Benjamin Rabe has known for a long time what he wanted to do with his life.
“I’ve been training with the Pittsburgh Ballet since I was 11,” said Rabe, a resident of Murraysville, Pa., and – along with his twin brother Tim – a member of the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School graduating Class of 2009.
“Before ballet I did gymnastics. At one time I was fifth in the state,” said Ben. He hopes his talent and hard work will lead to fulfilling his dream of one day dancing “for one of the top 10 ballet companies in America.”
The twins were home-schooled as young children, so they were used to independent study and a flexible academic schedule. By enrolling in PA Cyber, Ben was able to continue strong academic growth while maintaining a busy schedule of ballet training, competition and performances.
“I (chose) cyber school because of how busy I was with my other activities, and the freedom it gave me to do my school, and also what I was trying to do as a career.”
Earlier this year, Ben was one of four dancers hired by the Rochester (N.Y.) City Ballet.
“A lot of companies this year had to cut back due to the state of the economy, but they hired four people including me, so I feel like they’re going somewhere. It’s a smaller company, but I’m looking at it right now as a stepping stone to get to a bigger one.”
Before receiving the call from Rochester, Ben considered enrolling at the Pittsburgh Art Institute, confident that his education was a strong as his talent. “My twin brother, who’s going to Cedarville University in Ohio to study pre-med, and I almost scored the same on the PSSA’s, so I’m pretty confident in my education. I feel like I’m as prepared for college as I am for the company.”
Ben’s advice for other students? Decide what they want, and to then go after it any way they can.
He said PA Cyber “definitely gives you the freedom to choose other things you want to do and also really further your education. It gives you a lot of freedom to learn what you really want to learn.”
By Toni Cicone, NNDS communications specialist. 724.764.7200