Thornton Academy Postscripts Alumni Magazine Spring 2013 | Page 10

Arts

Born to dance: Tony Ricci ’00 describes the
joys, and challenges, of pursuing the arts

“There are not many high schools that offer the programs that TA offers.
I am so grateful for the education that I received and the opportunity to
participate in such an advanced Arts Department.”
Grueling hours of rehearsal. Hours waiting in line for
an audition that earns just a “thank you.” Teaching 30
dance classes at three different studios, while staffing
birthday parties and earning a degree. The path from
Thornton Academy to founding her own dance studio
in Los Angeles was arduous, but Toni Ricci ‘00 feels it
has been the right one for her. “I truly believe that we
are born to do certain things. I was born to dance.”
When Ricci enrolled at TA, she had a decade of
dancing experience behind her already and wanted
to keep dance at the center of her life. Ricci jumped
into the Fundamentals of Dance class her freshman
year and then joined Dance Company her sophomore
year under the direction of TA’s first dance instructor,

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Kathy Nolan. “Kathy was a mother figure to all of us. She
believed in us, not only as students, but as dancers.”
At TA, Ricci participated in multiple productions and
learned all types of dance and choreography. “TA is
an amazing, unique establishment.There are not many
high schools that offer the programs that TA offers. I
am so grateful for the education that I received and the
opportunity to participate in such an advanced Arts
Department.”
Once in college, Ricci found that her knowledge of
dance history, choreography, and composition was
“leaps and bounds above others.”