Sydney Walker has been with Southwest Ballet Theatre since the Avondale-based, nonprofit ballet company was founded in 2014.
She began as a student and has worked her way to teacher and now school director. The position was created as a result of the company’s growth.
She is joined by the new artistic director Crystal Fullmer, with whom she is working closely.
Walker said previously the artistic director oversaw the performing company and school. She said now, one person doesn’t have to try to do it all.
“It’s been great to work with (Fullmer), with her past experiences with schools and curriculums, to figure out what works best for SWBT as a company,” Walker said.
The company holds classes and performs at Estrella Mountain Community College. They are planning to expand this coming school year to another space at St. John Paul II High School in Avondale.
Besides serving as the school director, Walker teaches ballet and piano, and academics for a homeschool co-op.
“You can see the thread that teaching has through many aspects of my life. Education is something that I’m definitely very passionate about,” Walker said.
Walker, who grew up in and lives in Litchfield Park, started classical ballet training at the age of 4.
She was homeschooled from elementary through high school and earned associate’s degrees in arts and general studies from Estrella Mountain Community College.
As a youth dancer with Southwest Ballet, she was the Wicked Witch of the West in “The Wizard of Oz,” a peacock in “Tarzan” and the Fairy Godmother in “Cinderella.”
“I appreciated that they gave opportunities to perform in different types of ballets and get to try different roles that grow you in those different areas,” Walker said.
During the last 10 years, Walker watched the Southwest Ballet grow. She was just preparing to start high school when she started her journey with the company.
“I had a great experience training under our founder, Melissa Hahne. After I graduated high school, I started transitioning into working for Southwest Ballet in administrative work. From there, I was mentored by our teachers, started teaching and was given more responsibilities regarding our performances,” Walker said.
When she started studying with the company, she said she wouldn’t have envisioned that she would stay involved for so long.
“I felt very welcomed as a student. Southwest Ballet Theatre is truly a family environment. We prioritize that community. Growing up through high school, I just felt very embraced. I think that made that transition to working for the company and later teaching so smooth,” Walker said.
The Southwest Ballet community supported Walker when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2021.
“The faculty, families and the board truly took me under their wing, treated me like family and supported me through my healing process by providing meals, flowers and cards. I’m grateful to have had their encouragement amidst such a stressful time in my life,” Walker said.
She was planning to transition into teaching for Southwest Ballet but put it off due to her treatment. She started teaching a semester later, but she returned and helped in the office up until then.
“They definitely were helpful in giving me the space to take time to heal, but I like to keep going and staying involved,” Walker said.
“I had surgery to remove the tumor, and three weeks later, I was back in the studio doing administrative work. It was helpful for me to have something to look toward, and I’m grateful to them for providing that for me.”
Recently, Southwest Ballet has had an increase in students.
Walker said they have gotten a number of beginning-level students and dancers returning to ballet. They offer beginning-level ballet training for different ages, including adult/teen and pre-teen classes.
The school focuses mainly on classical ballet but does have additional flamenco and adult and teen tap classes, as well as an enrichment program focused around jazz and contemporary dance.
“The dancers get to supplement their ballet training, work and use different muscles, but also they have experience with different styles of dance that will aid them down the road in their future careers,” Walker said.
Students are from around the West Valley, including Buckeye, Avondale, Glendale and Peoria.
Walker said over the years, the company’s programming has expanded to include homeschool, adaptive and tuition-free boys dance programs.
A tuition-free boys dance program, which started in January, piqued the interest of young men. Several of those students took part in the theater’s spring production of “Snow White.”
“It’s been neat to see young boys that never really danced before start to find that they’re passionate about something new,” Walker said.
The adaptive dance program launched in 2022. Students from the program performed in “The Nutcracker,” “Snow White” and the showcase recital this past season.
“It was an amazing experience not only for them and for us as teachers but for the audience to get to see that inclusion,” Walker said.
“It’s such a fulfilling program because there aren’t many opportunities or classes for dancers with special needs. To be able to provide not only a class but an opportunity to be onstage and grow their performing qualities as well has been very fulfilling.”
Walker completed the American Ballet Theatre teacher training intensive and has received a certification to teach pre-primary to level three of its national teaching curriculum. She said the intensive program taught her the importance of letting dancers develop basic techniques and repetition.
“A lot of times, we want to teach dancers more complicated techniques or skills at a young age, but it really is best to keep their development in mind when designing the classes and curriculum. That way, for kids, they are also having fun while learning something new, and it’s not just a lot of difficult steps at once,” said Walker, who is also is certified in adaptive dance and progressing ballet technique.
She said through the adaptive dance certification, she got greater insight into methods for teaching students with special needs.
“How do you take this complicated, very difficult artform but make it more applicable for dancers who have physical needs?” Walker said.
“We’ve incorporated a lot of creative movement while utilizing some specific ballet techniques. But even the focus on just getting the kids moving to music has been important. We’ve seen growth in the adaptive dancers, as a couple of them have been with the program since the start.”
Last year, Walker directed productions alongside interim artistic director Anthony Spaulding II. Although she doesn’t perform often, Walker took the stage during Southwest Ballet’s spring production of “Snow White.”
“Every now and then, when they are in need of a dancer for certain roles, sometimes I will still jump in. It keeps me connected to what’s going on with the performances,” Walker said.
Over the years, Walker has stepped up and done tasks outside of her normal roles, including sewing and seam-ripping costumes, helping to lay the flooring and assisting the backstage crew.
“We’re spoiled and have people lay the floor and take care of those behind-the-scenes details for us. It was eye-opening to see how much work does go into all aspects of a performance,” Walker said.
She is stepping back from the production side in her new role but will participate in auditions and social media marketing. As school director, she will oversee classes and curriculum for the Southwest Ballet.
“I think the biggest part I’m excited about is developing our guidelines for consistency in the ballet program,” Walker said.
“These guidelines are really going to prioritize the dancers’ health while also taking child development into account, so that our classes are developmentally appropriate.”
Walker expects that having a background in teaching and doing administrative work will benefit her in her new position.
“I think administrative work carries into a lot of different aspects in life,” Walker said. So, it’s definitely been beneficial in learning communication skills, time management, work ethic. All of that is going to carry over and help me in this position.”
