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Elaine Johns opened Elevé Studio at the Tucker Center last August, teaching classes for children and adults. Like everyone else, she has had to navigate around changing mask mandates.
Dance students at Elevé Studio at the Tucker Farm Center practice at portable ballet barres.
Elaine Johns carries herself like a dancer, and it’s no wonder. The artistic director, owner, and instructor at Elevé Studio started taking ballet classes in St. Helena through the city’s recreation department at the age of 7 and never looked back. Now she teaches children and adults alike at her spacious studio at the Tucker Farm Center on Tucker Road in Calistoga.
“I have always loved to dance,” says Johns with a smile. “It’s a way to get in touch with my body, enjoy the music, and let all of the stress and difficulties fade away.”
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After attending college at Cal Poly San Louis Obispo, majoring in education and minoring in dance, Johns returned to St. Helena where her family were the owners of White Cottage Ranch Winery in Angwin. She started teaching classes at Little Feet School of Dance in St. Helena where she studied dance as a child. The school was established in 1981 by Connie Doyle, a former dancer with the San Francisco Ballet.
Unfortunately, when the COVID-19 pandemic rolled around in 2020, dance classes at Little Feet were canceled. Johns took some time off, taught a few classes on Zoom, and then made the decision to lease the 100-year-old Tucker Farm Center several days a week for her dance studio. A cavernous space with gleaming hardwood floors and walls; the center is still rented out for the arts, celebratory gatherings, parties, weddings, and other special events. Now, thanks to Johns, one wall is lined with mirrors, and there are plenty of portable ballet barres.
Johns opened Elevé Studio at the Tucker Center in August, 2021, teaching classes for children and adults, and, like everyone else, has had to navigate around changing mask mandates. The studio’s mission is to, “inspire and nurture a love for the arts, promote self-expression and personal growth; build supportive, compassionate bonds with community and enrich our culture.” Elevé also seeks to preserve the traditions and elegance of classical ballet, including music, costume, and theatrics.
You may have seen a sampling of the studio’s young dancers at last December’s Calistoga Holiday Village, where a troupe of Elevé students performed in the Pioneer Park gazebo. Johns offers a year-round program culminating with spring and fall recitals, and she is mulling over the idea of holding a summer dance camp. Always on her toes, Johns is a guest performer and teacher throughout Northern California, and she co-directed the December 2021 performance of The Nutcracker Ballet at Middletown’s Terrace Middle School.
Budding ballerinas and male ballet dancers from ages 3 and up are welcome to take classes at Elevé. “I’ll continue expanding my classes to include modern, lyrical, and beginning pointe work as things open up," says Johns.
And if, like me, you have a pair of adult ballet slippers hiding in your closet, now might be the time to dust them off and get ready to plie and pirouette.
Elevé Studio’s complete class and performance schedule and fees can be found on its website: www.eleve.studio.
"Palisades with Lupine," oil on linen by Charles de Limur
"Hidden Vale," oil on linen by Charles de Limur
Gretchen and Charles de Limur at their Diamond Mountain home.
"Winter Stream," pastel on paper by Charles de Limur
"Bennett Lane Vineyard," pastel on paper by Charles de Limur.
"Palisades with Lupine," oil on linen by Charles de Limur
"Hidden Vale," oil on linen by Charles de Limur
Gretchen and Charles de Limur at their Diamond Mountain home.
"Winter Stream," pastel on paper by Charles de Limur
"Bennett Lane Vineyard," pastel on paper by Charles de Limur.
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Elaine Johns opened Elevé Studio at the Tucker Center last August, teaching classes for children and adults. Like everyone else, she has had to navigate around changing mask mandates.
Dance students at Elevé Studio at the Tucker Farm Center practice at portable ballet barres.
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