In a town of just over 6,000 full time residents you might not expect to find a ballet teacher with a resume like Madame Rio Cordy. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dance in London and The Julliard School in New York, danced professionally with The Miami Ballet where she was a soloist, Walt Disney Enterprises and The Alabama Ballet, danced en pointe until the age of 37 years old and has been teaching for over 50 years.

Today you will find Cordy training the next generation of dancers in Orange Beach. The Coastal Ballet School has 45 students with room for more. The school recently moved under the auspices of Expect Excellence to the old tennis building across the street from Orange Beach Elementary School.

“I am so excited about the quality of the young men and women that I am teaching. We have so much talent in the area. Now with OWA and some of the other things that are coming up around our state, we have opportunities to keep our children a little closer to home,” Cordy said.

Residents and visitors will have the opportunity to see the local talent perform in The Nutcracker Dec. 3-4 at the Orange Beach Performing Arts Center. The Coastal Ballet Company’s production has a cast of 50 ranging in age from 3 to 70-years old.

Cordy said she is excited that Orange Beach finally has a Performing Arts Center where her company can produce good programs and is equipped to protect her dancers.

“We are not hindered by not having a stage that is good underneath us. Sometimes ballerinas land and they sound like a bomb not because they landed poorly but because the floor isn’t what it should be. It will also cut down on injuries because they have the good floor. They are not going to hurt themselves when they land from jumps,” Corty said.

For more information on The Coastal Ballet School or upcoming performances, visit coastalballet.com.