The Bratches Women on Their Toes

– By Annette McLoughlin –

An important rite of passage for many Rye girls over the last 30 years has been the Rye School of Dance. The school, owned and operated by the Bratches family, has always offered a dynamic balance of hard work and serious choreography in a nurturing environment. Sisters Daryl Finn, Beth Conley and Kyle Finnegan take the responsibility of developing tender adolescent girl egos very seriously. “Helping to grow their confidence is one of our biggest goals,” they say.

In 1976, Pat Bratches, a longtime dancer and matriarch of the dancing Bratches, was teaching dance at a Scarsdale-based chain of dance studios. When her first daughter, Daryl, returned to Rye after graduating from Julliard they decided to start their own dance school and make it strictly modern. Pat Bratches has always loved modern dance and she fostered that love in her daughters. “She was always taking classes in the city, and as we became old enough she would bring us with her,” recalls Daryl. “We learned not to be intimidated in the professional dancing world because she wasn’t.”

Despite the fact that the more conventional forms of dance — ballet, tap and jazz — were more popular, the mother and daughter team stayed true to their form, and their first year brought in 60 students. They grew over the next several years and with the help of sisters Beth and Kyle they’ve kept on growing — every year for the past 20, they have maintained an average class size of 400 to 450 dancers.

In 1981 Beth returned home after living and performing in San Francisco, Chicago and New York. The youngest sister, Kyle, followed suit a year later, after college and an internship at Alvin Ailey. Pat retired in her 60s, still dancing circles around her daughters.

Over time, Daryl, Beth and Kate married and raised children of their own, and while growing and nurturing their children they grew and nurtured the family business. They have been able to make it work by operating as a close-knit team, sharing responsibilities and always covering for each other. As Beth says, “We’ve been able to do it because we’re family. With small children, there are those inevitable moments when one of our children is suddenly vomiting and 20 girls are waiting in the studio to start class. That’s when one of us jumps in.”

The Rye School of Dance has evolved into more than a school for dance. They teach the physical act of modern dance and, more importantly and simultaneously, they help “choreograph” the foundations of young girls — fostering confidence, empowering them with choices and requiring them to work together as a team.

Part of the school philosophy is rooted in the nature of modern dance. Unlike its classic sisters, ballet, tap and jazz, modern dance embraces dancers of all shapes and sizes, emphasizing ability over physical characteristics. The sisters ensure that girls across the range of body types feel comfortable and happy and get as much out of the dance as possible.

The ability to work together as a team is integral to being a part of the school. In many dance schools, the staff creates all the year-end performance from start to finish. At Rye School of Dance, however, every class of girls from grade six on is given the responsibility of coming up with the theme and picking the music and costumes. All performance costumes start with a base of a black leotard and leggings and the girls take it from there.

“The girls love this and the little girls can’t wait to get to the point when they can take on the task. They learn to work as a team by negotiating and compromising,” says Daryl.

Another factor that ensures acceptance and fosters confidence is the structure of the classes, which are grouped by age rather than ability. This writer was once a little girl with a dancer’s soul and two left feet, and this policy is a gift to the many girls like me.

In order to help all of the girls feel at ease onstage, the choreography is carefully crafted to challenge the girls, while keeping within their collective comfort zone; working around all body types, abilities and, very often, sports injuries. “We’re sensitive to what the kids like and what looks good for everyone,” explains Beth.

This does not mean that the school holds back those girls who want and are ready to accelerate. For those students, the school offers an intensive study and a performance group. The girls who sign up for the former are required to sign a commitment contract before the year begins. The need for a contract was precipitated by the surge in girls’ sports programs over the past decade and the growing competitive environment. “I think that because we fall under the arts, there can be a tendency to take us less seriously,” explains Kyle.

Daryl, Beth and Kyle also feel strongly about helping the girls find the right balance in their lives through this commitment. Beth notes, “Kids are taking on so much these days that they tend to over commit.”

The performance group also offers students the chance to fulfill requisite community service. They tour several local facilities in a season and entertain people who might not otherwise be exposed to live dance performances such as residents of The Osborn and the Sarah Neuman Center for Healthcare in Mamaroneck.

With a population that offers a continuing supply of young dancers and a dance school that always has more dancers than it can take on, the Bratches sisters are always thinking ahead. They recently hired a new part-time instructor, Cathy MacFarland, a graduate of their program who studied at the NYU Tisch School and has a Master’s degree in education.

As for the future, “We don’t want to let it go, we hope to share it, sustain it. When we stop enjoying it, we’ll stop doing it.”