Meet Ixchel Levendosky | Ballet Instructor, Ballet Program Director, Choreographer, Dancer and Artistic Director

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ixchel Levendosky and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ixchel, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I strive to treat everyone who enters the door, or emails or calls me, with interest, to welcome them and make them feel that we have a place for them at FRCBA. Students of all ages, body types, gender identifications, racial backgrounds, levels of experience, with recreational or professional interest in dance are treated with respect and welcomed into the fold. While ballet is a perfectionistic art and we take great care in our efforts to teach it properly so that students learn how to control their bodies safely and in a way that enables them to achieve continuous progress with minimal injury, we recognize that people’s bodies all have their own limitations. We appreciate and find beauty in the individual gifts that each person brings. We treat ballet as an art form, not as a competition. At FRCBA, ballet is regarded as a means of self-expression, a way of accessing the soul and spirit, and a medium to enhance communication and human connection.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
What sets us apart from others is that FRCBA is a place where people feel cared for as individuals, not just as bodies in a classroom, money for the coffers, or awards in a display case. We regard ballet as an art form for everyone, regardless of body type, age, gender, racial background, financial means or anything else. We never turn any interested student away due to lack of funds – work study and scholarship options are offered generously to anyone in need. By appreciating the gifts that each individual brings to the table, our artistic expression, and human connection through the medium of ballet is greatly enhanced. Each student is treated as a valuable human with their own personal concerns, worries, struggles, thoughts and feelings that matter. Dancers at FRCBA feel that the studio is a second home, not just because of the amount of time they spend there, but because they know they are valued and are allowed to be themselves there. By teaching ballet as an art form, not a competition, we encourage students to work safely and to strive for their personal excellence and artistic expression, not to do dance “tricks”.

I am most proud of the connection I have with my students and the lasting positive impact I am able to have on their lives, whether they choose to pursue dance professionally or not. And I am excited and proud to offer this opportunity to students who would otherwise not have it due to lack of financial means.

It has always been a difficult journey and continues to be. It is intensely demanding of my time, my energy, my soul and spirit. It is an all-encompassing venture to do it in the way I feel it should be done, and I have a very difficult time maintaining life balance so that it doesn’t overtake me completely. It is also not a financially lucrative venture, so I need always to be careful of how funds are spent and try to make wise decisions for a stable financial future for both the school and myself.

It is a continual struggle to overcome the challenge of balancing work and the rest of my life, but I make time to be with my son, with friends and other family and this enriches my life and keeps me sane. I take time when I can to be in nature and to pursue other interests, whether it be through reading or taking a class on something I’m curious about. I always wish there were more hours in a day/week/year, but I am always trying to use the hours I have with something that is meaningful to me.

Financially, I find I am content with far less new “stuff” than most Americans feel they need to have, so I manage quite well on very little by living what many Americans might consider a simple life, while others around the world would rightfully recognize as a very wealthy life indeed. Making a lot of money has never been a goal of mine and does not carry any meaning to me.

I have learned that the greatest gift I can bring to the world is to daily do my best to bring a warm light to other people’s lives – whether that is through a performance meant to connect meaningfully with the audience, or through helping a student gain control over their body, by checking in with my students about how they are doing with life in general, by complementing and appreciating my students’ accomplishments and letting them know they are seen and cared for. Above all, we are all humans, and ballet is just one of many means of connecting with other humans on a deep level. That is what FRCBA is all about.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would definitely go up to Rocky Mountain National Park to do some hiking. Ideally, we’d stay in Estes Park for several days to get in a few days of gorgeous trails and views. While there, we’d spend late afternoons having tea or coffee and talking at the Inkwell & Brew. If there was a ballet, theatre play or symphony concert of interest, we would attend that at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins, or at the Performing Arts Center in Denver. We might enjoy a day at either the Denver Art Museum or the Museum of Nature and Science in Denver.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Carla Parks, former director of the Academy of Classical Ballet in Arvada, CO and the Classical Dance Theatre

Website: www.frcballet.com

Instagram: frcballet

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FrcBallet

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/front-range-classical-ballet-academy-fort-collins?osq=front+range+classical+ballet+academy

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpxgWv9yPMNqJgFCITHVMzg

Image Credits
Chris Winslow