Baby Ballet Long Island Shares Hope and Dance Across the World

Nikki Ciotta is well known as the quintessential Mary Poppins of toddler dance. Her mobile baby ballet classes for children aged 18 months to 4 years have instilled a love of dance in more than 2,000 young children across Long Island since she began Ronkonkoma-based Baby Ballet Long Island in 2014. In addition to her work with tiny dancers across Long Island, “Miss Nikki” will be traveling to Mumbai in December to share her talent with children living in poverty

In partnership with Magic Bus, a non-profit focused on breaking the cycle of poverty by offering opportunity and inspiration to young people across India,

Miss Nikki was invited to join a team of professional dancers from around the world. They will join forces and talent and spend 5 days teaching in a facility dedicated to helping the area’s poorest children overcome adversity.

Baby Ballet Long Island’s technically precise foundation of dance in a fun, whimsical environment has inspired families all across Long Island. As a graduate of her native England’s prestigious Northern Ballet School, Nikki’s play-based instruction offers a unique level of skill building usually reserved for older, more advanced students. Miss Nikki is a firm believer in instilling “correct” muscle memory in even the tiniest dancers, a practice that pays off according to parents of current students. “We joined the class hoping for fun socialization and a little early exposure to dance. To my surprise, by the end of the 6-week program my daughter was able to independently plié, arabesque and tendu!” said a mother of a 3-year-old student in Long Beach.

Miss Nikki engages children in activities that inspire musicality, movement and focus, but along the way to learning proper ballet comes a sense of confidence easily recognized in the faces of those who attend her classes. Nikki’s goal for her trip to Mumbai is to use dance as a vehicle to empower children to see beyond their immediate circumstances and inspire a sense of hope for their futures. Nikki said, “Giving these children new found skills will hopefully boost the morale and give them the confidence to try new things and give them hope for a brighter future. I am so excited to share my passion and help those who really need it.”