What do ballerinas, pirouetting across a stage in elegant costumes and dainty slippers, have in common with first responders, working tirelessly for days on end to ensure the safety of millions of Angelenos? An immense amount of strength and resolve.
This weekend, first responder heroes of Los Angeles will be celebrated alongside principal dancers from New York City Ballet and award-winning musicians during Westside Ballet’s Spring Gala. Among the dancers on stage, Westside Ballet alumna Tiler Peck—currently featured in Amazon Prime Video’s acclaimed ballet series Étoile—will make a return to The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage in Santa Monica, joined by her fellow New York City Ballet principal dancer and fiancé Roman Mejia.
During the Spring Gala, Peck and Mejia will be joined again by Topanga residents Sorcha Rose Cinadr and Beatrice Michelin, Also dancing his way into the spotlight is 12-year old Spencer Collins, who recently received the Hope Award at the renowned Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Finals competition. All three young dancers recently shared the stage with the two New York City Ballet dancers at the Westside Ballet’s winter 2024 production of The Nutcracker, and are thrilled to have the opportunity to do so again, with Collins excitedly exclaiming, “It was such an honor to stand in the wings and watch Roman Mejia perform in last year’s Nutcracker. His turns and jumps were so big and so precise, it was inspiring. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to perform alongside these incredible artists again this spring. It helps encourage me to keep going.”
When envisioning a graceful ballerina, many imagine a dancer en pointe. Mastering this dance technique is a massive feat of strength, requiring the individual to have the ability to hold herself up on the tips of her toes. This demands an immense amount of power and coordination of the core and lower body, placing the majority of the dancer’s body weight on her hallux or halluces. It requires intense dedication and many, many hours of training to be done correctly in order to reduce the risk of injury. A ballerina who takes to pointe before she has built up the strength and technique to do so runs a major risk of severe injury to her ankles and knees.
Our first responders are immensely dedicated to the service of others, and spend countless hours ensuring that they are able to safely protect and serve the Los Angeles community, and other communities in need. Through extensive mutual aid programs with other cities, counties, states, and even other countries that greatly benefitted Angelenos in the January 2025 fire event, our first responders are ready and able to serve other communities in need of relief during disasters. Like a well-choreographed ballet, a variety of different agencies work together to ensure community safety.
When interviewed by Topanga New Times in November 2024 regarding her experience at Westside Ballet, Topanga resident Beatrice Michelin, then nine years old, highlighted how valuable compassion is, stating that, “everybody in my class is kind of my friend in a lot of ways.” Both Michelin and Cinadr noted that among the most important things they keep in their ballet bags are an extra leotard and pair of tights, “in case an accident happens or a friend needs a loaner.” This sense of community these dancers have found at Westside is so vital to Angelenos of all walks of life, especially at this time, and these young dancers provide an excellent reminder of the importance of caring for others. The Westside Ballet community has pulled together in the wake of disaster to assist over 55 dance families who lost homes in the January 2025 fire event, demonstrating resilience and kindness in the face of tragedy and hardship. The school has held drives to collect dance clothing for affected families, hosted community grieving and healing sessions with a licensed therapist at the studio, and organized a GoFundMe page that raised over $75,000 for those affected Westside Ballet families. Additionally, a portion of proceeds of the Spring Gala will support Westside Ballet’s Fire Relief Scholarships.
Tickets to the Spring Gala are $195. The performance is set for 7:00 P.M. on May 31, and will take place at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage, 1310 11th Street, Santa Monica.
Tickets for this event may be purchased online at westsideballet.com/SpringTix or by phone (fees apply) at (800) 595-4849 (4TIX).
