Sonoma Conservatory of Dance's Summer Dance Workshop 2012

Summer is quickly approaching!  Summer is a great season for soaking up the sun, enjoying great summer food and a slower pace; however, it is also a wonderful opportunity to do as much dancing as possible! Sonoma Ballet Conservatory is thrilled to once again offer a unique summer workshop, a great opportunity for dancers of the Sonoma Valley and beyond!  Always a rich and diverse experience, our Summer Dance Workshop is modeled after the summer programs at professional ballet companies and provides dancers the freedom to explore dance movements and the music associated with the forms of Character, Jazz, Modern, and Flamenco, coupled with continuing studies in Classical Ballet.  Many dancers are often pleasantly surprised as their technique improves by leaps and bounds while attending our workshop! 

However, our Summer Dance Workshop isn’t just for the serious dancer; it’s for anyone who loves to dance and desires to learn something new while having tons of fun!  The Summer Dance Workshop offers a variety of classes for boys and girls, ages 3 and up, so we’re sure all dancers will find something to suit.  And, after five weeks of immersion in the dance-forms of their choice, dancers will have the opportunity to showcase for family & friends the results of their workshop training during two performances scheduled for August 4, 2012, at the Sebastiani Theatre.  These are shows not to be missed!

At our website: www.sonomaballet.com, interested dancers can view the complete Summer Dance Workshop schedule, download a reservation form, and find a comprehensive list of class descriptions and short biographies of our distinguished staff.   Or, please contact studio staff soon and register today!  Financial Assistance and Tuition Installment Plans are available.  Please contact the Studio Manager, Laura Lee Cole at 707-938-1424 for more information.   

The Royal Ballet's Alice in Wonderland DVD Review

SBC dancer Jamie Melendy has a new favorite dance DVD and review to share with us!  If you're in search of some inspiration or good sources to honor and celebrate National Dance Week this week, this is a great place to start!

Alice’s Adventure in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll's most widely recognized work,  has  inspired numerous live performances, including plays, operas, ballets, and traditional English pantomimes. In February of 2011 The Royal Ballet brought to life the novel in a most beautiful performance! The ballet is based very closely to novel, from the unfortunate run in with the duchess and her peppered crazed chef to the hookah smoking caterpillar.

 As always, The Royal Ballet’s dancers never let the audience down. Rising star Lauren Cuthbertson, took on the role of 15 year old Alice, and she portrayed Alice’s childlike curiosity with charm and excitement.  The ballet begins with Alice tumbling into a strange world and chasing a white rabbit in a waistcoat (Edward Watson) through the rabbit hole and into Wonderland. Once in Wonderland, she is almost trampled by the Queen of Hearts (Zenaida Yanowsky) and her guards chasing the handsome Knave of Hearts (Sergei Polunin), who is accused of eating the Queen’s tarts.  This was my favorite scene by far!  All the citizens of wonderland are giving their testimonies in the Queens court about the Knave and who ate her tarts. There is one crazy coda and the queen has a fiery solo set to a very monstrous violin filled tango, and a hilarious spoof on the Rose Adagio.  Sparks fly between the Knave and Alice (What is a ballet without a love interest?), and as Alice watches the Queen chase the Knave away she knows she must help! She ventures across Wonderland in search of the Knave but finds there are many other enchantments in Wonderland to distract her. She races in the “Caucus-Race” with strange animals, helps toads deliver an invitation to the Queen’s croquet game to the Duchess (Simon Russell Beale), gets lost with the cheshire cat, enjoys tea with the tapping Mad Hatter (Steven McRae), eating strange things with the  mischievous caterpillar (Eric Underwood) and dancing with a group of flowers.

If you grew up on the Disney Adaptation of Alice in Wonderland (like I did), this version might be a bit confusing, but reading Lewis Carroll’s novel helped shed light on the plot, actions and intentions of the story.  Carroll's story was brought to life not only by the dancers, but with the help of Christopher Wheeldon’s fiery choreography, Joey Talbot’s provoking score, and Bob Crowley's marvelous costumes.

It is now available on DVD through the Royal Ballet’s website! I see a movie night in the near future for Sonoma Ballet Conservatory! 

Adult Ballet at Sonoma Ballet Conservatory

The thought of ‘ballet classes’ probably evokes certain images and feelings....tutu-clad 4 year olds spinning and leaping to music box tinkerings, or an older and professional ballerina wearing pointe shoes and stretching in some pretty incredible ways (some might say painful and awkward ways).  And while these are realities in most ballet schools and professional companies, ballet class doesn’t have to be for just the professionals and little ones aspiring to greatness.

Adult ballet is a great form of exercise for the mind and body; it incorporates strengthening exercises for the entire body, as well as stretching, and if you’re someone who looks for a challenge, ballet will provide that both physically and mentally.  Dancers have always been targeted as a group with enviable bodies, and the technique of their art is a large reason why dancers have those long and lean muscles.  Ballet looks effortless and dancers often look as though they are weightless because of the way they’ve been trained to use their muscles and bodies.   Yes, dancers receive years and years of training to achieve this look, but that doesn’t mean that adults can’t also achieve this look and also benefit from the training of ballet.

With spring just around the corner, maybe you’re looking for a great new workout to get you into shape for summer, perhaps you’ve always enjoyed dance and been curious about trying it yourself, or maybe you took classes long ago and are itching to get back into it.  Whatever your reason, we’d love to have you at Adult Ballet at Sonoma Ballet Conservatory!  We welcome dancers of all ages and levels (and no, pink tights and leotards are not required)!  Classes cover barre and center work as well as supplemental stretching and strengthening exercises.  Our Wednesday and Friday 9am adult classes place emphasis on proper alignment and posture, ensuring safe and sound technique, increasing strength and flexibility, and of course encouraging and developing a love for movement and music. 

Visit the SBC webiste by clicking here for more information or give us a call at (707) 938-1424.  We’ll be happy to answer any questions and we hope to see you soon!

En Pointe

Ah pointe shoes... they are the glamorous carrot held in front of every aspiring dancer's nose as she grows and gets stronger, yearning for the day when she can have her own pair of the shiny slippers.  While beautiful and elegant, these shoes have to serve a realistic purpose for their owners as well.  Here are some great videos on how dancers prepare their pointe shoes and some insight as to the traditions and work that's behind the effortlessness of pointe work.

http://www.torontostandard.com/video/national-ballet-of-canada-video-on-location
http://vimeo.com/32279917

Boys in Ballet

We wanted to share a great video about boys and ballet from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, click here to check it out.  As this video points out, too often we think of ballet as a "girl's thing", when in fact, male dancers are some of the fittest and strongest athletes and undergo rigorous training to get to the top of their game.  For some other interesting insights about males in the dance world (and how great they can be!), check out our interview with SBC dancer James Melendy.  Below is the text interview, enjoy!

An Amazing Alvin Ailey Dancer!

NATASHA THIELE, REPORTER: Their grace, poise and energy flows through their movements. For these guys, ballet dancing isn't about tutus and ribbons. It's about athleticism, art, strength and of course fun!

BRODY: It's just an amazing sport.

TOM: Just everything about it. Just the jumps, the power the girls yeah.

DYLAN: My mum decided, you know Dylan, you're too much of a jock, you're going to do ballet.

BRANDYN: You need to have the mind for it, you need to be able to think.

So what is ballet all about? Ballet is a French word meaning 'dance'. Although ballet is thought to have started in Italy, it developed greatly in France in the 1600s. At that time, only men were allowed to dance ballet. It wasn't until a bit later that women were allowed to join in. And it's that French connection that gives us some of these French names like plie meaning to bend your knees and pirouette to whirl around.

And ballet isn't just popular on the stage. It's also made the leap onto our TV screens in numerous talent shows and even dramas like Dance Academy. Ballet is a great way to keep fit and the physique of a ballet dancer is important. A male ballet dancer needs good core strength. Their legs need to support the weight of the ballerina. And their arms and back must be able to handle lifts.

Even though ballet's a graceful art, the intense physical training involved means ballet dancers are often compared to top athletes. A university study in the UK found the overall fitness of ballet dancers is greater than the fitness of professional swimmers and rugby players. They were tested for things like their strength, endurance, balance and flexibility.

The study found ballet dancers and rugby players were similar in that they train really hard, often putting long-term strain on their bodies and they're vulnerable to picking-up injuries through their intense training. But when it came to strength, rugby players tended to be strong in shorter bursts, whereas ballet dancers were able to maintain their strength for a longer period of time. A lot of that pressure is concentrated on the feet of the ballet dancer. And that's why the type of shoes they wear need to be flexible and comfortable.

REPORTER: Girls ballet shoes usually look a bit like this. But if you get the special training, you get to wear point shoes. The ends of these shoes have a flat bit called a block, which allow them to get on to their tippy-toes. But the guys have the standard ballet shoes.

Even if you're not keen on ballet, there are lots of opportunities and other avenues of theatre and dance to get involved in. But for now, these ballet dancers are hoping the art of dance with point them in the right direction!

Creative Movement at Sonoma Ballet Conservatory!

This class is designed for children ages 0-3 years and their caregiver(s).  Using techniques from Yoga, Modern Dance, Tumbling, Eurythmics, and Percussion, we will explore space, weight, musicality and expression . . . in other words, you'll have fun moving with your child(ren) to music!

About the instructor: Krissy Marchus (BFA Dance, The Boston Conservatory; MA Dance Education from UCLA; certified yoga instructor) has been teaching children and adults for over 22 years.

 

This class begins Thursday, February 16th, 2012.

 

New Class Info:

Thursdays, from 10:30-11:00AM

Tuition: $42/month

Drop-in rate: $14

 

Don't wait.  Join the fun!

The Snow Maiden Rehearsal

Our performances of The Snow Maiden are next weekend at the historic Sebastiani Theatre in Sonoma, and we're so excited to present our dancers in this charming Russian tale of love and magic.  Featured here are a few of our dancers in rehearsal last week.  Even with a little slip up  : ) they're doing a great job with their preparations and getting into character for their roles.  We hope to see you at the show!