Photo Credit: Paul Helling Photography

Before she attended Palomar College, Sydney Huffman never thought of herself as a ballet dancer. Now she is majoring in ballet and was selected to attend a six-week summer workshop to hone her skills as a dancer and choreographer.

Huffman, a 22-year-old Vista resident, started taking classes at Palomar College while she was still in high school, so it made sense for her to continue at Palomar College when she graduated. She signed up for a ballet class taught by Instructor Molly Faulkner.

“I was trying to get into something fun and I fell in love with it,” she said.

As she took more classes with Faulkner, her love of ballet deepened.

“She is so supportive no matter who you are and what your background is,” Huffman said. “She sees potential in everyone. I had never danced before, and she made me feel like I was a dancer. She is amazing.”

Huffman said she enjoys the universality of ballet.

“It’s very rigorous and very structured and I really like that,” she said. “I find it comforting to have structure. No matter where you go, you are always going to have that structure.”

Huffman was selected to attend the prestigious Burklyn Ballet Theater summer workshop, both as a dancer and as a choreographer. She will be spending six weeks at the workshop in Vermont from late June to mid-August. This intensive week is designed to give dancers a real-life experience within a ballet company. Huffman said she is looking forward to working with different teachers who have different styles.

Huffman, inspired by Faulkner, is planning to major in ballet and general business and management and hopes to be able to teach ballet to young children.