Courtney Ellis, daughter of St. Louis County Police Officer James “Mitch” Ellis, Jr., EOW 10/11/19, journeyed to Madison, Wisconsin to participate in the Summer Dance Intensive at Magnus Opus Ballet. The Summer Dance Intensive is a program for intermediate to advanced dancers who want to sharpen their craft. Over the course of the program, dancers are trained in ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary and more. Courtney recalls her time at the Intensive, what she has learned and the opportunities ahead.
For two weeks Courtney shared a space with her fellow dancers where they not only tirelessly trained but also made time for fun. “I’d love to share what a typical day at the intensive looked like. Arriving at the Magnum Opus studio every morning, we would have a ballet and pointe class with different instructors each day. Every other day the next set of classes would change. Some days it would be jazz, contemporary or musical theater. Other days it was repertoire, hip hop or creative worship. At 3:00pm our days at the studio would end. At this point I and the other girls would head back to the house. There we would cook together, stretch/practice together, and spend time in the word of God together as well. Or we would go on adventures! One day we took a trip to a nearby lake which was so fun! I had never been there and had so much fun with my new friends. Another time, two days in a row, we went to the botanical garden in Madison. It was stunning!”
The Intensive provided enriching dance training and new friends, but also offered challenges and opportunities to grow. Courtney reveals what she overcame with en pointe, which is a ballet term meaning to gracefully dance on the tips of your toes. “As fun as the two weeks were, it was also dancing and pre-professional style work, and with that came some struggles. I was new to pointe. At this intensive, I had done the most consistent and hardest classwork en pointe as I had ever done in my life! Thankfully this intense work broke through a barrier I had been needing to cross in skill, and I am now thriving and improving en pointe more than ever thanks to those two weeks!”
Her hard work and dedication paid off because she has been given an opportunity to continue her training at Magnum Opus. “I chose to audition for the trainee program while there. A highlight of my time there was receiving the news from the owner of Magnum Opus that I was accepted as one of her trainees! I am one of three amazing girls dancing as a trainee this year and am so happy and excited to see where it leads me! Because of this I plan to continue working with Magnum Opus and hopefully keep moving up in the company for years to come.”
Courtney came out of the Intensive with invaluable dance training, unforgettable memories and a time to draw closer to her faith. “All in all, this has been one of the best experiences with dance I have ever had. Getting to mix my love for dance and joy of Jesus, in a professional company, is something I thought even six months ago would be hard to achieve at only 18 years old. But here I am living that, and I’m loving every second of it! I encourage anyone able to come see me and the other amazing dancers at Magnum Opus in our upcoming shows! I will never stop thanking the Lord and so many amazing people for making this happen, my mom, family, and Trainee Director, Alex, at Magnum Opus for inviting me to the intensive.
We are very proud of Courtney and are honored to play a role in her promising dance journey. “I would like to thank BackStoppers. Without their financial support I would not have been able to attend the Intensive. I would like everyone to know that BackStoppers is a huge blessing in my family’s life, and so many other first responder families, as well. In a time of darkness and missing a loved one, they have been a light from day one. So once again, thank you BackStoppers for making this amazing opportunity possible.”
The BackStoppers Education Fund goes well beyond providing tuition assistance. Because of your support, we cover the cost of extracurricular activities, sports, camps, textbooks, clubs, school supplies and more. We want to provide an opportunity for our families to dream big and to know that we will be there to help them achieve those dreams. Learn more about the Education Fund at BackStoppers.org/Education-Fund.