TYPOS!

Please note that the Wednesday Intermediate class for the summer 2012 session is from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Apologies to all!

Saturday, May 12^th, 2012

2:30 – 4:30 p.m.

The students of the new YMCA/ AvO Ballet program will be performing!  Young audience members will be invited to join in a dance demonstration & ballet story.   Small reception to follow.  Refreshments!  All are invited!    Free Admission!

Come see the Kinderballet perform!

From Debbie Wilson ’s post  Dance, Life and Random Thoughts 

Important words when I was growing up.  Those words simply served as a reminder that there are differing opinions out there in the world and that not all opinions are relevant or helpful to your life.  In fact – some opinions play fast and fancy with the truth.  I think we need to expand a bit on that old saying – perhaps it should be “Don’t believe everything you read and don’t believe everything you see.”  This last bit would apply to visual media – you know – the world of the editing where you can manipulate what you present.  In the present world of reality TV – the word “reality” is a bit of a broad misnomer.  Perhaps real in that the producers have provoked the participants into verbal outbursts and questionable behavior but not so real when you look at the sequence of events.  Seriously – when was the last time you watched two people arguing and they stopped what they were doing to explain their feelings to you?  Obviously there is a lot of staging and editing involved to manipulate how they are presenting their story.  That’s fine – whatever – to each his own.  I have no problem with this – although I do have a problem with how some of these programs are manipulating public perception about what I do for a living.

There is a current program about a dance school – specifically a competition dance school – that simply boggles my mind.  I get how this program can be aired – people still slow down for accidents on the highway – voyeurism in our society lives on.  And I get that the program features the stage moms from hell – having dealt with women like that my entire life – in fact – dealing with one right now.  It’s sad how they never realize what they are actually doing to their children – arresting the child’s mental development.  And I somewhat understand the abusive dance teacher having also had people like her in my life.  You know – those people who heap abuse on you while using the excuse that they are “toughening you up for the harshness of the business”.  Bull**** – that’s just an excuse for no self-control – and no imagination when it comes to teaching.  No – what confuses me is how this obvious abuse of young dancers (by their mothers and dance teachers) is tolerated.  It’s one thing that this sort of abuse happens – but to put it into mainstream media in the name of entertainment and not do anything about it?  Seriously – I’m flummoxed.

I also have a problem with how it portrays my profession of dance teacher.  Not all dance teachers are abusive.  You know – it’s almost as annoying as the reaction I got from most men I met when I was younger.  When they asked me what I did for a living and I said “dancer” – 99% of them said “exotic dancer?”  Yeah – right – most exotic dancers you meet walk around with their feet turned out and keep their hair in a bun.  So I would like to give some examples of wonderful teachers with whom I had studied with – who taught with kindness and understanding.  Don’t get me wrong – these were not wishy-washy people – they were tough – they had high standards of work – but they valued the people (young and old) that they worked with.  They are the example of what teaching dance was, is and should be.

Anneliese von Oettingen, David McLain, David Blackburn, Oleg Sabline, Meredith Baylis, Susan Toumine.

Here is some possible music for Saturday morning’s recital piece.  In this scene from Coppelia, Swanhilda and her friends are sneaking in to Dr. Coppelius’s workshop.

Once inside our students will dance with three toys:

a Scottish doll

Highland fling

an Italian doll

Little Italian Dance

and a little marionette

puppet petrushka ed

  We’ll have to see what the groundhog has to say… but at least our Spring Schedule is in force!  If you have not filled in a  new registration form, please be sure to do so!  Welcome to all new and returning students!

Classes Begin Tuesday, January 31st & continue 18 weeks thru Monday, June 4th, 2012.  Spring tuition is due by March 15th.  Be sure to mark your calendars for the Spring Student Performance June 1st & 2nd at the College of Mount Saint Joseph Auditorium!   (Everyone gets to be in this one!) 

There are a couple of changes from the fall schedule and one that was made after the spring flyers went to print, so here is the complete schedule for easy reference!  If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at (513) 481-0092 or contact Laura Hughes at (513) 410-0277. 

Mondays

Tuesdays

Wednesdays

Thursdays

Saturdays

 Know anyone in the Dayton area looking for quality ballet instruction?

Classes now forming! 

Sara Shayeson will be teaching classes at the Beavercreek YMCA beginning Monday, February 6th and continuing 15 weeks through Friday, May 18th!

Class Schedule:

Mondays

Fridays

Pricing for the 15 week session:

Pre-Ballet or Mommie & Me (30 minute sessions)

Beginner or Young Adults (60 or 90 minute sessions)

To Register for classes contact the Beavercreek YMCA at (937) 426-9622!

For information on classes contact the School of Ballet at 513 481-0092 or Laura Hughes at 513 410-0277

 I have been watching the TV show, “Dance Moms”, and am so glad I do NOT deal with any of those mothers.   I do not think dance moms are a problem, but the manner of the education of the children.  The teacher and the idea of how she feels children learn is neither healthy nor progressive for the child.  I am amazed at the mothers that continue to be brow-beaten and allow their children to be treated in abusive ways for the sake of winning trophies and championships.  They are winning by fear.  How long will they continue to win?  I wonder.

They are subjected to a weekly pyramid, where each student is on top, or on the bottom according to the teacher’s opinion, and it seems to be usual that a “star” is always on top, since she always wins the competitions.  The teacher might bump someone from the top, if their mother was not behaving or talked out of turn.

I am the ballet teacher of a group of students that also perform about 20 times a year, not in competitions, but throughout our area, in libraries, theaters, and museums.  Our  nature is to improve on stage, make no mistakes, “DO YOUR BEST!”  The students in our group are of all ages, all abilities, all levels, so comparisons between students make no sense.  Each student should be aware of their own goals, and work hard to better themselves.  My job, as teacher, mentor, and guide, is to give them challenging work, correct their mistakes, and keep them improving.  Encouraging the students to work together, we ask them to help each other remember steps, practice and improve their technique.  As they get older, they become assistants, and even teachers in our school.
 Parents are encouraged to stay away from regular class time, and allow the child to take responsibility for their learning, their dances, and their progress.  Private instruction is used for new students that come from systems without correcting mistakes, or where a student has been away for a while and returns to join a level and need a refresher course.  Private instruction is not to push one student ahead, or to buy their approval for the next competition.

When we begin a new program, and start to plan the music, scenery, costuming, we begin with a fresh set of students in January  or September of each year.  We have an open try out, and try to accept all students.    We expect students from our classes, but will accept others.  The auditions are not just to bring students into the group, but to find out which parts they will take, with which other dancers they will dance.  We allow them to dance in a group, then ask them to act out characters from the story we have chosen.  It is very important for us to see students in many roles before we make our decisions. While we do not consider this a competition, one dancer against the next, we do consider how much progress your child has made, how to challenge her this session, and what dances would best suit her in which group.
 We will do “Snow White” this spring.  We therefore, have also thought about the height of the 7 “little people” and how little they will be.  We have thought about how tall the main characters should be- and then we talked about which roles we will give to whom.  The dances will be choreographed by the 5 teachers in the studio, but the movements of the students will determine their individual unique contributions to the parts.  That is what makes dance so wonderful, that the individual adds their soul to the character, and makes it their “own”.  It is the teacher’s job to polish the steps, and inspire the student to reach for that creative part inside of them to finish the character they portray to the music and in their costumes.

Competition is not new to dance, and years ago our founder, Anneliese von Oettingen, made a choice not to follow the path of cut throat competition and the revealing costumes required.  Instead she insisted upon  fostering co-operation among company members.    We encourage teaching performance arts and not making the child grow up too soon.  Come to one of our performances and see the difference!

We are so proud of our Dance Mothers, Fathers and Extras, who are the soul of our Dance group.  They drive the company member to all the rehearsals, make sure they have their practice clothes and make up, get them to the performances on time, help lay down the floor, transport the scenery, move scenery, act in the performances when needed, take videos, help sew costumes, hand out flyers, send out information, and support our students.  No “stars” here, because, they are “ALL STARS!”

 

The idea was a left over from last year’s stew… All the dancing princesses we had: Aurora, Scheherazade, the 12 dancing princesses from Firebird… The idea of Snow White had been thrown in for consideration.  Anna liked the idea and thought it could be a ballet.  Conni thought it was the perfect fit for the dancers we have now.

Music… that was Laura H’s job… but the real moment of brilliance– The Queen’s variation as she looks into the mirror– that was Anna’s idea.  The music was handy and the Raymonda variation had been studied two years ago as the owl in the Beatrix Potter Ballet.  Reinterpreted as a vain, egotistical queen will be exciting to watch!

Scenery… well, Laura H gets a lot of the fun jobs– dreaming up visions of possibilities.  Michele did have to talk her down from spinning stages and seven little beds as practicality is an important consideration– as is budget, as is available room in the back of the van.  There is no $2 million available for THIS little ballet company– we have to be really creative, and resourceful.  Much of the scenery is reworked from other productions.  But as the vision develops, Michele (who is a professional artist– please remember) and Alan (who builds race cars for fun!) will construct– sew, weld, hammer, and paint them into existance.

 Costumes… Once again we will be grateful for the magic closets in the basement, but there will be new additions.  Moms who sew are welcome to volunteer.  We do lean on Moms to make sure costumes and other supples get to the performances safely and orderly.  We also have young performers who like to dream.  What do you think your costume should look like?  All the coaches and instructors involved LOVE to get drawings.  If you have an idea, make a sketch and pass it on!  (Just don’t expect Snow White to appear in a yellow skirt and blue shoulder puffs– we take pride in creating our own vision of things!)

 Vision… That is an important consideration.  When working as a collaboration it is easier if all parties involved agree on a general direction or bigger picture.  If we are making gumbo– you wouldn’t throw a car radiator into the mix.  Certain things are agreed upon and form the rules or guidelines for what is to follow.  That way the result looks as if it were MEANT to happen.  This is in at least one person’s humble opinion a good way of judging art.  Does it look like it was meant to happen that way?  Does it seem to make sense as a whole?  The vision for our new ballet began as a way to interpret the character of the original story.  Snow White was originally a Grimm’s Fairy Tale– a GERMAN fairy tale.  It was also part of our own AvO history.  It was the one ballet story that Anneliese herself used to use in her children’s classes and one she specifically passed on in her teacher training.  Anneliese was also very German!  That is why this ballet is set as an “homage” to some of these traditions.  All of the music chosen (with the one exception of the Queen’s variation which was Glazunov) was by German composers: Mahler, Schubert, Schumann, and Brahams.  The Dwarve’s cottage is decidedly influenced by the half timber villages in Germany.  Look for more influences throughout the ballet!     

This brings us to choreography… This is where the collaboration will be most evident.  Even when the choreographer gives every bit of stage direction they will rely on the dancer to interpret the movements.  Lots of wonderful people will be involved– Mrs. B will be doing the snow scene.  Conni will be working on the woodland creatures.  Anna will create movements for the seven dwarves.  Sara Shayeson, and Laura H are also likely to step in somewhere as there is a lot to do. 

Do you have an idea for a funny bit or an intersting movement that could be added to the ballet?  Once again the dancers are a primary source of inspiration.  Dancers will be cast where their personalities will make their parts interesting and their technical strengths can be shown off.  Do you have a favorite step?  Let us know!  Meanwhile check out the story and music page as more ideas are constantly being added.  Just yesterday some of the music changed and scenery sketches were uploaded.  But already some of the scenery designs may be modified– the pot is still simmering and new ingredients are being thrown in daily! 

E-mail your ideas to laura@avoballet.org so I can add them in to the stew!