Kathy Mata Ballet

08/12/2026

Kathy Mata Ballet is presenting our Fall Showcase Giselle on Sunday, September 13th at Dance Mission. Contact Kathy at [email protected] or 415-756-0591

08/09/2026

Act 2 Giselle Rehearsal

08/06/2026

https://www.facebook.com/WSJ/posts/pfbid0pDAYsZf1DbrxwUgkBUmQ6H6iv2VMWqkdjwJZwP8xwh9xVPU7WGupAGXtTrh5qdZ5l

Yoko Morish*ta was 3 years old when she first put on a pair of ballet shoes.

Seventy-five years later, she’s still en pointe.

Morish*ta, who will turn 78 in December, is the prima ballerina in Japan’s storied Matsuyama Ballet Company. One of Japan’s most-celebrated dancers, she performed with Rudolf Nureyev 200 times and toured with Margot Fonteyn.

Today, she is the world’s oldest ballerina still taking on demanding lead roles. In January, she starred as Odette and the black swan Odile in “Swan Lake” and in May she performed “Coppelia.” She is currently rehearsing for her role as Clara in “The Nutcracker” in November, a part she has played for 45 years.

Being the principal dancer of a renowned ballet company would be taxing for a dancer half her age. Few ballet stars make it past 40 before hanging up their pumps and switching to teaching, overcome by the immense physical, mental and artistic demands of the art form.

Morish*ta said her secret is simple: She lives for ballet and rarely thinks beyond the next day’s rehearsal or performance.

“Once today is over, I think about tomorrow’s lesson,” she said. “Before I knew it, 75 years had passed.”

🩰 Read more: https://wsj.visitlink.me/roLzJt

08/02/2026

Final section of Giselle Act 2 rehearsal.

07/26/2026

Rehearsal for Act 2 of Giselle

07/20/2026

Rehearsals continue for Giselle performance on September 13th

07/18/2026

https://www.facebook.com/ballet.science/posts/pfbid035jhd18b6p9LteuvF1TiCRX2FhqyJEHdjXrAeVTYsSJqLV8HXGAwUpx8zG9c3a7tzl

Can ballet help prevent falls as we age? 🩰

Falls are one of the leading causes of injury in older adults, but could years of ballet training help the body recover from a loss of balance?

In this study, we compared 20 older recreational ballet dancers with 23 age- and sex-matched nondancers during an unexpected standing slip.

Here’s what we found:

🩰 45% of the dancers fell compared with 83% of the nondancers.

The dancers also:
• Recovered their balance more effectively
• Took faster, more efficient recovery steps
• Slipped a shorter distance
• Activated key leg muscles more quickly after the slip

Together, these findings suggest that ballet training may improve the body’s ability to respond to an unexpected loss of balance through both biomechanical and neuromuscular adaptations.

Of course, this doesn’t mean ballet eliminates the risk of falling, and this study cannot prove cause and effect. But it does provide exciting evidence that the movement skills developed through ballet may carry over into everyday life!

It’s one more reminder that ballet isn’t just an art form… it’s a powerful way to train balance, coordination, strength, and movement throughout the lifespan.

07/10/2026

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1553414216282997?s=yWDuG2&fs=e&mibextid=Nif5oz

06/28/2026