The BNC Blog

Winding Down...

2008-04-24T14:36:00.006-06:00

As I mentioned in my last post, our professional season has wound down. But our student season is just ramping up! It has been pretty quiet around the building during the days. Several of the dancers are taking class but it just isn't the same. I miss hearing new music all the time and seeing the amazing work our dancers create everyday.

But on to the student season!

I am super proud of our Student Company. They have been working very hard under Julia's tutelage and they have a great show to present on May 10th. Here is a short breakdown of each section of the show, Legends and Fairytales.

Peter and the Wolf
Music by Sergei Prokofiev – Choreography by Julia Wilkinson Manley, School Director

Peter and the Wolf is a popular children’s story in which Peter disobeys his grandfather and goes into the dark forest. After the wolf eats Peter’s friend, The Duck, Peter chases him down and captures him. He then takes the wolf to the zoo and Peter and his friends dance in celebration.

Third Act of Napoli
Music by E. Helsted, G. Rossini, Niels W. Gade, and H.S. Paulli – Choreography by August Bournonville

We arrive in time to see a festival in a small Italian village that is celebrating the wedding of Teresina (a young girl from the town) and Gennaro (Teresina’s true love). Before this festival Gennaro saves Teresina who falls from a boat and is put under a spell and turned into Naiad (a fairy of the sea) by a powerful sea sprite. Teresina is freed from the spell by Gennaro when he shows her the Madonna medallion he carries. Once she is rescued, they are free to marry and celebrate with their village.

Firebird
Music by Stravinsky – Choreography by Camcie Foster

Prince Ivan is hunting and sees the Firebird. In exchange for the Firebird’s life, she gives him a magical feather that will protect him. Moments later, he meets a beautiful princess whom he promptly falls in love with. But the princess is a captive of the evil magician Kastchei. The evil magician turns the princesses under his control into monsters. Prince Ivan summons the Firebird who kills Kastchei and the Prince and the Princess live happily ever after as the Firebird flies away.

__________________________________________________________________

Also, we are selling tickets for our Pre-school Gala and our big, end of the year, Gala performances. Our students work so hard all year long and we are so proud of them! Come see the culmination of this hard work.

The Pre-school Galas are on Saturday, May 31st at 1:00, 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, and 5:00. Each pre-school ballet class has their own performance time and there will be some older dancers who perform at each show as well. It makes for a very nice, intimate experience for our youngest students. If you want to see a specific class, check with the front desk. All the shows are held at the BNC Performance Theatre at the BNC Studio.

Photos by Misha Photography

Our Gala performance is Saturday, June 7th at the Pinnacle Events Center. There are three shows that day, 11:00, 2:00, and 6:00. Different classes perform at each show so check with the front desk if you are looking for a particular level. These are great shows that give parents, friends, and family to see their little one perform as well as their future at BNC.

We hope to see you at the shows!!

dance from the heart

2008-04-21T12:22:00.005-06:00

Dance from the Heart, our annual luncheon to raise much needed funds for our education and outreach programming is coming up in a few weeks on Friday, May 2nd, 2008. It should be a great time- we'll have speakers, a video, and delicious food! It is a great opportunity to learn more about our extensive programming for children and how we endeavor to change lives through dance every day.

I'll be among the speakers, and I'll admit that I'm (very) nervous. Give me a boisterous, creative roomful of kids dancing and exploring choreography any day...but giving a speech?

Yikes.

I would love to see you all there, especially if you will have a warm, comforting smile to help make me not feel so nervous.

For more information about the event, click HERE

Happy Monday, spring has sprung!
LP

They grow up so fast

2008-04-18T19:20:00.003-06:00

So, for the past couple of months, I have diligently gone into our school classes and assessed every one of our students with the purpose of figuring out which level they need to be in for the summer! Sounds painful, but the ballet nerd in me LOVES it.

It is fascinating for me to see the kinds of progress they have made, even in just a few short months. It occurs to me that it is a lot like elementary school, where 5th graders begin to look like 6th graders by the end of the year.

Ballet I's, who were squirrelish back in September, are now refined in the way they present themselves and they are working on not only what a tendu is, but how they can do it better. Similarly, our Ballet C's have gone beyond ballet vocabulary and have developed a performance quality that is much more sophisticated than most 11-year-olds I know.

I'm excited about this summer, and I can feel a buzz in the building as parents and students get excited about it, too.

More later. But let me quickly give a shout out for our Student Company...

Their Spring Concert, Legends & Fairytales, is on May 10 (2pm & 7:30pm) at the Broomfield Auditorium. We hope you will come see this amazing and fun-filled show. You'll see our students perform Peter & the Wolf, excerpts from Napoli, and an all new Firebird that is sure to amaze you! Don't miss it!

The evolution continues…

2008-04-18T07:46:00.003-06:00

With the close of the 21st Century Choreography Competition we say goodbye to a season that has transformed BNC both inside and out. With the work and contributions of countless people involved in the organization - staff, dancers, board members, faculty, choreographers, donors, sponsors, parents, students, special guests, friends and family - BNC has risen to a new level of excellence. During the past season we launched an all new multimedia website; we premiered 13 new ballets including a new Nutcracker and full-length Moulin Rouge; we established a choreography competition that engages the public and dance community in exciting new ways; and we touched the lives of close to 20,000 children in our community.

The future is filled with new possibilities, relationships and opportunities. What we have in store promises to surprise and delight our audiences and challenge and inspire our artists. BNC has made a commitment to becoming a leader in the contemporary dance world and the journey is the best part.

Thank you for joining us in this amazing evolution, it is only the beginning…

Garrett

Inaugural Season

2008-04-17T16:00:00.000-06:00

Our inaugural season was everything we could have hoped for; and then some.

Watching our staff make things happen, our audiences become enticed and our dancers transform on a daily basis, was and is the most wonderful sight to behold. The amount of passion and willingness to try new things is beyond comparison.

Experience the evolution, we said.

Well, it has only begun.

--Dawn

21st Century Choreography Competition media coverage and Student Company

2008-04-16T16:28:00.008-06:00

Hey all! Our friends at the Denver Post have been doing a great job of covering BNC's last show of the season.

Here are links to a few of their articles -

http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_8922565

http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_8921927

http://www.denverpost.com/entertainmentheadlines/ci_8869146

http://www.denverpost.com/entertainment/ci_8807039

While the professional season has (sadly) come to an end, our students are just gearing up. The Student Company of The School of BNC will present Legends and Fairytales on May 10th at 2pm and 7:30pm. This is a really great show, especially for little ones. The students will be performing Peter and the Wolf, a section from Napoli, and Firebird. Here are some great shots of our student dancers in action!

Get your tickets today by calling 303.466.5685!

Pavel Marks and Bridget Maginity in Firebird. (Photo by Misha Photography)

Jeremy Studinski, "The Wolf", and Kaitlin Smallwood in Peter and the Wolf.
(Photo by Misha Photography)

--Talia

Great review in the Denver Post today!

2008-04-10T15:41:00.002-06:00

Hi everybody! If you haven't had the chance to see our review in the Denver Post today, DO IT! :-) Okay, I'll include a link - DP online.

Kyle MacMillan writes a lovely review and they have a super nice picture of our Julie King.

If you haven't seen the show yet, get your tickets ASAP! This weekend is getting full and this show is AMAZING! Sunday afternoon we are announcing the winners...

The world is watching... are you?

21st Century Choreography Competition reflections.

2008-04-03T15:25:00.003-06:00

Hey all!! So we have been so swamped with getting this production up and running! It has been SO nice to see all the choreographers again. The last time they were here (setting their pieces), I really didn't have a chance to interact with each choreographer because we were just so busy but I have spent the past three days in the theatre watching them put the final touches on their pieces. It was SO cool to watch them work with the dancers. I really enjoyed seeing each of them dance a section of their piece to demonstrate some gesture to the dancers. SO amazing! I have really enjoyed watching this process evolve.

I have been the contact person for all of the judges and choreographers through this process and that has been SO fun! I have really enjoyed speaking with all of these amazing dance makers and cultural leaders. I just can't WAIT to meet each one in person.

On a media note - Keep an eye out for us... EVERYWHERE! We recently had an article in the Boulder County Business Report and there will be some coverage of us in the Denver Post this weekend and next week. :-) YAY!

AND stay tuned, we will be announcing our 2008-2009 season right after the competition closes. There will be a little surprise in that season so watch for it! (Can you believe it is already 08-09?!?!?)

Well, I hope everyone had a good week and has their tickets to the show. If you don't, get them soon! We still have great seats left! :-)

Meeting Heather

2008-03-28T09:39:00.001-06:00

This is Dawn. I returned from D.C. to find amazing things.

First of all, I was very happy to get to meet Heather Maloy. I was gone for most of the time she was creating her new work, but luckily, I arrived in time to see her last day of rehearsal. She has created a wonderful and extremely physical work, and our dancers are rising to the challenge with incredible strength.

As always, our dancers look phenomenal. They all seem to have an endless capacity to improve, and their generosity as artists moves me to tears.

This show is not to be missed.

--Dawn

Can't wait 'til Monday!

2008-03-27T23:09:00.005-06:00

Whew! My long week without the kids in the building is almost over! And since the company is going to be in the theatre this week, it means I get to get into the studio with some students I don't see as often as I'd like.

I've been doing some teaching research (my favorite hobby...nerdy as it might be), and so I have tons of new ideas about turns and jumps that I'm looking forward to playing with. Also, just before spring break ensued, I was starting to work with the E's and F's on balance. It may seem like every dancer has balance, but although it is one of the fundamentals of ballet - it's actually one of the hardest elements to master.

So, back to work it is! I can't wait!

A blog from dancer Julie King

2008-03-27T15:14:00.000-06:00

This week things around here have returned to normal.......sort of. We don't have any guest choreographers in town to work with, and our Dawn Fay has come back to us from Washington DC.

As we are working on cleaning the choreography we have been learning for the past month everyone is beginning to get excited for the show, we have been trying on our costumes and building our stamina. It's going to be very difficult for the judges to choose a favorite as even I can't decide which piece I like best!

The week before we go to the theater is always fun and exciting, but this time we all feel a little sad since it means our season will be over soon. I know all the dancers will agree with me when I say "we are not ready for it to end yet." We have gotten to do so many amazing things this year, but it still feels like we just started.

I hope the audience has enjoyed this season as much as the dancers have, I can't wait to see you all at the shows!

Julie King

We're TV stars this week!

2008-03-26T16:44:00.005-06:00

That's right! Tune into Colorado & Company on Channel 9 (NBC) at 10:00am tomorrow (Thursday) and see a live excerpt from Ma Cong's piece, Inner Voices. Garrett will be doing an interview with Denise Plante and Mark McIntosh and Julie King, Sarah Tallman, and Elizabeth Towles will be dancing the women's pas de quatre from Ma's piece. Super exciting! Cue up your VCR! (Who has one of those these days?)

ALSO, Lissy and Garrett are making an appearance on Colorado OutSpoken on Sunday night. Tune into channel 12 (PBS/KBDI) at 10pm on Sunday night to see their awesome interview with Ms. Eden Lane.

Oh and don't forget to buy tickets to the 21st Century Choreography Competition! Get them before they are gone!!!

On a whole different note, I know I am supposed to stick to media but I have to give a major pat on the back to our awesome dancers. Amanda, Lissy, and I sat in one of the rehearsals today and we were BLOWN AWAY! Beyond being beautiful choreography, I was so impressed by the skill, talent, and stamina of our dancers. They are pretty hardcore. If you aren't sure what I am referring to... well you will just have to come to the show! Trust me, you'll get it.

And last of all, our wonderful Jason Franklin had a birthday yesterday. He is just 21. Watching him in rehearsal today, working hard, and dancing with such passion, leaping so high... I am just so proud. He is such a talented dancer. The rest of the company made him a cake and put candles on it and sang him happy birthday yesterday. What a cool family we are. :-)

Great Weeks!

2008-03-25T19:02:00.003-06:00

Wow, last week was really amazing!

Thursday in particular was really great. Slightly exhausting, but definitely great.

We started the day with a trip downtown for the Colorado Business Committee for the Arts' annual awards lunch. A beautifully produced event with over 600 people, and we were honored to be featured as the final performance of the day. The crowd was so appreciative, and we received so many positive comments and compliments. What an amazing opportunity and wonderful exposure - we are still hearing great things from it.

Then that evening we hosted the Broomfield Chamber's March Business After Hours. We have had the honor of hosting an After Hours every year for 6 years, and we are always delighted to do so - it gives us an opportunity to invite the business community into our facility, and we have a great time creating a unique event - we partner with area restaurants to have an AMAZING array of food and drink, and best of all, we perform 3 times throughout the evening.

Every year our After Hours is fun and successful, but this year, something magical happened - there was an amazing energy that made the networking more exciting and the performances more enthralling. It was a great success for both organizations, and we were incredibly happy to be a part of it.

So now we're in our final weeks before the last show of the season, and we continue to be excited and honored by the energy, enthusiasm and appreciation that keep coming our way. We are hosting the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District's monthly board meeting on Thursday, we have two TV appearances this week (Thursday morning and Sunday evening), and then next week we are in the theatre. Monday our three choreographers fly back to Colorado to get their pieces ready for opening night - and before you know it, it will be show time!

It has been a great season, with terrific final weeks. Thanks to everyone who is along for the ride!

Lissy

How do YOU blog?

2008-03-25T15:13:00.005-06:00

We have recently joined several blogging groups. Here are some links if you are interested in learning more about other blogs.

If you are a member of www.technorati.com, you can favorite our blog and get updated when we update it!

Use this -

Here is another blogging website to link to us -

Spring Break

2008-03-23T12:46:00.004-06:00

So, this is the first day of our school's spring break...

And it is just hitting me that I'm not going to see my students for a whole week!

Yesterday, when I arrived to the studio, I had a bunch of little dancers running up to me - wanting to show me how beautifully they can dance. They are why I love my job so much. It is exciting to see even very young kids loving to spin down the hallway, jete over their little brothers, and reach their arms up to the sky - completely enthralled with the feeling of moving. Later, one young girl told me how sad she gets during breaks when she can't dance. I know how she feels! I'm already suffering from major student withdrawal.

I rehearsed all day yesterday with the Student Company, getting lots of work done, but trying to not overload them before the long break. In dance, a week can seem like a month...a long month. So, I taught them just a small amount of new material, and then we took a little break to go watch what was going on in Studio One (where the professional dancers rehearse). They really loved watching Heather's new ballet Hurricane. The Student Company has been so busy, her ballet is really the first opportunity they've had to see the works from the competition - and they LOVED it.

With any luck, this week will pass by fast, and then I can re-immerse myself in my teaching! Until then...

Days 3 thru 6 - from Heather Maloy

2008-03-22T17:25:00.002-06:00

A bunch of days -

Sorry for the one long blog, but it got busy around here! I'm supposed to
write a blog every night, and I have failed you. But I promise that I am
getting a lot of work done!

On day three we worked on, "The Eye of the Storm". A relief for the dancers
after completing "The Gathering Storm", a non-stop swirl of movement;
running, rolling on the floor, jumping in the air. When the music breaks,
the dancers go into slow motion, and most of them get to rest. One woman is
left standing and she represents the fear and sorrow associated with the
impending landfall. It was very hard for me to decide the casting for this
section. All of the dancers are so different with qualities that would lend
very different outcomes to the type of character portrayed. I finally chose
Laura Guerra and she is lovely in the role, delicate and appropriately
timid.

We then worked on the duet between her and Jason Franklin. The partnering
is challenging and I have a few sections left to completely work out, but we
were well on the way by the end of the day.

On day four we were working with the full corps again. We started with
creating strong partnered movements depicting the group effort that occurs
when facing a crisis and worked our way into the chaos that ensues when a
hurricane hits land. This is where the dancers really have to push. There
are no counts, everyone is basically moving as fast as they can without
distorting the choreography. That's an unusual way for me to work, but this
section called for this level of disorder. There were some good laughs as
everyone worked it out.

I had the day between four and five off from creating. I was lucky to get
the opportunity to attend a luncheon with Garrett, Lissy and Amanda and see
the dancers in action. They performed an excerpt from Garrett's "Love of my
Life," and looked amazing. It was exciting to get a chance to see Garrett's
work as well, and I was very impressed. The day was long for the dancers.
They left the luncheon and come back to the studio to prepare for a showing
for the Chamber of Commerce. They performed excerpts from all three of the
new works that are a part of the competition. I do believe that they blew
the minds of their audience. All three works looked great, and I was
extremely proud of how well they did with my work, especially since we
haven't had a second to go back and clean any of the choreography that has
been set so far. I felt very lucky to have the rare opportunity to
experience an audience reaction mid-creation. The standing ovation gave me
that positive boost I needed to come in today and finish it!

That's right we finished it today! My goal was to get it done on day five
and have day six devoted to cleaning. Goal accomplished! I feel good about
the work, but I'm really happy that I will have the opportunity to make
whatever changes I need tomorrow.

This piece has been a huge challenge for me. Within the 17 minutes, there
are truly three ballets, with three very different feels. The movement
changes greatly as the piece progresses. Calm, gentle movements progress
into huge sweeping ones in the first section. The second section starts
gentle again, but in a more human way. The challenge there is in creating
connections between the dancers. The final section is altogether different.
There is nothing gentle. It is frenetic, chaotic and much looser in form.
It is meant to convey terror and disorder. It progresses into the forced
structure imposed by the government after a disaster, including rebellion
and the eventual coming together of the community to survive the aftermath.

Whew! That's a lot of words, but even more steps.

All of this is abstract of course and it is up to the viewer to decide what
it is about for himself. For me as a choreographer I need a starting point,
an inspiration and a thought that sparks what the movement will be.
Creating a step without an intention behind it is difficult for me. With a
piece like this you never know if what you're thinking when you create it is
what anyone else will be thinking when they watch it, but that's ok. What
is important is that it resonates with them in someway and that the overall
effect is a memorable experience.

All I know for certain at this particular moment is that I'm done!
Champagne anyone?

-Heather

Quickie

2008-03-19T18:00:00.004-06:00

Hey all! This is Talia. I am going to just do a quickie blog right now and maybe I will come back and blog later. I have to run to my family's house for a big birthday dinner! YUM! :-)

The choreography competition is going along so well. We had a reporter in today from the Broomfield Enterprise to talk to one of the choreographers. The whole community is so excited about our video on our website.

Lissy and Garrett are (as we speak) driving (quickly but safely) to Colorado School of Mines to film an interview with the awesome Ms. Eden Lane for Colorado OUTspoken. It is a great PBS show. What a wonderful opportunity for us!! :-)

Okay, Broomfield Chamber Business After Hours is here tomorrow and I am in crazy planning/prepping mode. Hope to see you there!

--Talia

second grade rock stars at Federal Heights

2008-03-19T12:43:00.005-06:00

So...

I've been working with second graders at Federal Heights Elementary, and this residency has the potential to be my very favorite.

As I said before we're working on the parts of a story and how to connect to and interpret fiction through the exploration of fairy tales. The second grade faculty at Federal Heights is especially interested in the concept of retelling, so that the students can really own the information that they glean from reading. What better way to retell stories than through dance?

Today I played some really sophisticated movement games with them around the theme of storytelling and I was very impressed with the results.

The first one was to have movement conversations. I put them in pairs and they "talked" to each other by taking turns moving improvisationally for four counts. Each four count phrase was inspired by the one that they had just observed. They were so focused and wonderful. First we had silly conversations, and then serious ones. I wish I'd had a video camera for the serious conversations. They were intense and profound.

The second game was to create sentence dances. In groups of four they made dance phrases that had a beginning pose (the capital letter); movement with a beginning, middle and end; and a big jump to finish (the punctuation). We only had a little bit of time to work on this one, so the sentences were short. Each group came up with something thoughtful and cohesive. They even sacrificed a few minutes of their recess time so that they could show each other their dances.

They are really becoming choreographers. I can't wait to start working on their fairy tales.

Best wishes on this sunny day,
LP

Long Distance Posting

2008-03-19T12:00:00.000-06:00

So this is Dawn.

I am currently setting Trey McIntyre's "High Lonesome" on The Washington Ballet. The dancers are wonderful and are working extremely well.

Heather Maloy is working with our dancers at BNC on her new piece for the 21st CCC; I have heard great things and am sorry to miss most of her stay.

I really and truly miss our beautiful dancers at BNC. I know they are working incredibly hard as I get daily updates from Garrett. I am very excited to come home to them.

--Dawn

This week

2008-03-17T14:29:00.002-06:00

We are very happy to have Heather Maloy here working on her new ballet, Hurricane, for the 21st Century Choreography Competition. The new work promises to be highly demanding and wonderful addition to the production.

Each choreographer has brought their own unique style and process to the table and I look forward to seeing our beautiful dancers onstage performing such a diverse program of work.

Dawn is currently in D.C. staging Trey McIntyre's High Lonesome on The Washington Ballet. I look forward to her return this weekend.

On Thursday we are honored to be performing an excerpt from Love of My Life at Colorado Business Committee for the Arts' (CBCA) annual Awards Lunchoen. That evening we will be back at the BNC studios presenting excerpts from our upcoming Choreography Competition at our annual Business After Hours for the Broomfield Chamber of Commerce.

It promises to be a great week.

Garrett

Day 2 - from Heather Maloy

2008-03-15T22:02:00.000-06:00

Day two was wrought with choreographic puzzles. When working on a piece
that is based on actual patterns that exist in nature, as Hurricane is, you
want to do your best to be as convincing and accurate as possible. The
first thing I realized on day two was that the day before I had created a
circle that went clockwise. Oops, had to fix that. Tropical cyclones are
only called Hurricanes when they happen in the Northern Hemisphere, usually
in the Atlantic Ocean. And being in the Northern Hemisphere, they ALWAYS
move counterclockwise.

The rest of the day brought a series of mathematical puzzles to solve. How
many counts does each movement need to take in order for the cannon to be
over by this count with everyone in this formation? The answer tends to
take a group effort and these dancers were a huge help in finding the
solutions. Corps pieces with intricate patterns are a huge challenge to
create but I really enjoy the process.

The day was a huge success though. We've made it through the initial
hurricane and on day three we will be begin to take on the eye of the storm.
I'm looking forward to beginning this section. This is where I will begin
to explore the dancers as individuals within the piece, my favorite part.

Off to listen to the music again!

Day 1 - from Heather Maloy

2008-03-14T22:38:00.000-06:00

Day 1 with the dancers, finally! After listening to the music for months
and spending time in my studio alone, it was beautiful to see the ideas in
my head fleshed out by such lovely and enthusiastic dancers. Its been a
long time since I went somewhere new to create a work. I've become very
accustomed to working with the Terpsicorps dancers and was a little scared
about coming to a new place and facing an unknown. My fears are now most
definitely gone, and I'm excited about the cast I have to work with.

This work, appropriately titled "Hurricane," is going to be a literal
non-stop whirlwind of movement with all 6 of the dancers on stage the entire
time. The idea for the work grew out of the climate crisis that is becoming
increasingly apparent in today’s world. The choreography will embody the
strength, patterns and progression of a hurricane from its beginnings at sea
to its aftermath on land. The dancers portray the hurricane itself, as well
as the individuals impacted by it.

Today we started working as a calm sea, with minimal slow movements
contrasting with occasional swells and gusts of wind. By the end of the day
I was seeing the beginnings of a swirling tropical storm. This piece is
going to be a gut buster. Not quite four minutes into a 17 minute work and
its already becoming a marathon. I know that the dancers will be looking
forward to the 'eye of the storm' when the music and movements calm down
again.

After a very fruitful rehearsal, I went to dinner with Garrett and Lissy.
Its been so great to get to talk with other directors of a young company.
Sometimes it feels as though what you do exists in a vacuum, so getting the
chance to compare experiences and ideas about dance and running a dance
company is refreshing. I have great respect for what they are achieving
here and how they are going about it. They have an extremely positive and
nurturing environment and it shows through the dancer's work ethic and love
of what they do. I can't wait to see these artists shine on stage.

Can't wait to start again tomorrow!

-Heather

brand-new residencies

2008-03-14T11:47:00.005-06:00

Hello, all.

Last I blogged I said I'd be right back with an Outreach update, and it's actually been a lot longer than "right back." I was one of the many BNC-ers that was so sick with the flu. Take your vitamins, folks....this particular strain of influenza is a REAL drag.

In any case, I got better just in time to start working with two new groups of elementary school students at our partner schools.

On Tuesday morning I started with first graders at North Star Elementary. We've just been working with the basic choreographic elements of time, space, and energy so far through fun movement games. Eventually (beginning after spring break) we will be working on the scientific topics that they have been studying this year...plants, animals, the moon, and physics (balance and motion). I've worked with two different classes so far and they are polite, smart, and very creative.

On Wednesday afternoon I started with second graders at Federal Heights Elementary. I've only met with one class there this week, and they are a very inspired and inspiring group of young people. In just a little while I'll be in the car on my way down Federal to hang out with them. Today we're starting to dig into the curricular content of our residency. We'll be working on the parts of a story and how to connect to and interpret fiction through the exploration of fairy tales.

Julia Manley, our School Director is teaching the last of this season's residencies at Coronado Hills Elementary. Coronado Hills and Federal Heights have their specials at overlapping times! Since I sadly couldn't be in two places at once I'm missing out on second graders at Coronado Hills, but they are especially lucky to be working on dance and insects with Julia. I loved my fourth graders from Coronado Hills, I am sure the second graders are a wonderful group of kids.

Talk to you soon,
LP

I love this competition.

2008-03-13T19:17:00.005-06:00

Heather arrived today and we all had the chance to meet her before she starts working with the dancers tomorrow. Over the past 6 months, I've watched her initial video on YouTube, read her application, watched the votes mount up, heard her reaction to becoming a finalist, condensed her bio down to just a couple of sentences for our promotional materials, created a postcard with her face on the front, and read her blogs. When she walked into my office, it felt like meeting someone I've known for months. I know it's going to be a wonderful experience having her here.

It has been EXACTLY THE SAME experience with all three of our finalists.

When we conceived of this competition over a year ago, we knew it would be a great opportunity for us, for the choreographers, and for the public at large. But I don't think any of us fully anticipated the deep enthusiasm and integrity these finalists would bring into our organization. Each one has been delightful to work with, and each one has fully embraced this opportunity as a true partnership.

This competition has brought Alex, Ma and Heather to BNC and created amazing new connections between all of us. It has gotten people from many backgrounds and geographies to talk about dance and get excited about choreography. It is bringing together 12 incredible judges from throughout the country to add MORE expertise and perspective to the experience. It is opening up the creative process and making it a collaborative journey that everyone can feel and be a part of.

It's amazing. I love it.

My amazing adult students

2008-03-13T17:14:00.004-06:00

Last night I had the most incredible class with my Beginning Adult students! In fact, I told them that by the summer they could start taking Intermediate Adult ballet classes!!!

I've had a very dedicated corps of ladies since this summer, and what's most inspiring about this is how much they have truly learned and improved. I was pretty impressed last November when we started learning pirouettes, but since then we've added even harder steps to their repertoire: en dedans pirouettes, promenades, fondu releve, pas de basque, assembles, soubresauts, pas de bourees en tournant, and even saut de chat!

It's inspiring for me to watch these women venture on a new journey - learning a new skill that at one point seemed impossible to achieve success with. You know, I've always wanted to become fluent in another language, take a creative writing class, and get back into my piano studies...watching these women accomplish what they have with ballet makes me feel like my hopes and dreams are not impossibilities at all.