Alumni Spotlight: Rita Scott

Rita Scott

In each Alumni Newsletter, we spotlight one San Francisco Ballet School alum and tell their story. Sign up for our alumni mailing list to receive the quarterly newsletter, which has all kinds of fun alumni events and opportunities! For now, enjoy the August spotlight on Rita Scott.

Throughout the past year, San Francisco Ballet School students have had the opportunity to have one-on-one Pilates sessions with school alum Rita Scott. This has been a joyful homecoming for Rita, who was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and studied at SFBS from 1988–1992.

Rita grew up in an arts-filled environment, with her father exposing her to everything from cinema to live music and ballet. Says Rita, “I was born already dancing,” and she began training in ballet in her late teens at the Escola Estadual Maria Olenewa, a ballet school in Rio de Janeiro. Eventually, she moved to San Francisco to continue her training, joining SFBS on the recommendation of her teachers in Brazil. There she studied under teachers such as Irina Jacobson, Larisa Sklyanskaya, and Jocelyn Vollmar. The variety of styles taught here, from Vaganova to Balanchine, expanded Rita’s horizons and pushed her versatility as a ballet dancer. An injury sustained during class also led her to meet Elizabeth Larkam, who would introduce her to Pilates and later, Rita Renha in Gyrotonic®.

Over the next phase of her life, Rita spent time in both Brazil and San Francisco, including pursuing her professional ballet career. She danced with the Municipal Theater Ballet of Niteroi, from 1996-2002, and also did her teacher training for Pilates and Gyrotonic® while in Brazil. After completing her certification in both, she moved back to San Francisco and was invited by Elizabeth Larkam to join her SF Bay Club team of trainers. After teaching there, she transitioned to SF Gyrotonic® where she still works today.

Rita has always been naturally hyper-mobile and finds value in Pilates and Gyrotonic® as ways to strengthen the body and help it act as one. “We are three-dimensional bodies, and everything needs to work together,” she says. She loves helping young dancers on this journey, and it was a full-circle moment for her to return to SFBS for this purpose. She “feels very welcome here,” as she gets to be around former colleagues and teach right across from the studios where she used to take class. She says that our students are eager to learn and curious, and that it brings her a lot of joy to see her same passion reflected back by them. We here at San Francisco Ballet School are so thankful to work with Rita Scott, and proud to call her one of our alumni!