Celebrating the Milestone that Began Our Storybook Ballet Journey in NC!

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. This pioneering success in Raleigh eventually laid the groundwork for the magic that later blossomed here at Tutu School Wilmington and across our wonderful statewide collection of boutique ballet schools.

The Vision: How Tutu School Began 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 a sister school in the Triangle – Tutu School Cary – just 2 years later, and ultimately to the coast with Tutu School Wilmington.

Balancing Ballerina & Business Owner: The Early Years

In 2015, I was a Principal Ballerina with Carolina Ballet and had been immersed in the downtown Raleigh Arts scene for 14 years. When it came to a location for this first NC Tutu School, I landed on a cozy downtown Raleigh retail space. 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 quickly started planning our 2nd location in the Triangle. I had no idea yet how far I’d go!

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.

In a stroke of pure serendipity, another extraordinary Tutu Teacher joined our team in 2019. Molly Worsley, brought a joy and effervescence to her role and a dedication to our Tutu mission. She was the perfect manager to lead our expansion to the coast in 2022!

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.

Expanding the Magic: Tutu School Wilmington joining our collection

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.

Then, during the heart of the pandemic, an opportunity came my way — A few years before, a mom who had brought her daughter to a Tutu Birthday Party at our Raleigh school fell in love with the concept and brought Tutu School to Wilmington in 2017. In 2020 however was planning to step back.

After spending many summers in Wilmington performing and working in Carolina Ballet’s summer intensive program that launched at UNCW, I enthusiastically jumped at the chance to reengage with dance at the coast and share the magic of Tutu School with the Wilmington community. I re-launched Tutu School Wilmington at Mayfaire Town Center in September of 2022!

A Family Affair, Network-Wide

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, Tutu School Raleigh still maintains strong relationships with many of its founding families, echoing the deep connections we strive to build with all our families here in Wilmington — some of whom are still Founding Members!

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, we as a 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 for Our NC Network

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) 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 Wilmington (we’re going on 3 years soon!) and hope you’ll be along to celebrate with us. (Plus, we’re not done spreading Tutu Schools to more NC communities too!)

~ Lara