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People slow their steps along 10th Ave and Oak Alley. Some stop entirely, allowing themselves a moment to linger. Even the traffic has been known to slow down as drivers glance toward the windows. Parents pause and children press their faces to the glass. It might be the bright two-story graphics of dancers frozen mid-leap or the street-level studios spilling light onto the sidewalk, offering a glimpse of art in the making. Or it might simply be that joy has a way of spreading, even in downtown Eugene.
This is Ballet Fantastique, the downtown anchor that from early in the morning to late in the evening is a magnet of creativity and joy. Year-round, its studios draw dancers, families, instructors, and visitors to the downtown core creating an ecosystem that builds vibrancy and resilience. Coffee runs, rehearsal breaks, after school drop offs, farmer’s market visits, and stroller walks – small daily habits and patterns that create a web of community and quietly reshape how downtown feels and functions.
“BFan’s location downtown is an anchor for the arts,” said parent Jennifer Pfeifer. “If BFan weren’t here, I think a lot fewer families would be drawn to downtown or feel comfortable in it.”
At a moment when downtown Eugene is frequently described through the lens of what’s not working, Ballet Fantastique offers a counter story built on visibility, routine, and joy. Not a single event or activation, but an ecosystem more than 25 years in the making: one that lights up blocks, brings families downtown after dark, and reminds passersby that downtown is still a place that people want to gather, create, and belong.
The challenges downtown Eugene is facing are real: uneven foot traffic drops off after 6 pm, fewer families and children regularly present, ongoing concerns about cleanliness and safety.
“BFan brings so much energy and soul into downtown,” said Christie Rodewald, whose daughters attend the academy. “If it weren’t here, I don’t think many young families would visit downtown at all. Downtown should be a place of the arts — a place that feels inviting, creative, and alive.”
Ballet Fantastique doesn’t just show up during performance nights. Professional company rehearsals begin early on weekday mornings and continue through the evening as children, teens, and adults arrive for class. With three studios across multiple blocks and over 250 students coming downtown every week, the organization cultivates daily rhythms that strengthen neighborhood stability and pride. For the dancers, instructors, parents and children, these habits normalize being downtown, build connections to area business, and foster a sense of belonging.
For many of BFan’s professional dancers, downtown isn’t just where they work – it’s their home. They walk or bike to work each day, stopping at the Downtown Athletic Club to warm up before rehearsal, and are on a first-name basis with the baristas at Dark Pine Coffee and Palace Bakery.
“Getting to walk downtown each day past local businesses and seeing people pass by the windows at BFan makes me feel connected to the heart of Eugene,” said principal dancer and instructor Isabelle Overstreet. “Having the option to walk to work is a luxury I never thought could happen.”
What’s happening around BFan is not accidental but intentional.
“What people are seeing through our windows isn’t just dance. It’s daily life,” said Hannah Bontrager, executive director of Ballet Fantastique. “We’ve been very intentional about being visible, about being here every day. When creative work is routine and public, it changes how people relate to downtown. It starts to feel shared, welcoming, and alive.”
Over the years, the organization has invested time and resources by transforming dark, long-vacant spaces into bright, public-facing studios alive with laughing children, focused rehearsals, and steady movement in and out of the building. On any given day, professional dancers move between studios, racks of costumes roll down sidewalks in preparation for performances, and parents drop off their children and often stay to watch dance class from the sidewalk.
With the opening of a third studio last year, the flow of people now activates alleyways, stairwells, and sidewalks that had grown quiet. This consistency and predictability, built through daily use rather than occasional events, adds a sense of safety and vitality that advocates argue is essential to long-term recovery. And parents see the impact not only on the street, but in their children.
“BFan has high expectations for young dancers, and we’ve seen our daughter gain so much confidence and independence,” said parent Kate Eitenmiller. “It feels right that they have such a visible presence downtown.”
Through economic downturns and shifting challenges, Ballet Fantastique has been a quiet anchor. Without it, those blocks would be dimmer and quieter. Surrounding businesses would lose regular customers. And the everyday stories that help families and young people connect to downtown would be broken.
If Eugene wants a downtown that people don’t just visit but use, a place shaped by habit rather than hesitation, it starts with the organizations that show up every day. The ones that make creativity visible. The ones that build routines rooted in care. The ones that remind us, quietly and consistently, that resilience grows where people are invited to slow down, connect, and experience joy together.
About the Sponsor
This story is sponsored by the Arts & Business Alliance of Eugene, a nonprofit organization that connects, supports, and advocates for arts and culture as essential contributors to Eugene’s economy, identity, and quality of life.
Through partnerships with artists, businesses, civic leaders, and community members, ABAE works to strengthen the creative ecosystem that makes Eugene a vibrant place to live, work, and gather. As conversations continue about the future of Eugene’s cultural core, ABAE believes stories like this one help illuminate how the arts are essential to a thriving, resilient downtown.
