Local ballet star makes her way to elite European training – [225]
Photos courtesy of Tari’s School of Dance
from Jeff Rodel
There is dancing. And then there’s ballet. There are dancers. And then there’s Anna Grace Boudreau.
The only initial hint that the 14-year-old freshman at St. Joseph’s Academy is a nationally recognized ballet dancer who practices 27 hours each week may be that she sits much straighter in her chair than most teenagers would.
On a sultry August day outside Rêve Coffee Lab, Anna Grace reflects on the five whirlwind weeks she has just spent studying at three of the world’s most elite dance schools: the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco, the Ellison Ballet in New York and Paris Ballet School of the Opera.
There she honed her craft, listened to experienced masters, befriended young dancers from around the world and, yes, went sightseeing in Italy.
“They want you in Paris” must be the coolest thing to say to a teenager while on a carpool, but that’s exactly what Anna Grace heard when her mom picked her up and broke the news.
“I made you show me the email so I could believe it,” Anna Grace tells her mother, Shana Boudreau, owner of Rodéo Boutique. “We were told they don’t take many Americans, so I was shocked but so excited.”
“It’s really rare to have the success that Anna Grace had, and it’s unheard of outside of Louisiana.”
[Ivy Delk, Anna Grace Boudreaux’s longtime ballet instructor at Tari’s School of Dance ]
Most dancers selected through video auditions are those who are already training at these famous schools or those who have other connections.
“It’s so hard to break into these elite European dance schools if you grew up here in America,” says Ivy Delk, Anna Grace’s ballet instructor for the past seven years at the Tarry School of Dance. “It’s really rare to have the success that Anna Grace had, and it’s unheard of outside of Louisiana.”
Taking dance classes since she was 2 1/2 years old, Anna Grace was drawn to the structured fundamentals of ballet, which require incredible mental and physical focus and a lot of body awareness. She sees ballet as the most beautiful way to express herself.
“When I dance, when I learn choreography and feel comfortable with it and embrace the character of the performance, it feels really great,” she says. “You can act a little bit and express yourself in a way that’s elegant and beautiful.”
Despite Tari’s reputation as a producer of accomplished jazz, hip-hop and contemporary dancers, Anna Grace has focused on classical ballet since day one.
Anna Grace at Princess Grace Academy in Monaco last summer. Photo courtesy of Anna Grace Boudreaux
“I love the structure of ballet, how the basics are so consistent,” says Anna Grace. “As we get older, we add movement to that basic structure, and you can build on the ballet as you go, and it becomes more fun.”
Anna Grace is definitely having fun now. Two years ago, the Houston Ballet selected her for their acclaimed production of The Nutcracker, and she finished in the Top 12 at the Youth America Grand Prix three years in a row. This is from more than 500 girls in the world’s largest international scholarship competition for pre-professional dancers.
“Anna Grace is consistent above all else,” says Delk. “She focuses on the details and does it until she gets it right. At the same time, she is the friendliest girl you will ever meet. I always tell her, ‘You’ve never met a stranger,’ because at competitions she always connects with new people and other dancers in her really sweet way.”
While settling into a new school and ninth grade campus, Anna Grace trains for next year’s Junior Grand Prix of America. Her mother reflects on her achievements and dedication with pride and awe.
“It made me so proud to see Anna Grace being so brave and putting herself out there and taking risks,” says Shana. “She walked into a room with kids who spoke a different language, in a foreign country, and she embraced the opportunity to the fullest, made lifelong friends and learned so much.”
Anna Grace at the Paris Opera Ballet School, pictured here with the school’s director Elisabeth Platel. Photo courtesy of Anna Grace Boudreaux
Anna Grace’s experience this summer sharpened the vision she has for life as a professional ballet dancer. She says the intensive training she’s done with modern instruction at some of Europe’s most renowned schools has helped improve her fluidity – both on and off stage.
“It opened my eyes,” says Anna Grace. “After dancing in New York, Paris and Monaco, I can move somewhere like that in the future. I feel like I came back more confident as a dancer and just more confident in general.”
This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue 225 Magazine.
By james art 
