In the heart of Roanoke, Virginia, situated in the trendy area of Industry Avenue, a ballet school is launching an arts education revolution for creatives in Southwest Virginia. While the Star City School of Ballet is still there and thriving, it is marking a new chapter as the building changes names and expands to become the Star City Center for the Arts, a hub for accessible, high-quality dance, visual arts, music, martial arts, performing arts, and multidisciplinary creative work.
For director Ana Elisa Martinez De la Peña, this is a natural evolution for a school that has been a part of the region’s creative heartbeat for decades.
“We have trained generations of dancers,” De la Peña explains. “Now, we are bringing all creatives under one roof where they can access the resources and inspiration necessary to grow the arts footprint in Roanoke.”
From ballet education to nurturing a multidisciplinary approach in the Roanoke Valley
In 2019, the Star City School of Ballet had a pivotal relocation from Salem to Roanoke. This move laid the groundwork for what would become the Star City Center for the Arts, the future of arts education for the area.
“Our move really signaled a philosophical shift,” says De la Peña. “We were closer to the city’s thriving arts scene and began to see how we could contribute.”
Though the transformation did not happen overnight, the idea of a more inclusive, multifaceted arts hub began to take shape.
The Star City School of Ballet continues its legacy of strong ballet training while embracing commercial dance styles, including tap, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, modern, acro, and hip-hop.
“The School of Ballet is still active, growing, and thriving, but the Center for the Arts will offer a broader range of education,” says De la Peña. “We want to make sure that students and artists of all backgrounds can find a home here.”
The Star City Center for the Arts will further expand its educational access by offering a more diverse spectrum of opportunities through nonprofits and other tenants. These include cultural dance, martial arts, music and art classes, as well as stagecraft, costume design, and performance production.
In addition to classes, De la Peña and her team are hopeful the center will become a place for performance, practice, and inspiration. “We want to support the arts in Roanoke from every angle,” De la Peña explains.
Collaborative culture takes center stage
The main mission of Star City Center for the Arts is to create community. The Roanoke city center has long been known for its vibrant arts, culture, and creative scene. There are independent art galleries, theater productions, and festivals that have shaped the creative identity of the area for years. With the formation of a full-sized studio environment, Star City is seeking to host not only dance students, but painters, musicians, and actors, all under one roof.
De la Peña has noticed a growing appetite for accessible creative spaces in Roanoke. “We hope to fit into that push for a wider arts scene, serving as a bridge between professional artists and the community,” she says.
Education and creativity
While the physical space provided by the Center for the Arts is exciting, the mission of Star City remains educational. For decades, the Star City School of Ballet was dedicated to providing dance instruction that also taught discipline, teamwork, and resilience — skills that followed students throughout their lives. The team is now extending that philosophy to education across the center’s broader offerings.
The approach to artistry is holistic, just as it always has been. “We set out to make our students hireable. The way they learn how to handle challenges and present themselves sets the stage for a more balanced life,” says De la Peña.
This personalized, boutique model of instruction reflects a deep understanding of how creativity develops. “It’s not a one-size-fits-all process,” says De la Peña. “We want to foster an open dialogue between personal and artistic growth.”
De la Peña believes that arts education is one of the best vehicles for building life skills. It places the Star City Center for the Arts right in line with wider conversations about the arts as a form of civic engagement.
“Students are learning new dance forms or stagecraft, but they are also learning how to communicate and work as a team,” De la Peña says.
A part of Roanoke’s creative future
As the Star City Center for the Arts takes shape, the team is hopeful that it can become a model for the power of creative pursuits and inclusivity in the Roanoke area. “Innovation and creativity can flourish when people come together to learn and collaborate,” says De la Peña.
The Star City Center for the Arts is just one part of the wider foundation for the future of arts education in Southwest Virginia. De la Peña would like to see the Roanoke creative scene thrive for generations, and believes the center can help sustain the arts in the community for years to come.
