First week back

When August 16th finally arrived, it brought a wave of excitement and anticipation for the 2010-11 Season at the Richmond Ballet. Filing into the studio like students on the first day of school, all of the dancers greeted one another with huge hugs and kisses on the cheek, a reminder that we have all missed one another during the nearly three months we were apart over the summer. A few new faces stood out in the room, and of course it is custom at Richmond ballet to make everyone feel welcome and at home.

We began each day with an hour and a half technique class taught by Stoner, Malcolm, or Jerri; a warm up and salutation for our bodies before the rigors of a six hour rehearsal day.

We are so excited this year to have Salvatore Aiello's witty ballet, Clowns and Others, for our Studio One performances. Complete with white gloves, mime, jugglers, and a tight rope, this is a ballet that is just as much fun for the audiences as it is for the dancers. We have spent so much time laughing in the studios at one another and at our selves as we kiss, wiggle our hips, and even roar like lions. This is sure to be a new Richmond favorite.

Ma Cong returns this year to complete the staging of his ballet, Ershter Vals. Set to rhythmic Klezmer music, this ballet brought audiences to their feet almost every night last year during the New Works Festival. The dancers are all very excited to see what new and exciting components Ma will add to this luscious piece of choreography.

We have also begun our annual staging of lecture demonstrations for elementary school students throughout the state of Virginia. Our theme for the year is “perseverance.” A quality that dancers and successful human beings rely on throughout much of their student and professional lives, we wish to show students through dance how important perseverance can be in achieving one’s dreams. Lecture demonstrations are always a fun and easy way for us to get back into the swing of things and also to learn how to project our voices.

While sore muscles hint that last week has been rather strenuous, the dancers are all immensely happy to be back and working on what appears to be a fun and exciting 2010-11 season. I hope to see you all at our upcoming Studio One performances where I am sure you will leave inspired and uplifted by your very own Richmond Ballet.

Wrapping up my summer...

I spent the last part of my summer at home for just about two weeks (home is in Simi Valley, California). I always forget just how pretty the California mountains can be and what the valley view looks like as I fly in. It's so different from Virginia, and because it was home for so long, there is a kind of welcoming feeling I get when I see the layer of smog over the valleys.

I knew I didn't have long before returning to Richmond and the start of the season, however time seemed to catch me rather off guard, and the weeks went by quickly. I always return to the same classes when I'm home -- it's nice to take class with professionals all visiting from other companies, to hear their stories and push myself against their dancing. I usually see the same dancers who have similar layoffs as Richmond Ballet, and so most of them I've come to know fairly well over the years. I'll typically see dancers from such companies as Tulsa Ballet, Sacramento, American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet, Eugene Ballet, and Los Angeles Ballet.

Taking class in Hollywood is always fun because I run into dancers who have taken their careers into acting. I usually see Amanda Schull from the dance movie Center Stage, who is always kind and very humble, usually not admitting to where people may know her from.

Los Angeles is also really big into a new form of workout called Cardio Barre. It started in Hollywood, where I actually saw actress Amanda Bynes. Now that its become a bigger thing, we actually have a studio right in Simi Valley which combines some of a ballet barre with arm weights and a nonstop hour of cardio. It's usually pretty intense no matter what kind of shape I'm in, and also great for my stamina. While bike riding is not as big at home as it is here in RVA, my sister Kailyn and I did our share of riding our beach cruisers around town, which I found to be great for my core strength in learning to ride with no hands!

California is much more spread out in general, although the valley I'm from is fairly close to the beach. I didn't get many chances to make it over the pass into Malibu, but the day I did get to go ended up being a great weather day, although I have to admit that the Atlantic Ocean is so much warmer! After being in the Pacific for just a little while, my legs started to turn red and numb.

I had a great time spending my final weeks of vacation with my family, which is nice seeing as how I won't see Kailyn as much this year. It was so nice to have her around, and is something I know I'll miss here in Virginia. I'm really looking forward to this season, and we're off to a great start -- it's been nice to get back to work and into a routine again. I hope everyone enjoyed their summers, and I'll be seeing you at Studio Theater!!

-Kara

Flexing New Muscles

I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have not only survived, but also thrived during summer layoffs in previous years. Never one to relish inactivity and idleness, I endeavored to fill my summer months with experiences that were truly enriching. I am immensely grateful to have participated, along with fellow company dancer Valerie Tellmann, in the formative years of National Choreographer’s Initiative. The summers spent as a part of that program, I regard as some of the most influential and refining moments in my professional career. Not only does NCI offer exposure to talented dancers and choreographers from all over the world, but it cultivates artistic growth and maturity as well. I am proud to have, along with Valerie, introduced new audiences to the force that is Richmond Ballet, and to have perpetuated that favorable reputation over four summers in Irvine. We paved the way for future Richmond Ballet dancers to participate in the fabulous initiative, and it thrills me that Maggie Small and Thomas Ragland are now continuing the tradition by amazing the West Coast with their awe-inspiring talent. Choreographers like Ma Cong and Gina Patterson, with whom Val and I worked with over the summers, have since traveled to Richmond to create beautifully crafted and well-received works for our studio series. Both are returning this season to lend their choreographic voices to Richmond Ballet’s repertoire!

When I left Indiana University years ago to accept an apprenticeship with Richmond Ballet, (which I still consider one of the best decisions of my life) I knew that at some point in the future I WOULD acquire my degree. It has been a lofty ambition considering the rigors of the ballet’s schedule, but this summer I decided to devote my time and energy to accruing credits towards my degree. I lamented the demise of any social calendar for the first five weeks, when my biology course (which met 4 nights a week from 6-10:30), consumed not only my evenings, but also my mornings, afternoons, and weekends with considerable studying. However it was somewhat exhilarating being back in an academic setting that continued with a subsequent 5 week English course. Even though it seemed like schoolwork was endless at times, I found myself embarking on road trips with friends, planning and completing HGTV-worthy home improvements, cultivating new friendships, nurturing valuable ones, and developing new pursuits. Having a profession that is fulfilling on every imaginable level is undeniably wonderful (and truly rare), but the summer months without those experiences sometimes seem a bit empty.

Admittedly, I entered this summer layoff with trepidations, however as I look back on my summer adventures, I emphatically declare these past two months have been a wholly gratifying journey, and I’m excited to be back in the studio today for the start of the season with a refreshed and uplifted spirit.

OC, part deux!

The three weeks I spent at NCI went by so quickly; before I knew it, we were starting rehearsals in the theater. After many hours of working and rehearsing, one of the pieces I performed was done and rehearsed well and the other was finished just in time and partly well rehearsed. Part of the beauty of the NCI project is that the choreographers don't have to finish their work, and can even present completely unrelated segments of things they have worked on. Because we had finished the first piece so early, the choreographer had the time to work on some concepts that he hadn't tried on dancers before. Some worked and some didn't, but it was a great experience for both the dancers and choreographers to have the opportunity to experiment freely.

The show was on a Saturday evening at the Irvine Barclay Theater. In reality, the performance was more of a showing of the process of creating a work than a polished, formal show; each choreographer spoke before his or her piece was presented and could even speak between portions if they so wished. There was also an open discussion at the end of the performance moderated by Molly Lynch, the director of the project. I was so very excited to perform the new works, and it was great to reunite with Ted Keener, a former apprentice with Richmond Ballet, and to have Thomas Ragland here to share the experience with me.

Until next time,
Maggie















Maggie and Nevada Ballet Theater dancer Emily Tedesco in class at NCI