Valerie Mahabir, Artistic Director
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We've all come to take for granted the beautiful and talented woman who teaches local children grace and elegance on a weekly basis. But who is Valerie Mahabir and how did she get to where she is today? Valerie's career started in 1957 and has been thriving ever since. |
"I have attempted to create an environment and attitude that encompasses unconditional caring and non-judgmental feedback. I believe how a child feels about him or herself is vitally important. With strong, positive inner direction, a child can engage freely in self expression, achieve through his or her own initiative and more steadily along the journey of realizing the fullness of his or her potential."
Valerie Mahabir is the Artistic Director and Choreographer of the Desert Youth Ballet. She holds a Registered Ballet Teaching Degree from the Royal Academy of Dancing, London, England. She is currently instructing youth from the Coachella Valley in compliance with the international standards of the Royal Academy of Dance. These students train hard and are subject to annual ballet examinations. She also teaches students at the Children’s Discovery Museum in Rancho Mirage.
Valerie wrote, produced and directed her students in the ballets, La Boutique Fantasque and The Seasons. She also directed her students in Cinderella, Coppelia and The Tales of Beatrix Potter.
Valerie Mahabir was born in Trinidad, West Indies, and began dancing at the age of six. When she was eleven, she entered a local talent competition and won the grand prize. This launched her from "local dance star" into the big leagues. After a wonderful childhood in Trinidad, she went to London to pursue dancing with The Ballet Rambert and Royal Ballet. Valerie taught more than 10,000 students over a period of 17 years in Vancouver, British Columbia as the Artistic Director of the Valerie Mahabir Academy of Ballet & Jazz. While in Canada, she secured her Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) certification.
Valerie is the sole certified RAD instructor in the Coachella Valley, and is also qualified to teach handicapped children. After achieving her certification in 1968, she had the opportunity to dance for The Royal Family including Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Prince Charles and Pope John Paul II.
During her career, Valerie has inspired thousands of children to express themselves through dance. Many of her students have gone on to dance and choreograph professionally. In 2003, upon the death of her father, Dr. Winston Jules Mahabir, Valerie established The Desert Youth Ballet Scholarship fund in his name. The Desert Youth Ballet affords many young dancers the opportunity to train under the RAD principles and perform in the community while pursuing their dreams.