The weekend of February 24 and 25, Central West Ballet performed two seller performances of Rat Pack in Revue! We had the audience on their feet both nights for standing ovations! Here are some studio pictures during one of our last rehearsals before hitting the stage. We all had an absolute blast preparing for and performing this show as is clear through the captured images. Pictures are courtesy of Milano Photography. Enjoy! (Pictures by Milano Photography)

Happy New Year from the Stage Door! The company has returned to the studio after a well-deserved three week winter break. We experienced non-stop performances and events throughout the late summer and fall and quite enjoyed a small holiday to let our bodies mend and gear up for the remainder of our season. As soon as we returned we wasted no time at all jumping right into rehearsals for Rat Pack in Revue. This is one of my favorite performances that the company has ever offered. I grew up listening to a Frank Sinatra CD from his Reprise years and have fond memories of dancing around to ‘New York, New York’ in my living room. Never did I think as a little girl that I would one day get to dance to this song in front of a packed house at the Gallo Center! Our last presentation of Rat Pack in Revue was quite the spectacular evening with our wonderful audience members leaping to their feet at the conclusion of the performance.

It was a wonderful night of dance that was the culmination of three weeks of hard work in which we created a show with all the glitz and glam of a Broadway Revue. You can’t help but smile when you hear the voice of any one of the featured men of the evening. To me this music is timeless and is something that anybody from any generation can appreciate. As we return to our rehearsal process you can find anyone of the dancers humming or singing along to the various songs blasted throughout the studio. The music is infectious. It’s still early in the rehearsal process but check back in the weeks to come to view rehearsal videos and pictures from the best show of the year!

It’s that time of the year again; Nutcracker season is once again upon us! We’ve accomplished quite a lot in this season already, performing our annual fundraiser of select dances from the West Side Story Suite in August, our free public performance out at Graceada Park in September and our milestone production of Swan Lake in October. It’s been a very busy few months! The accomplishment of presenting the full length Swan Lake is something that we are all extremely proud of. Swan Lake was an enormous amount of work for everyone involved; but the ladies especially felt a huge amount of pressure with the weight of the white act upon their shoulders. One can never really fully appreciate the beauty of act 2 until they have danced it themselves. We developed such strong feelings of comradely in training to become a swan. We had to breathe together, feel every movement together and endure hours of rehearsals en pointe. But the end result was all any of us could have hoped for. All of the dancers walked away from Swan Lake with a newfound respect and understanding of this most beloved of classical ballets.

Now after our months of hard work we are all looking forward to an old favorite that everyone knows and loves. For many of us we have been dancing in The Nutcracker since we were young girls longingly looking up at the older dancers dressed in their sparkly tutus and tiaras and counting the days until we too could wear pointe shoes. I believe I can speak for most of the company in saying that it just wouldn’t be Christmas for us without The Nutcracker.

It is a huge part of our own personal holiday traditions with our family and friends. No matter how many times we dance The Waltz of the Flowers or hear the March of the Toy Soldiers, Nutcracker never seems to become tiresome. I believe this is because so many of us have grown up with the ballet, each year looking forward to whatever new supporting role we would get to play. It represents a part of our childhood and symbolizes the beauty and magic of Christmas. Often times as, we mature in our dancing and in our roles, we get caught up in perfecting our steps and lost in worrisome thoughts as we fret about the choreography. It is important though that we remember why this ballet is so special not only to us but to everyone who attends year after year. It’s the magic of watching the Christmas tree grow, the beauty of seeing the scrim rise to expose the Snow King and Queen posed with the corps of Snowflakes or the wonder of the Sugar Plum Fairy and all of her candy divertissements. Last week in the middle of our snow flake rehearsal I found myself distracted by the video of last year’s performance. I had forgotten just how stunning the snow scene can be as all of the snowflakes jeté across the stage in their white tutus. As performers it’s important to remember just how special what we do is. No matter how many times we perform the Nutcracker there will always be at least one little boy or girl in the audience experiencing the magic for the first time. It’s a favorite of the dancers and a favorite of audience members. To celebrate Nutcrackers past I’ve asked the dancers to share with me some of their vintage Nutcracker pictures from when they were little ones experiencing their first moments on stage. Enjoy our travel back in time to Nutcrackers past!

The company has been back into full swing and we wasted no time jumping right into rehearsal for our fundraiser performance on New York street dances reminiscent of West Side Story. Originally an updated version of William Shakespeare’s immortal tale of star-crossed lovers, Artistic Director René Daveluy pulled out all the stops in his effort to make this a memorable evening. Staying true to the spirit, René included as much of the beloved dance style as everybody could want to see. I found myself, along with other members of the company, thoroughly enjoying the rehearsal process. With fantastic music seeping into one's every being, one couldn’t help but leave the studio humming inspiring tunes. The choreography was great fun to dance. I always love when the company briefly ventures away from the classics because it allows the dancers to explore their creativity in other forms of dance that are more modern or jazz. This performance was full of excitement and a lot of heat! We all found ourselves giving and exuding the same raw energy and passion of so many phenomenal dancers before us.

I would like to extend special commendation to the gentlemen of the company. The boys are doing a fantastic job as they are all taking on multiple numbers with multiple partners. Our guys are extremely dedicated and work exceptionally hard each and every day. They are extremely cool cats as they attack various moves, which brings a feeling of authenticity to any event. The women of the company are truly indebted to them and all of their continued diligent service to the company.

Just days after the benefit evening, the company is kicking into high gear. We have much more in store coming up real soon! Support your ballet company as we kick off what is sure to be one of our best seasons yet!

We are currently deep into rehearsals for the classic story-ballet, Cinderella, and what a fun rehearsal process it has been! Cinderella offers a great mix of both pure classical ballet along with hilarious comedic interaction provided on behalf of the step-sisters. Traditionally the step-sisters are played by men and this year’s staging includes two casts featuring Wally Layne and Aaron Gulevich as one set of sisters and Louis Jones stepping into Wally’s role for the Saturday matinee performance. It has been so entertaining to rehearse with these talented artists. Wally is repeating his role as a step-sister after a brilliant portrayal with Phillip Riskin back in our inaugural season at the Gallo Center. I have always enjoyed the opportunity to act with Wally onstage and it’s been fun to relearn together the roles that we created back in 2008. Although I have grown accustomed to the facial expressions made by Wally, he still continues to surprise me and at times I break character and end up laughing right in the middle of rehearsal! Aaron and Louis are new to their roles and it has been exciting to watch them delve into and develop their own characters. Louis has grown up in the theatre, performing previously with YES Company and Modesto Performing Arts, so a character role is right up his alley. Rehearsals for Act One have quickly become some of my favorite! Bethany Phelps is taking on the role of the evil step-mother, providing her an opportunity to showcase the range of her acting abilities. She is truly creating a commanding presence in her interpretation, bringing out more evil every day! We are also extremely pleased to welcome back John Fowler in the role of Cinderella’s father. John has performed several character roles with us in the past and is a consummate professional. While Cinderella does rely heavily on the character roles for the story’s development, it also provides a wonderful opportunity for the women of the company to dig into their classical technique. There are a variety of female roles throughout the ballet: the four Season Faeries, the Midnight Faeries, the Dancing Master’s assistants, the Ladies of the Court and of course Cinderella and her Fairy Godmother. Each of these roles demands a lightness and precision of behalf of the dancer performing the steps. There is nothing more difficult, in my opinion, then performing a classical role because of the purity and perfection that is demanded in each step executed. But it is this challenge of perfection, be it as a solo or with in the corps de ballet, that make the classics so fun and rewarding to dance. This upcoming performance of Cinderella will be sure to enchant and entertain. The company has matured so much within the past three years that the caliber of dancing has increased significantly. Artistic Director, René Daveluy has had the opportunity to enhance his previous choreography to better fit the growth and the improved capabilities of his dancers. For those repeating roles they had danced previously they are presented with the chance to re-evaluate and layer their approach to their role. I have always enjoyed the opportunity to repeat a role because I believe there is so much more that can be added to both the character you are portraying as well as your approach to the choreography. We still have a couple weeks left before we enter the theatre and we will continue to diligently rehearse in the studio. You do not want to miss out on what is sure to be a simply magical evening of dance!

Creations – Choreography in America

We are about a month in to our rehearsal process for our upcoming performances of Creations – Choreography in America and the company has never looked so good, or been so sore! Creations is going to be a stellar evening of dance all performed in a contemporary modern fashion. We have the honor of dancing two Val Caniparoli ballets this year, one entitled “Songs” set for four women and the other a pas de trois by the name of “Suite”. Both ballets are proving to be extremely challenging as the dancers make every effort to stretch and elongate their lines, eating up the studio space. Val’s works call for the extreme be it jumping a little higher, bending a little further or reaching until it seems physically impossible to reach any more. “Songs” has been restaged by our own Ballet Mistress, Leslie Ann Larson while “Suite” was restaged by Wendy Van Dyke who staged our presentation of “Violin” last year. Leslie has worked extensively with Val in the past and is well versed in his style and the look he wishes to achieve. She has been instrumental in the rehearsal process of “Songs”, coaching us meticulously in the movement. The dancers in both pieces have also enjoyed coaching time with Val himself during weekend trips to San Francisco. There is nothing more helpful then experiencing one on one time with the choreographer. Because we learned both ballets off of videos performed by other companies, we could only attempt to imitate the movement presented by the other dancers. Rehearsing with Val allowed him the opportunity to express to us, in person, exactly what the choreography should be and in what fashion he wants the steps to be danced. This personal rehearsal time is invaluable for any dancer. Since both of Val’s ballets were already choreographed, it was relatively easy to learn the choreography in a timely manner. The same has not been true for René Daveluy’s new ballets due to the fact that René is creating the ballets as we go. He is currently in the process of finishing the choreography for “Beneath Existence” the second installment in the Existence trilogy as well as “Solitary Workers” a modern ballet based in the Graham technique. Existence is composed of five couples and is proving to be an extremely physical ballet. There are a variety of lifts and partnering tricks that will be sure to impress audience members. Each couple dances their own pas de deux along with partaking in three separate group sections. The most thrilling section of the ballet in my opinion is “Bloodstream” located near the end of the 35 minute piece. “Bloodstream” involves all of the couples and is an invigorating dance reminiscent of choreography by William Forsyth. The choreography includes moments of ridged military-like poses along with extreme elongating movement where dancers are pulled off their leg as they hurtle through space. It’s quite an exciting segment of the ballet and is sure to get the audience’s hearts racing! “Solitary Workers” closes the Creations program and takes the company in a completely different direction by applying the modern Graham technique. Because this is a new way of moving for many of the dancers, René has been supplementing our regular ballet training with the addition of modern workshops. We have been learning the proper way to approach various steps and are utilizing our muscles in a different fashion. “Workers” provides a variety of musical selections throughout its entirety ranging from the soft and methodical to tunes reminiscent of a 60’s beach party. The final number of show, “Text @ Inbox.com” features six couples and includes a special prop, cell phones! This dance is extremely high energy and has been a great deal of fun to watch come together. With only a few weeks left before the performances the dancers are switching it into high gear as we work on cleaning and perfecting the various ballets. Creations is always an exciting program and a favorite among the dancers. Be sure to join us February 25th and 26th for what promises to be an outstanding evening of dance!

Well ladies and gentlemen we have reached theatre week for our upcoming production of Rat Pack in Revue. It was only three weeks ago that we performed our annual fall fundraiser out at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Endsley. After enjoying a two day break we were back in the studio. We began our rehearsal process by watching an A&E documentary on the Las Vegas rebels to help familiarize the entire company with the famous trio. It took about two and half weeks to put the entire evening together comprised of thirty-two dances all choreographed by Artistic Director, René Daveluy. Each dancer has been responsible for learning a number of dances but our hats are truly taken off to the men of the company. The men have been doing an outstanding job of taking on multiple numbers and partners. Not only did they learn the six to eight dances they will be individually performing, they were also responsible for learning additional dances as covers for another dancer. Brandon Phelps, Joseph Adkins, Wally Layne and Brian Leonard have gone above and beyond these past few weeks. The women of the company truly appreciate their continued hard work and dedication. So after many hours in the studio we are headed to the Mary Stuart Rogers Theatre to begin a week of dress rehearsals. I must say that these past few weeks have been extremely enjoyable as a dancer. I have always loved the American songbook and have grown up listening to Sinatra. I absolutely loved driving up to the studio each day and hearing Sinatra, Dino, or Sammy blasting from the open studio doors! Although everyone had a lot on their plates to do the rehearsals never seemed too overwhelming because you just can’t help but smile when you hear the voices of these three iconic men. Now we are in the last few days of rehearsal and all of the dances are beginning to gel. We’ll see how the week proceeds as we work our way to opening night. Here’s to a great week of rehearsals! We made it to Friday night, our official opening night for the 2010/2011 season and what a night it was! After a week of dress rehearsals the show was finally feeling just right and ready for an audience. We arrived at the theatre around 3:30pm Friday afternoon and began our warm up on stage at 4:00. After we finished class Ballet Mistress, Leslie Ann Larson, gave us a few notes from the previous night’s rehearsal. We then proceeded to run both the opening and closing dances to ensure that everyone felt secure and comfortable heading into the show. After our quick little rehearsal we were all excused to get ready as the stage crew prepared the stage. Some of the dancers elected to run and grab a quick bite to eat and or coffee to help propel them through the performance. Once places were called the dancers all met in the middle of the stage and formed a pinky finger circle where we wished one another good luck for the show. As we waited in the wings the music began and the curtain rose. As soon as the audience saw Artistic Director, René Daveluy, standing center stage at the barre, there was a roar of excitement from the crowd! All of the dancers stood astonished in the wings because never before have we witnessed such verbal excitement from our audience members at the beginning of a show! The energy was palpable backstage and we all waited anxiously to make our first appearance. The minute René began to sing the “theme song” for the evening the audience’s cheering only grew stronger as the first dancers appeared in silhouette. All the company was dressed in black jackets and fedoras setting the tone for the showbiz themed evening. What followed was truly an exceptional evening of dance with every dancer in the company stepping up to the plate and delivering their best performances. The men were charming, the ladies dazzled and the audience just couldn’t get enough. At the closing of René’s last song (his personal take on Mack the Knife) the curtain rose and there we all stood once again in our jackets and fedoras. I have never before witnessed an audience rise to their feet so quickly! René joined the front line and together we all began the finale steps as the crowd clapped along. As the dancing was coming to an end the confetti began to fly with silver and gold pieces falling down to the stage. It was quite the evening and this performance is one that I’m sure the company will repeat again! If you would like to view pictures from the performance please visit our Facebook page.

Ballet Mistress Leslie Ann Larson teaching the First Class at our new CWB Studio

Yesterday, September 1, 2010 marked a historic occasion for Central West Ballet; the company dancers enjoyed their first class in their new studio! Although the studio is not yet complete, lacking mirrors and a wall barre, the dancers could not have been happier to dance in the new space. The sprung floor engineered by Ira Asturi with the assistance of Wally Layne was pure bliss to dance on, seeming to cushion every jump. We are currently using our old stage Marley as a dance floor while we wait for the arrival of our new Harlequin floor. The studio smelled like a lumber store on Wednesday due to the recent instillation of the floor. Portions of the floor were still exposed as our temporary Marley flooring was not made to fit this space. But none of this seemed to matter as we were all overjoyed to have a space we can truly call our own. There is still a lot of work left to get everything into tip top shape and we are all ready to tackle the tasks ahead. Look for video clips from our first class to the Stage Door in the near future!