Huntington Scout is spreading her love of ballet

A Huntington teen with a lifelong love of ballet is helping children who haven’t taken lessons before to learn the dance.

Chloe Donovan, a junior at Huntington High School, teaches ballet to youth between the ages of 5 and 16 through free weekly lessons at the Tri Community and Youth Agency (Tri CYA) in Huntington. She started giving lessons to about 20 students in September with plans to continue through June, she said.

Donovan, a Girl Scout, is pursuing the project as part of her Gold Award, the highest achievement attainable within the Girl Scouts of the USA. She is a member of Troop #45.

“Ballet has done so much for me that I wanted to bring it to the community,” she said. “It’s given me so many gifts, like helping with my confidence and self-esteem and building friendships and bonds, and that’s what I really wanted to bring to the girls with this project.”

Donovan, 16, is a student at Lynch School of Ballet in Huntington. She said she began studying ballet at 5 and estimates she has trained for over 20 hours each week. She has also appeared in several of the company’s productions, including “The Nutcracker,” and has participated in audition-based ballet intensives for up to five weeks in Boston and Philadelphia.

To prepare for the lessons, Donovan built eight portable ballet bars using materials donated by Kleet Lumber in Huntington with help from her grandfather, Stephen Serra. She also received a donation of 50 pairs of ballet shoes from Pirouette Dancewear in Huntington and used her own money to buy about 20 ballet books for the Tri CYA.

The lessons themselves cover the “foundations of ballet” and “basic steps,” Donovan said. She receives assistance from her 14-year-old sister, Annabelle, an eighth grader at J. Taylor Finley Middle School in Huntington, who also studies dance at Lynch.

“When my sister and I walk into class, their faces light up,” Donovan said of her students.

One person who called the classes “a blessing” was Bernadette Watkins, who said her 5-year-old granddaughter, Kayla McMillan of Huntington, always wanted to learn ballet but couldn’t due to the cost. Kayla’s father, Kevin, was able to watch his daughter participate in the class before he passed away in November, she said.

“It was a joy for him to be able to see her start out in ballet,” Watkins said. Of Donovan, she said: “She’s fabulous and very patient. She and her sister are the sweetest girls.”

Tri CYA director Debbie Rimler praised Donovan’s calm demeanor.

“Chloe is patient, caring and has shared her passion for ballet, which makes the classes fun,” Rimler said. “This special program has enhanced the center greatly.”

Those interested in taking the class can contact the Tri CYA at 631-673-0614.

Nominate a Long Islander who goes above and beyond or serves as an inspiration to their community. Send details and photograph to Michael Ebert, michael.ebert@newsday.com (photos should be high-resolution). Photos may be used in other publications affiliated with Newsday.

By Michael R. Ebert

michael.ebert@newsday.com

Michael R. Ebert is an education researcher and has worked for Newsday in various capacities since 2003. He was part of an 11-person team named as 2008 Pulitzer Prize finalists for investigative coverage of the LIRR's platform safety issues.