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!

Melendy Returns to "The Snow Maiden" as a Different Young Man and Dancer

Lel and his Snow Maiden

Next month, Sonoma Ballet Conservatory again takes to the stage with its production of The Snow Maiden, as a fundraiser for the historic Sebastiani Theatre.  Reprising his role as Lel, the young man who falls in love with the Snow Maiden and must fight to win her from the clutches of the Snow Queen, is James Melendy.  

One year ago, sixteen year old Melendy was a fairly new student at Sonoma Ballet, having started ballet classes in late August 2010.  Finding that he absolutely  loved dancing, Melendy put in the extra effort and hours needed in the studio to get him up to speed with the other dancers his age.  “The hardest thing about ballet was getting used to the rigorous schedule that comes with wanting to be a professional,” Melendy recalled. “It slowly consumed my life, but it’s what I love!”

Melendy’s love for ballet indeed shows in his accomplishments.  Last spring, after only six months of ballet training under Patricia O’Reilly of Sonoma Ballet, Melendy  presented himself to an international governing body of classical ballet, London’s Royal Academy of Dance, for examination.  Having learned and practiced much a set of exercises and variations intended for an intermediate dancer, Melendy not only passed this exam but with the honor of “Merit,” one of the highest a dancer can receive.  And last winter, when Melendy was recruited to perform in Oakland Ballet Company’s production of The Nutcracker, he also was given the opportunity to audition for the part of “Russian.”  Winning the role, Melendy danced with ease and poise alongside Oakland’s professional company dancers.  This experience only increased Melendy’s desire and confidence to dance professionally in future: “I don’t know if I’ll go to college for dance, but I’d definitely consider going to a professional ballet school, if I don’t feel ready to audition for a company--but I’m working my way there every day!”

Returning in February to the stage of the Sebastiani Theatre to reprise his role as Lel, the love-sick village boy, Melendy is indeed a different young man than he once was, one with steady and serious dreams, a finely shaped and much stronger body, and the warm sense of community he found through dance: “I’ve been adopted into a family here at Sonoma Ballet,” Melendy shared. “Everyone here is so amazing!” 

Finally, for other young men interested in ballet, Melendy encourages them to not keep waiting and thinking about it, as he did: “Just do it!  Guys have it so easy in the ballet world: the odds of making it professionally in the dance world are way better than the odds of becoming a professional baseball player.”  And in Melendy’s opinion, dance is much more fun to watch.

Sonoma Ballet Conservatory presents “The Snow Maiden” at the Sebastiani Theatre on Saturday, February 11, and Sunday, February 12, at 1:00pm; tickets are $17-22.  For more information, call: (707) 996-9756 or (707) 938-1424.

Ask Patty: Auditioning for Professional Ballet Schools

Each week the Artistic Director of Sonoma Ballet Conservatory will be answering a question from our readers and students about the world of ballet.  Please leave a comment today with your own question which might be answered as early as next week!

http://balletskills.com

Why should I audition for a Professional Ballet School's Summer Intensive program?

As audition schedules are now being published online by many professional ballet schools, such as American Ballet Theatre, The Royal Ballet School, Ballet West, etc., this question is rather timely.  If you have dreams of professional dancing in your future, it is important to audition for these programs for a few reasons.  

First, the audition process itself is a wonderful tool in your dance training.  Here at Sonoma Ballet Conservatory, formal auditions are not held and so students have very little experience in this very important process.  If a dancer moves or graduates and decides to audition for a production or school, understanding and being comfortable with the audition process is definitely to her or his advantage.  Overall the audition process tests and builds character as one is called upon to exhibit professionalism, poise, and grace, whether she or he feels the audition is going well or not.  It requires one to do one's very best and with one's best attitude, which, although this is something we encourage here at Sonoma Ballet Conservatory on a daily basis, it is altogether another beast when in unfamiliar and challenging circumstances.

Secondly, and again for the dedicated dancer, auditioning for professional programs offered by some of the best ballet schools in the country or world can open a dancer's eyes to her or his "competition," so to speak.  During an audition, dancers are able to see a larger pool of dancers who also have these same dreams of dancing professionally.  These other dancers, like you, traveled from near and far to these auditions in order to do their very best in hopes of being accepted by these top ballet schools.  Take a close look.  How do you measure up within the local pool of fellow dreamers and dancers?  

Finally, although you are never required to attend a program for which you audition, being accepted or rejected also builds character.  Being accepted is a great feeling which confirms and acknowledges the amount of effort and work you put into your dance education.  Being rejected allows you a moment to consider that there is still much to learn and much to train.  A true dancer knows she or he never stops learning and growing in craft and art of dance.

If I may offer a bit of advice, even if you have decided to attend an audition for the experience itself, be clear about your goals---write them down.  Decide now whether you will attend any of these programs before you audition.  The horizon often looks much different through the exciting haze of an acceptance letter.

Best of luck!