were supportive and helped during class.”
Still, she seeks a future in professional ballet when it’s safe from the pandemic.
“I would definitely love to work for a dance company,” Kotopka said. She also is interested in entrepreneurship and arts management.
“I love involving people in dance and making it more accessible to people who don’t get to see,” she said.
Schilmoeller said singing has returned, but not as much as before the pandemic struck.
“This was a fantastic experience for our students,” the music teacher said. “Dance classes are not affordable for some school families, and with participation in so many other activities, many children never get to try ballet.”
Furthermore, “having a professional-level dance experience during school time really underlined the importance of dance as one of the fine arts for our students,” she said. “And no physical contact or singing was involved.”
Kotopka guided students through stretching routines, basic ballet positions and movements with French names, and creative movement She left plenty of time for questions. Most students achieved an actual mastery of the content.
“Rose has fabulous pacing and classroom management, and the kids were engaged the entire time,” Schilmoeller said.
The experience was also cross-curricular, the teacher said. She can include a ballet history lesson conducive to writing or visual arts lessons.
“This is exactly the kind of enrichment that exceptional schools should be offering their students,” Schilmoeller said.
