Summer Plans: Company Women

The Company's on summer break from their rehearsals and performances here at Richmond Ballet, but it doesn't mean they've slowed down! Here's what the Company Women and Apprentices are up to this summer:

Cody Beaton hopped on the plane with some of her fellow Richmond Ballet dancers to Humboldt County, California, to perform as a guest artist in New World Ballet’s Cinderella. She also traveled to New York to throw a baby shower for her sister before coming back to RVA where she will take ballet classes with the School of Richmond Ballet until company rehearsals start up again on August 8^th!

Elena Bello spent the first part of her summer relaxing, spending time with her family in New Jersey, and attending Broadway plays in New York City. Now, she’s back in Richmond dancing in the School of Richmond Ballet’s 5-week Summer Intensive Program, along with her fellow SRB students, trainees, and apprentices.

Lauren Elizabeth’s summer started out with a trip home to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where many of her family and friends live. Soon after she returned to Richmond and moved into a new apartment! Now, Lauren is teaching ballet classes and taking class herself at Richmond Ballet while excitedly awaiting the start of her first season in the company!

Lauren Fagone is filling her days away from the rehearsal studio working on her condo, planting in her garden, hanging out around Richmond, drinking wine, and sewing new leotards to add to her high-quality collection of “Fagone-wear” (from which all the company ladies love to borrow). She is also taking trips to visit her niece, and she traveled to Humboldt County with several other Richmond Ballet dancers to take part in New World Ballet’s Cinderella.

Shira Lanyi had some minor toe surgery immediately following the end of the season, so the first item on her summer agenda was recovery and physical therapy so that she was ready to strap the pointe shoes back on as quickly as possible! Shira also traveled to California to serve as rehearsal assistant to Victor Temple, artistic director of Arcata’s New World Ballet, for the production of Cinderella. Shira got to visit family while she was in California as well. Following her time on the West Coast, Shira came back to Richmond where she was honored with the Alumni of the Year award from the Jewish Federation at the Chesed Award Dinner, before she headed to Israel to study Hebrew and take ballet class with Israel Ballet. Now, Shira is home in Richmond, where she is choreographing on students in the School of Richmond Ballet’s Summer Intensive workshop.

Maggie Small has a summer chock full of trips! First, she performed in San Angelo, Texas, with Thomas Garrett in Swan Lake. Continuing west, she joined the group performing Cinderella in the city of Arcata, and she also spent some time visiting her friend Lauren Breen (former Richmond Ballet company dancer) in Sacramento. Maggie is also spending more time in California, dancing for the second time as a part of the National Choreographer’s Initiative. On top of all that, Maggie is teaching ballet to students in Austin, Baltimore, and Harrisonburg. Whew!

Julie Smith has stayed mostly in the RVA area to intern in the development department at Richmond Ballet, while also taking a few courses with Regent University’s distance learning program and taking ballet classes in the School of Richmond Ballet. Julie has taken a few trips to Norris Lake in Tennessee to visit family and got to have some quality boating and swimming time!

Valerie Tellman started off her summer dancing the Blue Bird pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty in Williamsburg with fellow dancer David Neal before she joined the group in Humboldt County, California, for Cinderella. While out west, she spent some time visiting former Richmond Ballet dancers Lauren Breen and Christopher Nachtrab, who are both continuing their dancing careers in Sacramento. Valerie also traveled to Texas for her brother’s “honky-tonk wedding,” and made a trip to visit her sister and friends for a girls’ weekend in Las Vegas, Nevada. The rest of her time is spent here in Richmond babysitting, teaching ballet classes, and taking ballet classes.

Cecile Tuzii is using all of her free time this summer working on designing and constructing tutus, as well as developing a new website for her budding tutu business. At the end of May, she and Igor went on vacation to Aruba for a week, and then they traveled to France (bon voyage!) for a few weeks in June to visit her family. Since their return, Cecile has been working some odd jobs, taking ballet class in addition to teaching in the School of Richmond Ballet Summer Intensive Program, and finally teaching for the last two last weeks of the summer in Harrisonburg and Norfolk before company rehearsals commence again in August!

Becoming a Richmond Ballet Company Member: Julie Smith

Julie Smith, Richmond Ballet 08-09, 09-10 & 10-11 Apprentice and new 11-12 Company Dancer, weighs in on her recent, exciting promotion:

When I first found out that I had been promoted from my role as an apprentice with the Richmond Ballet into the professional company, my reaction was surprisingly nonchalant. It reminded me of the time when my parents gave me a bike for my ninth birthday; I sat there just staring blankly at it as the girls at my birthday party eagerly crowded around to inspect and gab about my new set of wheels. But as the reality sank in that this shiny red bike actually belonged to me, my numb astonishment gradually grew to elation. In the same way, all the emotions that one might expect to see in one whose childhood dream has finally become a reality came streaming out as the words “professional ballet dancer” began to register in my mind.

My excitement for the coming season grew most as the dancers and staff at the Ballet heard the news and so kindly congratulated the three of us (Lauren Elizabeth, Ariel Rose, and me) on our promotion. To some, misery loves company, but I’ve found that high spirits spread like wildfire with this group! So many people from Richmond Ballet’s history have themselves made the step from an apprenticeship to the professional company; they all could identify with the feelings of freedom and empowerment that it produces.

Looking forward to my first season as a company member, I’m so thrilled about having the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of the professional dancers whom I grew up idolizing. They deserve respect for the way they played their roles, not just as performers on stage, but in the way they worked as representatives of the Ballet. When I was training at Cincinnati Ballet, I remember watching the company perform and admiring the beautiful movement. I dreamt of some day learning to dance with the same flair and candor. As I grew older, I had the opportunity as a student to rub shoulders (or in this case, tutus) in corps de ballet rehearsals with many of the same dancers whom I had revered on stage. I then saw the other side of these leaders’ inspirational performance, as they set an example for the younger dancers through their conduct. These individuals demonstrated the true character of a professional dancer: one who is whole-heartedly dedicated to the art form itself, possesses the personal work ethic required to reach one’s full potential, and maintains solidarity with one’s fellow team members in producing the best possible performance, all for the sake of awakening and uplifting the audience. I can’t wait to finally enter the career for which so many people labor, long, and live to experience.

I’m grateful to be blessed with the joy of dance in my life, and hope to spread that same bliss to all who come across the Richmond Ballet!

(It seemed appropriate to make reference to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in retelling the fun that was had when The Royal Ballet School joined the School of Richmond Ballet here in Richmond for an exhilarating weekend of collaborative performances!)

Listen my bloggers and you shall hear
Of when the Royal Ballet with Richmond did appear;
For three days in a row we gave shows free of flaws,
With audiences on their feet, all we heard was applause.

One if by stage left, two if by stage right;
with students in the wings our shows did delight.

Ready to valse with high legs and fluid arms; In our weekend day adventure our viewers were charmed, For the Richmond folk's hearts we uplifted and warmed!

Following a fantastic weekend performing Giselle at the Carpenter Theater at Richmond Center Stage, we trainees and apprentices at the School of Richmond Ballet (SRB) concentrated full force on preparing for our performances with graduating students from one of the most renown ballet schools in the world. As novices in the professional dance world, all of us were thrilled to have the opportunity to shine front and center, representing our very own Richmond Ballet to the best of our abilities. As the performances approached, we all felt prepared to put our best foot forward (whether it be dressed by pointe shoes, character shoes, or Russian boots) in the three pieces that we presented: an expert from Act II of Giselle, Valse Fantaisie, and the Russian Character Suite.

When performance week began we were filled with nervous excitement anticipating the arrival of our guests. The students of the Royal Ballet School (RBS) arrived on Wednesday after a long plane flight into New York City, followed by a bus ride down to Richmond. These 17 and 18-year-old RBS students-- a few of whom actually came from the United States, but most from various regions of Europe-- sounded tired but also excited about the events to come. We had the chance to meet and share stories with some of them the following day in between rehearsals and when they joined us in ballet class. They shared the same enthusiasm and nerves we did!

The next three days were a whirlwind of sweat, adrenaline, costume changes, and thrills. We performed five times over the weekend, alternating RBS and SRB pieces throughout each program, both groups taking every possibly opportunity to watch and learn from the performances of the other party, frequently cheering one another on from the wings. We also enjoyed receiving the royal treatment (pun intended) as we celebrated with a gala reception at the beautiful Bull and Bear Club on Friday, kicked back at a RBS/SRB dinner social hosted by our very own BRAVO team on Saturday, and joined the Richmond Ballet family in showing our visitors Richmond’s finest in historical beauty at the Tuckahoe Plantation on Sunday.

Throughout the rehearsal and performance process that weekend, we took pleasure in having the chance to visit with the dancers from the Royal Ballet School and hear about life as a student of ballet on the other side of the Atlantic. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much we had in common with one another. These are young, eager, vivacious dancers just like us, who shared the same daily struggles, passions, and joys that we all encounter in the world of dance. Just like us, they have put in countless hours of training, dealt with painful injuries, and are now finally seeing the fruit of their labor as their careers begin to take flight. Regardless of our diverse upbringings, the same traits of discipline, dedication, and, most of all, zeal for the indescribable delight of dance had brought us to unite on the same stage for this unique occasion. I'm sure our audiences could sense this common denominator of dedication to a dream that is finally coming to fruition for the next generation of professional dancers. Unanimously the students of RBS and SRB share a love for dance: it surrounds our thoughts and our aspirations; it is our most preferred activity. Eagerly we look forward to encountering more amazing opportunities like this one, and look forward to cheering one another on in the future as we endeavor to awaken and uplift the human spirit through dance from sea to shining sea!