Celebrating Our Sister School Tutu School Raleigh’s 10-Year Milestone!

Can you believe it? This June marks ten years since the very first Tutu School in North Carolina opened its doors in Raleigh! It’s incredible for me to reflect on the last decade of tiny twirls, sparkling smiles, and countless unforgettable moments that started it all. That pioneering spirit in Raleigh eventually paved the way for the magic that later blossomed here at Tutu School Cary and across the state.

The Vision: How Tutu School Took Root in North Carolina

The idea of bringing Tutu School to North Carolina truly began for me over a phone call with my dear friend Genevieve, who shared her dream: a boutique ballet school just for young children. After years of watching Tutu School grow from it’s initial location in San Francisco, visiting each of the locations that Genevieve launched, and witnessing its enchanting introduction to ballet firsthand, I knew I had to spread Tutu School’s unique magic here in North Carolina.

In October 2014, Tutu School Raleigh officially became the 5th Tutu School in the franchise system, and the very first outside of California. Its success quickly led to the start of our expansion, opening Tutu School Cary just 2 years later, and a collection of Tutu Schools in NC was born.

Balancing Ballerina & Business Owner: The Early Years

After an extensive search for a space (that included many options throughout Cary, NC) I ended up landed on a cozy downtown Raleigh retail space that would become the home of the first NC Tutu School. At that point, I was a Principal Ballerina with Carolina Ballet and had been immersed in the downtown Raleigh Arts scene for 14 years.

Tutu School Raleigh officially opened its doors on June 15, 2015. It was a full-circle moment for me: to be at the peak of my own professional ballet career while simultaneously introducing the world of ballet to the youngest aspiring dancers.

I knew very early on however that I wanted to spread the magic of Tutu School beyond the Raleigh community, and after becoming quite familiar with neighboring Cary, quickly started planning our 2nd location.

Our Growing NC Tutu Team!

Those early days of Tutu School were a whirlwind of joy and hard work. I squeezed in teaching classes between my own rehearsals and leading Tutu Birthday Parties between weekend performances. All the while laying the foundation to scale our mission and build a team of magic makers to expand our reach beyond what I could ever do alone.

From the start, I was lucky to find incredible teachers for the original Tutu Team, like Mayerlin Munoz Rodriguez and Kimberlyn Graham. They’ve both grown to support our entire collection of schools across NC as now Principal Teacher and Director, and I’m so proud of their contributions and loyalty to our mission over the entire last decade.

As our network expanded, many more incredible Magic Makers have left their mark in studios statewide and on the lives of thousands of dancers we’ve served.

Spreading the Magic Together Across North Carolina

The journey since that summer in 2015 has been epic, as the magic that began in Raleigh started to spread. From the very first Bravo Bash recitals to the launch of Tutu Camps and special Community and Member Events — what we were building in one beautiful community doubled as we opened the doors to Tutu School Cary in August of 2017.

A Family Affair

I’ve never taken the support of our customers for granted. A core value at every Tutu School is my belief in investing deeply in our families. Ten years later, we still maintain strong relationships with many of its founding families, echoing the deep connections we strive to build with all our families here in Cary.

Our Tutu photographer from Mason Dee Photography, Katie, has daughters who grew through our program in those early years. She now still serves our families capturing photos at our bi-annual recitals and other special member-only opportunities throughout the year. 

This past holiday season, our staff had the immense joy of watching one of our very first Tutu Toddlers who started in our program in 2015, perform as Clara in the Nutcracker with Carolina Ballet!

It’s truly been a gift for me to reflect on a decade of relationships built with our dedicated staff, incredible families, and the wider community across North Carolina.

Reflecting Back & Looking Ahead

In March of 2008 (well before this Tutu School journey began), Genevieve asked to profile me as a featured ballerina in the very first Tutu School newsletter, Pirouette, of that very first Tutu School in San Francisco. 

In the final question of the profile, I was asked: What would you tell little dancers and tiny ballerinas about pursuing their dreams? My answer: The pursuit of your dreams may be filled with challenges and lots of hard work, but as long as it makes you feel good inside, you are doing the right thing.

Reflecting on our 10 years in business, I’m certain I’ve been doing the right thing.

The opening of Tutu Schools in NC (in Raleigh, Cary + Wilmington as well) has been a true extension of my life as a ballerina and my belief in the power of expression through dance for children.

As we mark this incredible milestone for our team of the founding NC school, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to every family, every dancer, and every team member who has been a part of our story, from the Triangle to the coast and beyond.

Here’s to many more decades of movement, magic, and marvelous memories across all our Tutu School locations in North Carolina! We can’t wait to meet this 10 year milestone at Tutu School Cary (in ~2 years!) and hope you’ll be along to celebrate with us. (Plus, we’re not done spreading Tutu Schools to more NC communities too!)

~Lara