'Matriarch' of Canton Ballet leaves behind legacy of dedication and prized pupils

CANTON − Cassandra Crowley sat in an empty dance studio at the home of the Canton Ballet.

Rain drizzled outside on a gray day. Traffic could be heard faintly passing by.

The tapping feet and flurry of physical activity were a memory of the previous week before students took a winter break in their dance lessons.

But even when quiet, the studio has been a second home for Crowley, the longtime creative force and spirit behind the local ballet who is retiring at the end of the year as executive director and artistic director. She worked with countless students, preaching discipline while nurturing their drive and ability to create art on the dance floor.

"You have to push them really hard," she said of working with dance students. "And sometimes, they're amazed at what they accomplish."

During a sit-down interview, the echo of Crowley's voice in the room was symbolic of the legacy she leaves behind, which includes numerous students who have gone on to dance professionally and achieve success in acting and other genres.

"I'm very proud of the great dancers (and students) and what wonderful people they have gone on to become," she said.

"My goal was to make the performances of our company as close to professional while still working with students," she said. "And I hope those things will continue."

Crowley waited to retire until after the pandemic

Crowley started in 1980 as artistic director of Canton Ballet before also being named executive director.

Born and raised in Tacoma, Washington, she started ballet at age 13 before studying it in London, England and France. She danced professionally for three years in Ljubljana, Slovenia.

More:Longtime director retiring at end of year: 'I have treasured my time at Canton Ballet'

Under Crowley's leadership, the Canton Ballet has evolved into an internationally known pre-professional ballet school, and one of the top arts organizations in Northeast Ohio.

Crowley delayed retirement until after the COVID-19 pandemic, what she considers to be the most difficult stretch of her more than 40 years heading the Canton Ballet. She cited the financial ramifications, as well as the challenges posed for dance instruction and live performance.

"The hardest part was keeping the kids engaged and trying to do what was best for them," Crowley said.

Students were given linoleum squares so they could take virtual dance lessons at home. Dance sessions in studio followed with mask and social distancing precautions.

More:Canton native Amanda Kloots advances to 'Dancing With the Stars' finale on emotional night

Crowley, however, sees positive trends, most notably the recent sold-out shows of "The Nutcracker" at the Canton Palace Theatre.

"I think this is a good time," she said of retirement. "I certainly hope that people will support ballet, but all of the arts as well."

Crowley looks forward to having more free time to watch professional dance companies in New York City and elsewhere. She also plans to travel more frequently, including a possible trip to Japan.

Jennifer Catazaro Hayward, a former dance student who has been with the ballet for decades, will become the organization's artistic director next year. The ballet's board of trustees plans to start searching for a new executive director early next year.

"I think (Catazaro) is going to work very hard to do an excellent job," Crowley said. "I'm very proud of her, and I'm looking forward to see what she accomplishes."

Prized students include Kloots, Jenkins, Catazaro, Hoshi

Crowley is credited with inspiring generations of dancers, including teaching children whose parents she once instructed. Prized pupils are many, including Amanda Kloots, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Zachary Catazaro, Tamaki Hoshi, Kelly Yankle, who has danced in the Sarasota and Cincinnati ballets, and Anne Shaheen, who danced with the Ohio Ballet.

"Watching where they go and what they became is wonderful," she said. "It's very exciting for me."

Jenkins has danced in musicals on London's West End and Broadway; most recently, he played the role of Mayor Noble Walker in the television series," Wednesday," which recently set Netflix viewership records while becoming an international sensation.

More:A New York City Ballet star returns to his roots

Hoshi, a 2019 St. Thomas Aquinas High graduate, danced with the Canton Ballet for more than a decade and was crowned Miss World Japan 2021.

Kloots, a former Broadway dancer and Radio City Rockette, is co-host of the CBS daytime television program, "The Talk." The 2000 GlenOak High graduate and her partner Alan Bersten finished fourth in 2021 on the popular television show, "Dancing with the Stars."

Catazaro, a 2006 Hoover High graduate, studied at the School of American Ballet and is the former principal dancer of the New York City Ballet; he now dances with the Cleveland Ballet.

"There's many talented people," Crowley said. "But those ones who come out more well known in the entertainment industry, whether it be dance or theater (or acting), have drive, and are able to pick themselves up when they don't get a role and just keep going."

'You say Canton Ballet and I say Cassandra Crowley.'

Jenkins credits Crowley for instilling a tireless work ethic and focus while teaching him both the broad pillars and finer nuances of dance.

The 57-year-old Jenkins discovered dance and theater as a youth through a local urban arts summer program. He didn't become involved with the Canton Ballet until age 15 or 16.

"You say Canton Ballet and I say Cassandra Crowley," he said during a telephone interview. "She was the matriarch, she was the queen if you will."

A 1984 Timken High graduate, Jenkins also credits other instructors and staff at Canton Ballet, as well as the Players Guild Theatre, for being instrumental in his career.

"I don't really know where I would be if it wasn't for the (Canton Ballet)," he said. "Growing up, where I was, it was a great way to keep me off the streets, I suppose, as a young kid, because it was just so easy to get into trouble ... and it was great to have a focus and a passion."

Crowley, however, was most influential in helping him reshape his life through dance.

"A lot of that has to do with the care, the belief, the commitment, the determination she had in making me be the best I could be," Jenkins said.

"I think it was the care you could see, the magic from her that she took with everybody to a degree," Jenkins continued. "She was joyful, she could laugh, but she also had a way that you knew when she meant business ... and when to focus and get down to work."

'It really feeds the soul.'

Ballet has been a way of life for Crowley.

"This is definitely not a 9 to 5 job," she said, laughing.

Asked what makes ballet special, Crowley flashed a grin: "It really feeds the soul."

What's learned through ballet is also universally applicable to life and professions like science, medicine, teaching, law and public service, she said.

"There's just so many things they learn in ballet that they use for the rest of their lives in whatever they do," Crowley said.

'You're a special person.'

Crowley's impact is considered vast, her lessons also imparted to dancers whose biggest moments were roles in the local production of "The Nutcracker."

"Her commitment to excellence is seen not only in the quality of training the dancers receive, but in their development of those 'soft skills' talked about and so eagerly sought by educators and employers today," said Pamela Shaw, past president of the Canton Ballet board of trustees, referring to leadership, teamwork, time management, organization, tenacity when pursuing a goal, and the ability to self-reflect.

Crowley kept the ballet's programs current while exposing students to all types of dance training like modern, contemporary, ethnic, jazz and tap, said Shaw, also a current board member.

Dancers regularly worked with visiting international teachers and a variety of choreographers, she wrote in an email.

Crowley "understood that for Canton Ballet to be successful it not only had to be good, Canton Ballet also had to have a presence and a footprint larger than Canton."

Reach Ed at 330-580-8315 and ebalint@gannett.com

On Twitter @ebalintREP

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Canton Ballet director Cassandra Crowley retiring after 42 years