East Lyme – Lise Reardon began teaching ballet 42 years ago in her Niantic home. Twelve years in, she founded Eastern Connecticut Ballet, located on Boston Post Road in East Lyme.

ECB has flourished since then, and not only with numbers of students increasing and currently standing at about 250. ECB’s offerings have expanded to include dance classes ranging from modern to jazz, with more educational and outreach programs as well. Students have gone on to prestigious dance companies. And ECB draws big audiences for its annual version of “The Nutcracker.”

After all that time leading the organization, Reardon is now stepping down as executive director.

She will, though, maintain a leadership role on the ECB board of directors.

The new executive director is Krystin Dixon, who has been Reardon’s assistant for nearly two decades (aside when she stepped away for a bit after having her last child). Dixon began working at ECB after graduated summa cum laude from the Hartt School, University of Hartford, with a degree in ballet pedagogy and a minor in business.

Gloria Govrin, who was a soloist with New York City Ballet, will continue as ECB’s artistic director.

Reardon said the time seemed right for her to leave the role of executive director.

“I’ve always had to consider a transition and how to make it happen in the way that was the best for ECB,” said Reardon, who is now 73. “As I was getting older, it was difficult working through the day-to-day challenges on a 24/7 (basis), which is the way I always operated ECB from the very beginning. COVID came along, the challenges were huge, and it made me think about the future. And I just thought, ‘It’s time to pass the reins to a younger and more energetic generation and team that can accomplish a lot.’

“I still have wonderful ideas and things I would like to see happen for the school, but I can’t put in the same number of hours as I did before. I think younger people with vision can, as I did when I started out.”

By being part of the board of directors, she can help ECB in a different way.

“I can’t just walk away entirely. It’s too much a part of me,” Reardon said.

‘Knows the school so well’

Dixon was fresh out of college when she first came to ECB; the connection was that one of her teachers at Hartt was Adam Miller, then ECB artistic director.

“So I’ve grown up in the school and kind of worn every possible hat except this one (as executive director),” she said.

As for her new job, Dixon said, “I’m thrilled. I love this school … I’m excited to work with the team we have.”

She said she’s also excited to continue Reardon’s legacy.

Dixon’s dream was always to run a ballet school, and she said that here she is, at age 41, reaching that dream.

Reardon said that Dixon is very smart, organized and efficient.

“She knows the school so well, and parents love her. She’s a very positive, upbeat, lovely young woman. I just thought she was a good fit … She’s the logical choice, and I feel good about it,” Reardon said.

Dixon had already been managing ECB a lot during COVID. Reardon, considering her age, took COVID risks very seriously. Dixon ended up taking on more responsibility as Reardon was working from home.

How it started

Reardon majored in dance at the Juilliard School of Music and earned her bachelor of arts degree in elementary education from the University of North Carolina. She performed with groups ranging from the Ruth Page Ballet Company to the St. Louis Ballet before focusing on teaching.

Reardon said her husband, Bob, has always been very encouraging and supportive, and it was his idea to create the space in their house to teach. As the program grew, he encouraged her to create a nonprofit and move to a different location, seeing that as the next step.

“It became a lot more than I ever expected it to be,” she said.

When she first started as an instructor, Reardon was coming out of performance mode and said she didn’t really know how to teach. She would drive to Hartford Ballet to observe classes and watch teachers’ styles and learn about their curriculum. When her husband, who is an attorney, traveled for law conferences, she would accompany him and visit ballet companies wherever they went —Washington Ballet, for instance, and San Francisco Ballet.

Being a relatively new teacher, she decided she needed an experienced teacher at ECB and so brought on Debra Ryder and then Adam Miller as artistic directors.

Govrin came onboard as artistic director in 2009. The legendary George Balanchine had often choreographed roles for her at New York City Ballet.

“When Gloria came, that opened so many doors because she is beyond a doubt one of the best teachers you will ever encounter,” Reardon said, noting how Govrin does it all in a very calm, supportive way.

Reardon remembered watching Govrin stage a version of Balanchine’s “Who Cares” with ECB students. Reardon had always loved Balanchine, and when she saw that performance, “I remember standing in the wings and tearing up because I thought, ‘This is what I always wanted for this school, and we are finally here. And there is only better to come.’”

‘The most amazing young people’

Some ECB students have gone on to be professional ballet dancers. Others have developed careers in musical theater and modern dance. And while ECB is serving students who want a career in dance, it is also serving students who want to be the best dancers they can be but will go on to become doctors or lawyers or scientists, Reardon noted.

“We have some of the most amazing young people who come through our doors. … They just never cease to wow me with their accomplishments,” she said.

Reardon looks back proudly on a lot of ECB accomplishments. She loves ECB’s production of “The Nutcracker” and the new scenery that debuted in 2018.

She’s proud of ECB’s expanded educational and outreach programs, which include adaptive dance for differently abled students. The organization offers free ticket initiatives and free school performances, all of which have been supported by the community.

Reardon gives credit to all the volunteers and benefactors who have helped ECB over the decades.

And she emphasizes how important her husband has been to the success of the school. She said that in addition to being her personal support, he is ECB’s biggest cheerleader.

“He never misses performances and is there to lend a hand wherever needed, from facility upgrades to legal support. We simply could not have done any of this without him,” she said.

There will be a celebration of Reardon’s retirement on June 17, after ECB’s spring performance at Connecticut College.

k.dorsey@theday.com