After moving to Arlington, VA from Chicago, I began a desperate search for a ballet studio. Flipping through the phone book, I saw an advertisement for KMAB, with a picture of Linda Kintz in costume for the Black Swan, so I decided that I had to see what this studio was all about. I arrived at KMAB a thirty-something dancer carrying a mixed bag of styles and influences from the many teachers I’d had over the years. I’ve been studying with Mark Mejia and Linda Kintz for four years now.

What I first noticed about the adult students at KMAB was that they were able to hold a position –a developpe in second position, for example – for a long period of time and with a clean line. Having the strength to do this builds confidence and is a direct result of the training the students were receiving.

Mark Mejia and Linda Kintz teach the Vaganova Method, the traditional school of the Russian Classical ballet. Just the thought of this method might seem scary and terrifying to an adult ballet student. Images of great Russian stars like Mikhail Baryshnikov and Nina Ananiashvilli don’t help to dispel feelings of potential inadequacy. The style might seem too hard, you might not feel good enough to even try it, and you might feel it’s something you have to be trained in from childhood. These are all myths! I started when I was 31, it’s not hard - just different, and I have never, ever once been injured since I started training in the Russian style.

Once you start taking class at KMAB, you will notice considerable results in your technique and a complete change in the position of your upper body and head very quickly. And because the results are so noticeable, the classes are very rewarding. Each class is a chance to improve and build upon the last class. The classes are logical and arranged according to a system that produces the maximum results.

It is hard to find open classes where the adult students are taken seriously. Mark Mejia and Linda Kintz give their full attention to adults, even if their younger students happen to be in the adult class. This is rare! Often we adults feel like second-class citizens at ballet schools. Not so at KMAB! The adult classes are also relatively small – so no waiting in a long line to do a combination across the floor, getting cold, and therefore prone to injury. The pace in Mark Mejia and Linda Kintz’s classes is consistent and uninterrupted. This gives each student a fantastic workout (you will sweat!) and builds that essential strength.

When I arrived at KMAB, I was very weak on pointe – I couldn’t even do a releve en arabesque - and I had absolutely no confidence during performance. Thanks to the classes at KMAB, in a matter of months, I began dancing regularly in on pointe, and experienced true joy in performing. Simply put, my confidence grew from my increased technical ability. It is never too late to improve (or begin) your dancing with right method and teacher. Every step forward in the training at KMAB is a natural extension of where each dancer – young or “old” - has the potential to go.

Michelle Wright