Angell’s Fitness & Dance is proud to announce that professional dancer Dee Marcelli will be offering Cecchetti Classical Ballet Classes there beginning next month. Marcelli, who recently relocated from Cali-fornia to Fluvanna County, has professional and teaching credentials spanning more than 30 years. She also holds an advanced teaching certificate through the Cecchetti Council of America and sits as a national examiner in the Cecchetti Ballet Method. Her students have continued on to professional work in Broadway musicals, ballet companies, and as teachers. She founded and directed the Peninsula Youth Ballet Company, which still exists today, in San Francisco.

Students are trained through a teaching system based on anatomical principles developed by Enrico Cecchetti, the premiere male dancer of the late 19th century and ballet master of the early 20th century. The Cecchetti Ballet Method is designed to endow the human body with qualities essential to the dancer, including balance, poise, strength, elevation and elasticity. Cecchetti’s most famous student was Anna Pavlova who wrote to him, “The feeling of great gratitude I have for what you have taught me is blended with my love and respect for your personality.”

Marcelli looks forward to sharing her love of ballet with both young and mature students at Angell’s Fitness & Dance. As she explained, “The essence of the study of ballet is the growth in the student of self confidence, body awareness, and artistic appreciation of this beautiful art form.”

Her classes, which start mid-September, include Introduction to Classical Ballet, for ages 6-9; Cecchetti Classical Ballet Grades I/II, for ages 7-12; and Adult Classical Ballet for ages 16 and up.

According to Studio Director/Owner Angell Husted, “Dee’s ballet Division in my School of Dance adds a new, exciting dimension—and definitely takes the studio to the next level. I share her philosophy that the art of ballet never leaves the heart, mind or body, making its study a wonderful life-long journey. Most importantly, the Cecchetti Method allows all body types to learn and enjoy ballet whether they are interested in the professional field or not.”

Marcelli joins Melissa DiGrazio, lead dance instructor for 9-years at Angell’s Fitness & Dance. DiGrazio’s classes include pre-ballet and creative dance for age 3, ballet and tap for ages 4-5, tap and/or jazz for ages 6-11, hip hop jazz for 11 and up, as well as adult tap and contemporary ballet. All dance classes start the week of Sept. 12, with registration ongoing. Find schedule/registration at http://www.angellsfitnessanddance.com or in wall boxes outside the studio at 7 Centre Ct., off Route 600 and Slice Road, Lake Monticello. Director/Owner Husted, a health/fitness professional for 29 years, also offers Pilates, Yoga and Zumba®, as well as personal and small-group training. As Angell puts it, “Our wide variety of students ranges from pre-schoolers through teenagers, from many 20- and 30-somethings through baby boomers—and even those into their 80s and 90s! There is no age limit on experiencing and sharing that wonderful joy of movement.”