Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, 501 N. Beneva Rd., 941-365-8400

A conversation with Francisco (Panchi) Serrano, a graduate of the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School (SCBS) and now a member of the corps de ballet of The Royal Ballet in London.

Q: You are now a dancer with The Royal Ballet in London, one of most prestigious ballet companies in the world. What was the path that led you there? How did that happen?
I didn’t start studying ballet until I was 14, which is late. I played baseball for seven years. One day I visited my parents at their school. I saw my sister dancing and the teacher said she needed another boy for the class and asked me to join. So, I tried it and enjoyed it and my mom thought I had the potential. My mom was the one who got me into classes and then my dad drilled me in the physical training and in male ballet technique.

Q: You returned to Sarasota when the Royal Ballet suspended performing because of the pandemic . What’s the status of the company? Are they resuming classes? 
Classes started on July 12th. If dancers in the company had a home studio where they could take classes and practice their technique they were allowed to stay there so I was in Sarasota for most of the summer. I’m in London now and I’m excited to be back but it’s different with social distancing and wearing a mask in class.

Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, 501 N. Beneva Rd., 941-365-8400

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