From Roanoke, VA to the World and Back Again: How Star City Center for the Arts is Investing in Its Community
As anyone from Roanoke, Virginia, could tell you, the city’s burgeoning arts scene is deeply rooted in community identity. One organization in particular is redefining what it means to build a space for creative growth from the ground up. What began as a ballet school for those with professional ambitions has evolved into a comprehensive center for the arts that gives local leaders the space to further invest in their community.
Ana Elisa Martínez de la Peña, the owner of Star City Center for the Arts, has created this space by sticking to her motto of “leadership without ego.” “I am deeply connected to and committed to the Roanoke Valley,” de la Peña explains. She has applied her decades of business and backstage expertise to first building the Star City School of Ballet into the foremost dance school in Roanoke and now offering the Star City Center for the Arts to the area’s artistic community.
A next chapter in a long legacy
The Star City Center for the Arts represents the next chapter in a creative local legacy that began in 1990. Originally founded in nearby Salem as the Dance Center of Southwest Virginia, the organization rebranded to Star City School of Ballet in 2009 and has since spent decades cultivating technically strong, career-ready dancers.
“We were able to grow into a large, expansive space with our move to Roanoke,” explains de la Peña.
Tailored to dancers, Star City School of Ballet forged a family-centered dance education experience in the Roanoke Valley, one that not only turned out dance professionals but also helped young people learn important attributes such as responsibility and teamwork that could follow them throughout their lives, no matter their career path. It was an investment in the future of Roanoke and the people who would eventually be professional creatives, decision-makers, and leaders in the city and beyond.
The latest transformation for Star City represents something more significant than mere growth. It is a shift in philosophy. The multidisciplinary space will provide high-quality facilities for dance instruction in ballet and beyond, visual arts, music, martial arts, and multifaceted creative work.
“It’s being designed as a creative hub for the city,” says de la Peña. “We want to provide creatives with the resources, environment, and community support they need to develop their craft.”
Dance training and more
The growth into the Star City Center for the Arts does not mean the Star City School of Ballet is no longer around, however. The school still thrives, churning out professionally minded dancers year after year, but now offers other forms of dance instruction, including tap, contemporary, lyrical, musical theater, modern, acro, and hip-hop in addition to ballet. The Center for the Arts also offers an in-house costume workshop, rentable studio space, and event space to bring artists from across Roanoke together under one roof.
“We believe creativity thrives through collaboration,” says de la Peña. “We want the space to inspire connection, encourage innovation, and provide a welcoming home for artists from all backgrounds and disciplines.”
Being close to the Roanoke arts scene through the Star City School for Ballet, de la Peña and her team understood how they could best contribute. While the Star City School of Ballet continues to thrive, the Center for the Arts allows the team to offer a broader range of education and community resources, supporting the Roanoke arts scene from every angle.
A holistic view of arts education and appreciation
From its beginning, Star City has had a holistic view of arts education. Students of the School of Ballet were taught not only how to dance but also how to care for their physical and mental well-being.
“Learning how to prioritize rest and recognize burnout can add longevity to a career,” says de la Peña.
The team has always tried to recognize the realities of careers in the arts. It has led Star City, through the School of Ballet and now the Center for the Arts, to become more of a culture cultivator.
As the city of Roanoke continues to develop its identity as a creative hub, the team at the Star City Center for the Arts remains rooted in community access, connection, and learning. “We want artists to come and grow together and keep creativity a sustainable path to success,” says de la Peña.
A collaborative arts community is taking shape in Roanoke. With the Star City Center for the Arts, the city now has a creative hub for artists of all kinds to call home, as well as a place for connection, opportunity, partnerships, and building sustainable futures in the arts.