Mary Burke is hours away from boarding a plane bound for New York. But a quick stop at StarBurkes — as only a regular could joke — for coffee comes first.
The New York trip is a treat from daughter Elizabeth — a Pilates instructor and, like her mom, a dancer — so naturally their itinerary includes a Broadway show.
Burke has called Richmond home for nearly 40 years, serving as a teacher and mentor to hundreds of blossoming ballerinas as director of Burke Academy of Dance.
She’s recently lightened her teaching load from a hectic seven-days-a-week schedule to a single ballet program at a Steveston studio. Tiny to Teens offers students as young as four a chance to dance once or twice a week — not to end up in a ballet company, but to be successful for themselves.
She now has more time for family, exercise, reading and travelling — things that took a backseat to a dance career that took root quickly in her Northern Ireland home.
“Since I was five that’s all I ever wanted to do. I think I saw Fred Astaire, or a ballet on TV,” said the 66-year-old during an interview last week. “And I was in love with the tutu and the pointe shoes — like every little girl. It didn’t go away; it was my lifelong dream.”
At age 15, Burke won a full scholarship to the Hammond School, a ballet school in England where she trained as a dancer and teacher. Teaching in Ireland followed, then dancing in Las Vegas. She later married, moved to Saskatchewan and stayed home with two kids. But she was itching to return to a dance studio.
When the family moved to Richmond in 1977, she started teaching a little bit, balancing classes with raising her children. It was the beginning of Burke Academy of Dance.
She rented space in the Presbyterian church on No. 2 Road and the Ukrainian hall before building a house on Moncton Street with an attached studio. Eventually she found a larger space on No. 2 Road for her school, where leotard-clad students practised positions and perfected the plie.
A few years ago redevelopment plans forced the school out. That gave Burke pause. She decided it was time to leave behind the hectic pace of classes, exams, festivals and recitals and focus on a new ballet program.
“When I look back I’m amazed sometimes at what I actually did get done,” she said of her long journey in dance. “It’s very gratifying when you’re meeting some of the kids you taught.”
Many of Burke’s students have gone on to professional careers in dance and musical theatre. Some have danced with the National Ballet of Canada, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Ballet B.C. But just seeing her students achieve something for themselves is the biggest reward.
Ambition, she said, is what’s kept her going in a challenging field. “I’m very competitive, I’m very ambitious. I always wanted to win at competitions, but I didn’t mind when I didn’t.”
Today Burke and her husband Tom live near Britannia Shipyards. They’ve been married for 43 years. “He does what he’s told. But I let him think he gets his way,” she laughs.
With more time to spend in the community she loves, Burke takes Pilates classes four days a week, hikes the Grouse Grind and is even exploring volunteering. “I thought about volunteering by walking dogs, but I’d want to bring them all home.”
