"I just love the feel of it. I love dancing," says Molly Ellenberg, an 8-year-old who started taking classes in the school's studio on Park Avenue a year ago.

"I'm making more friends here than at the other school. I have one of my very best friends I've ever had here," Molly says.

Molly originally started ballet lessons in Willow Glen, but stopped two years ago, a year before her family moved into the Rose Garden neighborhood. She didn't like the school's inclusion of tap with ballet.

"When we moved here, we found this ballet school and one day the door was open and I came in a little bit," Molly says.

Now, Molly is there at least four days a week.

"She simply can't get enough of the dancing itself, but also of the atmosphere of the studio," says Susan Ellenberg, Molly's mother.

"She has found a place where she feels truly relaxed, safe, encouraged and cared for. She is becoming a lovely dancer, but even more important, she is becoming a confident, poised, compassionate young lady, and this is due in no small part to her experience at Eufrazia."

The school takes its name from owner Beverly Eufrazia, who started dancing at the age of 5 at Angel Acres Preschool in Seekonk, Mass. She continued dancing when her family moved to Santa Clara, when she was 12, and while attending Santa Clara High School.

Miss Beverly, as she is known around the school, studied with several professional ballet dancers, including Mary Conmee, a founding member of the Royal Academy of Dance in England.

It was Conmee who suggested to the then-19-year-old Eufrazia that she use her experience and ability to open a school.

"I was too young to know any different, I didn't realize the ramifications," says Eufrazia, who continued to perform professionally while teaching.

"I've been doing it ever since," she says of her school, which opened in 1967. The current Eufrazia School of Ballet at 1461 Park Ave. opened its doors in 1978.

"I kept the school going through having two kids, and I danced up until the day my daughter Christina was born. Now she's teaching with me," Eufrazia says.

Christina Vincent, known to students as Miss Christina, and Eufrazia offer classes year-round to children starting at age 3 through adults.

Donna Sheperd, 51, started taking classes with Eufrazia seven years ago.

"When my granddaughter was 6, I enrolled her," Sheperd says.

"I'd always had a love of ballet from when I was a little girl, but my parents couldn't afford it."

Sheperd says Eufrazia encouraged her to try it and, "I went with my life dream."

Now Sheperd attends classes on Mondays and her now-14-year-old granddaughter, Amber Galvan, takes classes two days a week.

Haily Windell, 16, says she's been dancing at Eufrazia since she was 3.

She first visited the school while in preschool on a field trip. Now a senior at Lincoln High School, Haily says, "I keep coming back. They're my family."

Krista Shambaugh, 11, says she's been dancing there since she was 5.

"It's fun, I have a good time," says the Challenger School fifth-grader.

Sisters Gennilyn, 15, and Lauren Lacuesta, 13, say they've been dancing since 1995.

"Our mom wants us to do an extracurricular activity," says Gennilynn.

Krista, Gennilynn, Lauren, Molly and some 30 other students have been spending more time than usual at Eufrazia practicing and performing in the annual June storybook production, which ended June 19. This year it was Alice in Wonderland.

Vincent took the basic story line and picked out scenes that lent themselves to ballet. She chose music and then did the choreography.

Krista played the March Hare, Gennilynn was Alice, Lauren was the Mad Hatter and Molly was the understudy for the White Rabbit.

"Molly is understudying the part of the White Rabbit because of her interest, availability and her passion," says Eufrazia who danced the role in some productions.

In December, the school gives performances of The Nutcracker.

In addition to taking a classic approach to dance, Eufrazia also requires all students to adhere to a class dress code. Females must all wear black leotards, pink tights and pink shoes. Skirts are optional, but the class handout warns "nothing wild."

Male students are a minority, but those who do take classes must wear a white leotard or T-shirt with black tights, white socks and white shoes.

Eufrazia sees her mission as "not only in training dancers how to move with the music, but in bringing out the dancer within.

"We also guide our dancers toward developing poise, grace, confidence, self-discipline, responsibility and consideration when working with others. We feel it is these qualities that build character, promote a positive self-image and help our students grow toward a happy and fulfilled adulthood."

Ellenberg is pleased with this approach.

"It's a fabulous place," she says. "I can't speak highly enough of the program."

Eufrazia School of Ballet, 1461 Park Ave., San Jose, 408.265.0456.