"Then we demi-plie, tendu into 5th position, and repeat the entire
combination. Understand everyone?"
Fourteen girls nodded their heads. As the music began, they all plied in perfect sync to the music. As they plied at the barre, Jessica Harvard walked past them, correcting and praising.
"Good tendu, Heather "she said "Spread your knees a little more in grand- plie, Maria."
Jessica Ramsey-Harvard(called Jessi) adored ballet and was a patient and caring teacher, probably because she had so much experience with children, as well as ballet. In fact, she had studied at a school for aspiring professionals until she was 12 years old. Tragically, a knee injury had destroyed her dreams of ever becoming a professional. Jessi was devastated, but she was dedicated to her art, and continued to study dancing through high school.
"Okay girls, now let's move on to our tendu sequence." Jessi demonstrated the combination. "Any questions?"
A petite African-American girl with curly black hair and sparkling brown eyes raised her hand. "Mom? I mean, Miss. Jessi? Do we finish in 5th or 1st position?"
Jessi smiled. The girl asking the question was her own 10 year old daughter, Mary Rose Harvard. After high school. Jessica decided she wanted to study education since she adored children so much. She headed off to Northern Connecticut University, where she majored in Elementary Education and minored in Dance. There, she met John Harvard, a tall, muscular African American man, who was a year older than Jessica. He was a dance major, hoping to get into the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in New York City. The two of them, both passionate about Dance, hit it off immediately. They started dating Jessi's junior year, and got engaged right after Jessi graduated. By then, John was dancing in the corps with Alvin Ailey, and Jessi was teaching 3rd grade in a suburb of Manhattan. A year later, they married.
"We finish in 5th." said Jessi with a smile, and she put on the CD for the girls to begin the combination.
Mary Rose, born two years after John and Jessi's wedding, was their only daughter. It wasn't that Jessi hadn't wanted more children, but she figured that since she was only blessed with one, it was what was meant to be. "Okay girls," said Jessi was the combination was done. "Those of you who wear pointe shoes can go change. Girls in ballet slippers, you can do some extra stretching."
When Mary Rose was about 3, John start having back problems and decided it was time for him to leave Alvin Ailey. He and Jessi were very tired of the busy, loud city life, and wanted to move somewhere small, somewhere quiet. Jessi knew the perfect place- Stoneybrook. A year later, Jessi and John were settling into their new home on Burnt Hill Road, not too far from where Jessi grew up. Jessi's parents were still living on Fawcett Ave, along with her brother John Phillip jr., who was a student at Stoneybrook U. Jessi's younger sister Becca, who was 26, was living nearby in Stamford with her boyfriend. Jessi found a job teaching in the Stoneybrook Elementary Schools, while John searched for a job where he could use his Dance degree. but he was having a hard time finding such a job.
"If only he could have a place to teach dance," Jessi thought "Wouldn't it be great if we could BOTH teach dance?" That's when the idea came to her. A dance studio. There were no dance studios in Stoneybrook, though, only in Stamford. "Why not?" Jessi asked herself, and her idea was born. For the next two years Jessi and John worked hard at getting a building, renovating, advertising, and doing all the legal work necessary to open a dance studio. Finally, when Jessi was 32 years old, "The Harvard School of Dance" opened downtown Stoneybrook. Jessi and John taught the classes, which included Ballet, Pointe, Tap and Jazz, as well as owned the studio. Four years later, it was a smash success.
Once class was over, Jessi went into her office and found John, who had just finished a tap class, smiling to himself.
"What honey?" Jessi asked
"Nothing," replied John "I was just thinking about what a blessing all of this is. The studio, you, Mary Rose. it's so perfect that it's almost surreal."
Jessi smiled and put her arms around her husband.
"Mom! Mom!" called Mary Rose "Come here! I just did a double pirouette!"
Jessi and John linked arms as they ran over to the studio to see their daughters accomplishment. As they watched Mary Rose pirouette, Jessi whispered to John:
"You're right. It's just perfect."
Fourteen girls nodded their heads. As the music began, they all plied in perfect sync to the music. As they plied at the barre, Jessica Harvard walked past them, correcting and praising.
"Good tendu, Heather "she said "Spread your knees a little more in grand- plie, Maria."
Jessica Ramsey-Harvard(called Jessi) adored ballet and was a patient and caring teacher, probably because she had so much experience with children, as well as ballet. In fact, she had studied at a school for aspiring professionals until she was 12 years old. Tragically, a knee injury had destroyed her dreams of ever becoming a professional. Jessi was devastated, but she was dedicated to her art, and continued to study dancing through high school.
"Okay girls, now let's move on to our tendu sequence." Jessi demonstrated the combination. "Any questions?"
A petite African-American girl with curly black hair and sparkling brown eyes raised her hand. "Mom? I mean, Miss. Jessi? Do we finish in 5th or 1st position?"
Jessi smiled. The girl asking the question was her own 10 year old daughter, Mary Rose Harvard. After high school. Jessica decided she wanted to study education since she adored children so much. She headed off to Northern Connecticut University, where she majored in Elementary Education and minored in Dance. There, she met John Harvard, a tall, muscular African American man, who was a year older than Jessica. He was a dance major, hoping to get into the Alvin Ailey Dance Company in New York City. The two of them, both passionate about Dance, hit it off immediately. They started dating Jessi's junior year, and got engaged right after Jessi graduated. By then, John was dancing in the corps with Alvin Ailey, and Jessi was teaching 3rd grade in a suburb of Manhattan. A year later, they married.
"We finish in 5th." said Jessi with a smile, and she put on the CD for the girls to begin the combination.
Mary Rose, born two years after John and Jessi's wedding, was their only daughter. It wasn't that Jessi hadn't wanted more children, but she figured that since she was only blessed with one, it was what was meant to be. "Okay girls," said Jessi was the combination was done. "Those of you who wear pointe shoes can go change. Girls in ballet slippers, you can do some extra stretching."
When Mary Rose was about 3, John start having back problems and decided it was time for him to leave Alvin Ailey. He and Jessi were very tired of the busy, loud city life, and wanted to move somewhere small, somewhere quiet. Jessi knew the perfect place- Stoneybrook. A year later, Jessi and John were settling into their new home on Burnt Hill Road, not too far from where Jessi grew up. Jessi's parents were still living on Fawcett Ave, along with her brother John Phillip jr., who was a student at Stoneybrook U. Jessi's younger sister Becca, who was 26, was living nearby in Stamford with her boyfriend. Jessi found a job teaching in the Stoneybrook Elementary Schools, while John searched for a job where he could use his Dance degree. but he was having a hard time finding such a job.
"If only he could have a place to teach dance," Jessi thought "Wouldn't it be great if we could BOTH teach dance?" That's when the idea came to her. A dance studio. There were no dance studios in Stoneybrook, though, only in Stamford. "Why not?" Jessi asked herself, and her idea was born. For the next two years Jessi and John worked hard at getting a building, renovating, advertising, and doing all the legal work necessary to open a dance studio. Finally, when Jessi was 32 years old, "The Harvard School of Dance" opened downtown Stoneybrook. Jessi and John taught the classes, which included Ballet, Pointe, Tap and Jazz, as well as owned the studio. Four years later, it was a smash success.
Once class was over, Jessi went into her office and found John, who had just finished a tap class, smiling to himself.
"What honey?" Jessi asked
"Nothing," replied John "I was just thinking about what a blessing all of this is. The studio, you, Mary Rose. it's so perfect that it's almost surreal."
Jessi smiled and put her arms around her husband.
"Mom! Mom!" called Mary Rose "Come here! I just did a double pirouette!"
Jessi and John linked arms as they ran over to the studio to see their daughters accomplishment. As they watched Mary Rose pirouette, Jessi whispered to John:
"You're right. It's just perfect."