When Francesca Forcella arrived at BalletX on Washington Avenue a dozen years ago, she was in awe of the talent that surrounded her.
“Obviously when I joined I was the newbie and there were so many people I looked up to and learned from,” said Forcella, 32, who now lives near 12th and Ellsworth streets. “Now that I’ve been here the longest, not only do I feel the responsibility to lead, but I feel a lot of mutual love and respect for my peers. I’m still learning from the new people that come in, too.”
Forcella is now BalletX’s longest-tenured performer and key component of its largest production Maslow’s Peak, which will take the stage for two days at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in Fairmount Park on May 2-3. Tickets start at just $25.
From her humble beginnings in South Brunswick, New Jersey to the launch of her career in South Philly, Forcella has dedicated her life to the performing arts, starting at the age of 2 at her aunt Gina Forcella’s Dance Stop Education Center in Parlin, New Jersey.
“She had all sons that eventually danced,” Forcella said with a laugh. “But she knew that her sons more likely than not would take the sports route. But my cousins were some of my first dance partners. I started dancing at age 2 in her studio. It was glorified babysitting at first. But over time, maybe at the age of 9, I realized I actually liked it and I wanted to work really hard at it.”
Forcella started with tap, hip-hop and jazz before focusing on ballet with Risa Kaplowitz and Susan Jaffe at Princeton Dance and Theater. From there, she worked with Houston Ballet II, the Washington Ballet Studio Company and Los Angeles’ American Contemporary Ballet. She found BalletX with the help of her mother.
“My mom has been a huge supporter during my entire career,” Forcella said. “She’s the one that found BalletX for me and I auditioned. They didn’t have a contract available at the time but they remembered me and called me when a spot opened up and offered me a job.”
Forcella moved to Center City first, then eventually to South Philly’s East Passyunk and Newbold neighborhoods before settling on her current home. Coming from Central Jersey, it was a little bit of an adjustment, but a welcomed one.
“When I first moved to Philadelphia, South Philly scared me,” Forcella said. “I remember a friend hosting a dinner party there and I remember thinking where is my taxi taking me? It felt like I was going to another world. But now, it’s like, this is where I hang out. I love it. People are outside hanging out and you know your neighbors. Everyone is super friendly for the most part. We moved in and our neighbors brought over a bottle of wine to welcome us. It was just so different.”
Forcella has fully embraced South Philly life and has enjoyed a steady career as a full-time performer at BalletX, which continues to grow and take brave leaps.
“When I came to BalletX, it felt like I was a part of something that was ready to launch,” she said. “And it has definitely been launching over the past 12 years and growing exponentially, which is fantastic.”
The world premiere of Jennifer Archibald’s Maslow’s Peak will be the pinnacle of a two-day celebration of art, community and the power of dance at the 2025 Festival at the Mann. The event will include pre-show performances by local youth arts organizations.
Maslow’s Peak is a 70-minute offering from Archibald, a visionary choreographer known for her fusion of ballet and hip-hop. The show, which is inspired by William Golding’s novel Lord of the Flies, will be the largest production ever created by BalletX fitting perfectly to the Mann Center’s 22-acre campus and 4,500-person capacity TD Pavilion.
“The sets and the aerial work are very different from what we normally do,” Forcella said. “I think people are going to have to come to both shows because there is something happening center stage, but there’s also all these things happening on the sides that are going on. There’s a lot to look at.”
The performers each contribute their own style and emotion to the show.
“I think we all have our own interpretations of it,” Forcella said. “The beautiful thing about the book is that there’s so many interpretations of what it means and that’s what’s beautiful about art. I think watching something and forming your own opinion about it and being open and receptive to how it makes you feel in the moment. I hope people come and feel something.”
BalletX Festival at the Mann will take place at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts, May 2 and 3 at 7:30 p.m. Free parking is available on-site and patrons are invited to enjoy pre-show performances on the Mann’s scenic campus. For more information, tickets and VIP packages, visit balletx.org. BalletX created a single, flat-rate $25 ticket in order to invite brand new audiences to front center. For fans interested in exclusive upgrades, including merchandise bundles, a pre-show wine reception and backstage artist access, there are three unique tiers starting at a price similar to a BalletX performance series ticket.
Maslow’s Peak is described as “a powerful exploration of human nature and survival.” More than two years of intensely hard work have led up to the premiere. For Forcella, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s definitely hard work and I’m not getting any younger,” Forecella said. “But I love it. I always compare it to eating, breathing and sleeping. It’s something I’ve grown up doing my entire life. It’s ingrained in my identity and now I’m fortunate enough to do it full time.”
