Ballet Explorers Scholarship Fund

Ballet Explorers ia a bilingual introductory ballet workshop for ages 7-10. Created and taught by Emilia Garrido Vasquez, teaching artist of St. Paul Ballet, this initiative serves to make ballet accessible to the children of marginalized neighborhoods in Saint Paul.

Ballet Explorers is a free weekly introductory ballet class that serves Spanish bilingual youth ages 7-9.  SPB Teaching Artist Emilia Garrido Vásquez created Explorers to address the barriers to ballet she experienced as a young Ecuadorian immigrant. Students in this class learn movement through play and receive free dance equipment to set them up for a life-long love of ballet. 

In a recent interview about Explorers with MPR, Vásquez detailed the challenges of pursuing her passion for ballet while learning English, how SPB's affirming and inclusive culture helped her achieve her goals, and how tuition-free arts learning eased financial stress in the dance studio and at home. 

When Vásquez began assisting in SPB introductory youth classes, she noticed several Spanish-speaking families faced familiar barriers. Calling on her ballet training and degrees in Theater Dance and Psychology, Vásquez developed the Ballet Explorers curriculum as a Philips Scholar grant. After a successful pilot session, SPB offered to continue the class as an ongoing program, complete with the support and resources of the whole organization. This resulted in increased program interest, repeat enrollment, and added a performance element to the class: a featured movement in SPB's annual Nutcracker production on the O'Shaughnessy Theater stage!  

Ballet Explorers augments SPB's efforts to dismantle barriers to ballet by addressing the common needs of marginalized youth. The class is offered tuition-free, supplies Spanish translation, partners with St. Paul-based Grand Jeté to supply dance clothing and shoes, and offers transportation stipends. 

Emilia Garrido Vásquez
Teaching Artist, Children's Programming at St. Paul Ballet

Emilia embarked on her dance journey at age 3 in Ecuador. At 14, after relocating to the U.S., she joined the school of St. Paul Ballet, graduating from their pre-professional program in 2019. Prior to her college years, she was awarded a fellowship from James Sewell Ballet. Emilia pursued a major in Psychology at St. Kate’s and another in Theater and Dance at Macalester College. Professionally, she danced with Continental Ballet Company. Emilia has choreographed several pieces, including “Matilda Jr.” at Highland Park Community Center Theater. At Macalester, her honors piece, “A Place in Between,” earned her the David Wick Choreography Award. Emilia’s recent focus is on fostering inclusivity and accessibility in dance education through her community project, Ballet Explorers. Partnering with SPB and collaborating with local nonprofits and businesses, offers free introductory ballet classes to children from minoritized communities.