When did you first realise how devastating the fires would become?
It got super windy. The winds were insane, 95 miles an hour. Paradise, my dog, was trembling: one of the my students said, ‘Miss Geraldine – Paradise is really scared.’ I looked out the window and could see flames and smoke.
That first night was very scary – everyone was monitoring where the fires were and where people were being evacuated. Nobody slept that night. I hunkered down at the studio. It was a terrifying time, especially as the winds kept changing direction. It was devastating. I had friends who lost everything. Several schools were burnt to the ground, so a lot of my students were impacted.
I previously had a Royal Academy of Dance School in Manhattan, but during the pandemic I came down to Los Angeles to see some friends, and they said, you can teach online and at least you can be outdoors here. I started offering free classes to students in the apartment complex in lockdown. Then I got calls to teach backyard ballet to other groups, which is where I got my start. It’s devastating to think that now those houses are gone, and those children displaced. The enormity of it is hard to comprehend. I get emotional even thinking about it. The thought of what my students and their families went through is heartbreaking.
When did you think of trying to give some comfort or respite to the families?
Initially, I closed the school, because we didn’t know if we would have to evacuate. My little garden was covered with ash – it looked like snow – and the air quality was very bad. I got big air purifiers for the studio: I wanted to make it a safe place. The next week, I reached out to everyone and said, you can come for classes, to give the children some sort of regular activity. Lots of my students had other families staying with them, so I said, bring all the kids to ballet. I’ll give them a little ballet outfit, there’ll be a pair of shoes for everyone – just come. You could see that the children were going through a lot of stress, but it struck me how much dance helped them cope. The healing power of dance is so important.
What happens on the school’s movie nights?
We got more curtains for the windows and put up a big screen. Then I pulled all the furniture out of the garden, and put cushions and blankets down. I have a projector, and bought a vintage popcorn machine and cool little popcorn bags. Parents sign up online, and choose an age-appropriate film. It gives the parents a chance for a date night together, and siblings are welcome too – they all come in their pajamas and snuggle down. When the movie finishes, they play hide and seek or ballet tag and do little dance offs. I join in as well, and then at the end of the night, they help me put the studio back together again. It’s a really fun night.
What does ballet give the children?
It’s structure, and also joy – they love ballet. We have props, stories and my dog, Paradise. We would normally have been heading into exam season, but it wasn’t the right time – instead, we did a lot more creative movement, just giving them space to be free and creative in a safe environment. I call this a boutique school, it’s small and intimate, and I’m very close with the parents and the families: I call it my ballet family. Families did say to me: you’re our second home, you’re our kids’ sanctuary.
Why did ballet become important to you?
I was adopted, and had an adopted older brother who had severe mental illness. He was bullied non-stop, which also trickled down to me at school – but at ballet, I could just be Geraldine. I didn’t really speak at that time, but I was able to express myself through movement and dance. I loved the structure – that held me together. That’s why I say my school, Grace Ballet, is a space for safety and healing.
What has ballet given you?
This is my mission and purpose in life. This is my family. My students are very affectionate, especially since covid, and we’re all linked together – in a beautiful, loving, compassionate, empathic society.
