The Best Ballet Guide

History, latest casting information, artists, photo gallery and announcements.

Located at Lincoln Center, the site contains schedules, ticket sales, repertory, dancers and a ballet trivia game.

Extreme Ballet Company Debut Rocks Chicago Suburb

By Anonymous

SKOKIE, IL – Counter Pointe, a revolutionary new dance group blending classical ballet technique with contemporary rock music, will make its official public debut at the Skokie Public Library on March 23 at 3:30 PM. The library is located at 5215 Oakton in Skokie; admission is free.

The performing group is the brainchild of Arla Faye, artistic director and owner of North Shore Dance Center in Skokie.

Choreographer Twyla Tharp has experimented to some degree with mixing genres, most recently with the Broadway production of “Moving Out,” staged to the music of Billy Joel.

EXTREME BALLET
After attending a pre-Broadway engagement of “Moving Out” in Chicago, Faye began toying with the idea of having her dancers perform to more upbeat music. She asked for the creative input of managing director Rikki Lee Travolta, an official spokesperson and professional delegate for National Dance Week. Travolta responded with rock music and tear-away spandex costumes.

“We live in an era of extreme tastes,” explains Travolta. “What North Shore Dance Center has done is take traditional ballet and made it appealing to that extreme audience by giving it an attitude and a shot of adrenaline.”

TO THE CORE
The hardcore ballet that will be premiered on Sunday, March 23, by the Counter Pointe group is choreographed by Faye and performed to the song “Cowboy and the Ballerina” by razor-voiced rocker Mitch Malloy. At various points in the production the dancers are featured in zebra striped faux fur, gothic black spandex, and even traditional ballerina tutus.

Members of the elite performing group range in age from 12 to 15. The dancers are: Natalie Justinian (Skokie), Natalie Kaiser (Lincolnwood), Guydrudge Larue (Chicago), Amanda Lasher (Lincolnwood), Andrea Musolf (Lincolnwood), Samantha Nicholson (Skokie), Katherine Peyer (Skokie), and Vicky Rojas (Skokie).

BREAKING THE MOLD
North Shore Dance Center has a history of being revolutionary with pointe technique (dancing elevated on ones toes). Many dance studios offer only a small window in which dancers may begin to learn pointe, typically around age 12; Faye’s program breaks that stereotyped approach and addresses dancers as individuals.

“Every dancer is unique. For a child with professional ambitions, starting pointe training at 12 is too late,” explains Faye who basis a child’s readiness to go on based upon leg and ankle strength, not age. Professional companies begin seriously looking at recruits when they are 14; to be a viable contender requires more than two years of pointe training.

Stereotypical programs also discourage adult dancers from pursuing pointe training. Again breaking the mold, North Shore Dance Center does offer training to adults willing to put in the work to strengthen the appropriate muscles. The studio has adult pointe students approaching age 50 and going strong.

SHOWSTOPPING
Additional dancers appearing March 23 at the Skokie Public Library include:

The North Shore Dance Center Showstoppers: Miranda Borkan (Skokie), Alaina Fuller (Skokie), Jael Goldstein (Morton Grove), Melanie Gunn (Glenview), Natalie Kaiser (Lincolnwood), Brooke Mazur (Glenview), Rachael Rosario (Skokie), Katie Rothas (Chicago), Alma Sandoval (Lincolnwood), Jana Schnieder (Skokie), Michelle Smith (Skokie), and Sabriah Wiedeman (Morton Grove).

Junior Showstoppers: Ariel and Erica Berger (Wilmette), Wendy Boosel (Skokie), Jamie Borkan (Skokie), Kayla Hagaman (Skokie), Beth and Claire Henley (Park Ridge), Rachel Swento (Skokie), Natalie Taylor (Chicago), Michaela Wellems (Skokie), and Kaitlin Walsh (Skokie).

Hip Hop Hooray: Amanda Lasher (Lincolnwood), Guydrudge Larue (Chicago), Maria Loiotile (Morton Grove), and Michelle Smith (Skokie).

North Shore Dance Center is a dance and dramatic arts academy located at 8401 Crawford in Skokie and is easily accessible by public transportation from the North and Northwest Suburbs in Cook and Lake Counties. Classes are offered for ages 3 to adult in ballet, pointe, jazz, modern, hip hop, and ballroom. For additional information call (847) 674-2216.




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PHOTO/MEDIA ALERT: PA BALLET DANCERS LEAP INTO OPENING NIGHT WITH A “BEHIND THE SCENES” DEMO OF ALL THE RIGHT WORKOUT MOVES AT THE SPORTING CLUB

By Anonymous

WHO: Principal Dancers from The Pennsylvania Ballet: James Idhe, Laura Bowman, Emily Waters, Ashley Flood, Jennifer Gall, Howley Rowe, James Ady, Christine Cox

WHAT: The dancers will show how they keep their phenomenal physiques, strength, and flexibility, with equipment and personal training, in a behind the scenes look at how they train for their season, at The Sporting Club at The Bellevue.

WHEN: Monday, October 6, 2003, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm.

WHERE: The Sporting Club at The Bellevue main fitness floor. The Sporting Club is located at 200 S. Broad Street, in Philadelphia. To get to The Sporting Club, take the elevator in the parking garage to the top (8th) floor. Once you are inside The Sporting Club, take the elevator to the 3rd Floor to reach the main fitness level.

WHY: The Pennsylvania Ballet’s 40th Season opens this Wednesday, October 8, 2003. The dancers have been working out in preparation of the season, and are in their top physical condition. This is a very rare opportunity for the public to see the “behind the scenes” work it takes to be a dancer in one of the world’s leading ballet corps.

The Sporting Club at The Bellevue is a major supporter of The Pennsylvania Ballet, and has provided the gym and facilities as a courtesy in support of dancers of The Pennsylvania Ballet, and The Avenue of The Arts, for the past six years.

Thousands of hours are spent each year by the dancers in physical training, equipment workouts, weight & strength training and workout classes at The Sporting Club.

EXCELLENT STORY, PHOTO AND VIDEO OPPORTUNITIES
Please contact Andrea Riso at (215) 875-0429 or via email at risoa@preit.com, for updates, additional information, accommodations, and to arrange for coverage. Press kits, photos, parking validation and press amenities provided immediately upon your request.

About The Pennsylvania Ballet: Founded in 1963, Pennsylvania Ballet is widely recognized as one of the leading ballet companies in the nation. The Company is celebrating its 40th anniversary this season with popular works from the Company’s history, two company premieres and two world premieres commissioned for the 40th Anniversary – including a new, million dollar, full-length production of Swan Lake by world-renowned choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. For more information, call (215) 551-7000.



About The Sporting Club at The Bellevue: The Sporting Club, a locally owned 93,000 square foot state-of-the-art fitness center is located adjacent to Philadelphia’s historic Bellevue building. Club facilities, spanning
five stories, include an indoor jogging track, over 90 group fitness classes, spinning, urban rebounding classes, an indoor running track, swimming pool, hydrotherapy, whirlpool, award winning massage, squash &
racquetball courts, yoga & pilates studios, a full-size NBA basketball gymnasium, an indoor swimming pool, yoga and meditation rooms, a café & juice bar, and a fully stocked pro shop, plus group fitness rooms, the latest in strength-training, nutrition counseling, cardiovascular & free-weight equipment, a pro shop, and a café & juice bar.

The club has been serving the Philadelphia area for 13 years. Located along the Avenue of The Arts, in Center City Philadelphia, at Broad & Walnut Streets, The Sporting Club at The Bellevue has led the forefront in fitness, health, and recreational innovation since it’s inception.

About The Bellevue: The Bellevue is a 99-year old national historic landmark building located at Broad &Walnut Streets in Center City Philadelphia, PA. The Bellevue is home to upscale shops including Tiffany & Co, Nicole Miller, Polo, Origins and Williams-Sonoma, a Gourmet Food Court, an award-winning European day spa, world-class restaurants including The Palm, and a 93,000 square-foot fitness center designed by architect Michael Graves: The Sporting Club at The Bellevue, which spans five floors. The world-renowned luxury hotel Park Hyatt Philadelphia at The Bellevue crowns the top eight floors of the building. The Bellevue is managed and leased by PREIT-RUBIN, Inc., management affiliate of Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust (PREIT).

Pennsylvania Real Estate Investment Trust, founded in 1960 and one of the first equity REITs in the U.S., has a primary investment focus on retail shopping malls and power centers (approximately 17.5 million square feet) located in the eastern United States. PREIT's portfolio currently consists of 34 properties in 7 states. PREIT's portfolio includes two multifamily properties that are held for sale, 14 shopping malls, 14 strip and power centers and four industrial properties. In addition, there are two retail properties under development, which PREIT expects will add approximately 0.8 million square feet to its portfolio. PREIT is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.






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City Ballet of Los Angeles is "In Bloom" Scholarship Benefit Performance, Saturday, May 10

By Anonymous

City Ballet of Los Angeles welcomes special guests and celebrity ballet enthusaists Jeff Goldblum, Victoria Rowell and distinguished ballet teacher Stefen Wenta (Polish National Ballet) to their 1st Annual Scholarship Benefit "In Bloom." The event will feature classical ballet performances by CBLA students and special guest artists, plus, a silent auction and outdoor reception. Tickets: $50, $100 and $250. All proceeds are tax-deductible and will benefit the City Ballet of LA Scholarship fund.
The CBLA School is a full scholarship program dedicated to disassociating priviledge with art by giving children in economically deprived areas of L.A. the opportunity to learn the fine art of ballet. Founder and artistic director Robyn Gardenhire, formerly of Joffrey II and the Cleveland Ballet is developing a first-class Company from which the most promising dancers of the CBLA school will be selected and nurtured. (323) 290-1932. www.cityballetofla.org

Media and Photo Inquiries, contact Zabrina Horton, (310) 344-1109, or email: AgentZPR@hotmail.com




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