When Caitlin Schneider stepped into her first ballet class in March 2024, she wasn’t chasing a childhood dream — she was just looking for a fresh challenge. A 42-year-old private yoga teacher from Seaford, Schneider joined an adult ballet program after a personal loss. “My long-time cat passed away,” she said. “ I needed something to throw myself into that felt completely different.”

With no prior dance background beyond watching Lifetime’s “Dance Moms,” Schneider Googled local programs and was drawn to the structure and flexibility of Adult Ballet Long Island, a dedicated adult program operated by Integral Ballet School in Merrick. Since then, she’s found much more than a distraction. “Now I have new goals,” she said. “I can’t believe I’ve progressed so much in such a short time.”

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