Classes resume August 10, 2009

Sleeping Beauty Ballet performances:

• March 20, 2009 at 7:00pm - Troup Auditorium
• March 21, 2009 at 7:00pm - Troup Auditorium
• March 22, 2009 at 2:00pm - Troup Auditorium

Tickets :

• Reserved $15 Adult, $12 Student
• General Admission $12 Adult, $8 Student

Phone: 706-882-9909 for tickets and information!

See you there - you don’t wanna miss this!!!

Gell doesn’t take this task lightly.

“My goal each year is to take a new look and a different approach in order to offer our community a production that is fresh and interesting,” she said. “Sometimes this comes with small visual changes and rearrangement of the dance patterns, but often the result is a major restaging in order to tell the story from a different perspective.”

This year, she decided to look at the “back story” of the familiar tale, to discover what happens before the ballet begins, in an effort to better portray the story through dance. (See box for the story.)

Some of her biggest challenges were the transitions from the scene in Clara’s living room where she falls asleep, to the battle under the tree to the snow scene.

“I’ve always wanted to make clear to the audience that Clara gets smaller rather than the tree magically grows, and to create some kind of logical visual connection from the battle to the snow scene,” she said.

So this year, she added more “magical” devices, including the doll box that is so pivotal in the opening party number.

“This year, 20 new young dancers, ages 6 and 7, have been added as little rats and little soldiers,” she said. “They have been great to work with. We had so much fun creating this together. These small dancers have boundless imagination and enthusiasm for their roles. I can’t wait to see them onstage.”

She’s added rhythmic gymnastic ribbons and wands to the Marzipan candy number.

“This is three girls dancing with 9 feet of ribbon,” she said. “The ribbons make beautiful patterns around the dancers as they move. I was inspired by the Olympic gymnasts I saw on TV from China.”

Gell also had to deal with some drama backstage when the original guest artist from Miami broke two bones in his foot a couple of weeks before he was scheduled to leave for LaGrange. The dancer scheduled to perform the role of the Cavalier had a family emergency come up and cancelled.

“It was a few days for major stress, but our booking agent and past Cavalier, Todd Fox, was able to find and secure the services of Justin Peck, currently with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, for us,” Gell said. “He will be dancing the snow pas de deux with Claire Mallory and the sugar plum pas de deux with Anna Lanier. They are really beautiful.”

The Lafayette Ballet Company presents “The Nutcracker” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday in the fine arts auditorium at Troup High School. Reserved tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students, and general admission tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children. They are available at Lafayette Society for Performing Arts Center, 214 Bull St., Hill Street House and Artists in Residence. For information, call (706) 882-9909.

Dear Friends,

As the Director, my goal each year is to take a new look and a different “approach” in order to offer our community a production that is fresh and interesting.

Sometimes this comes about through small visual changes and rearrangement of the dance patterns, but often the result is a major restaging in order to tell the story from a different perspective.  To do this, I’ve often found that the best approach is to ask myself questions about the story.  As the questions are answered, a main thematic direction comes forward and takes on a life of its own.

This year I wanted to bring out a stronger sense of magic, to make the visuals more interesting and to create a more dramatic production.

So, I began by wondering:

Who put the “spell” on the Nutcracker and why?

What is the Nutcracker doing with Drosselmyer?

Why do Clara and the Nutcracker go through the Kingdom of Snow?

What is the “River of Roses” there for?

The answers to those questions prompted the development of a back story and the addition of 20 more dancers to the production.

So, here is the back story that evolved and takes place before the ballet begins…..

The Kingdom of Sweets is under attack from the Rat Kingdom.  The borders of the land are being eaten by the Rats!  In desperation, the Sugar Plum Fairy, ruler of the Kingdom of Sweets, sends an envoy to the human magician Drosselmyer to try to stop the incursions.

The envoy travels down the River of Roses, through the Snow Kingdom and at last arrives in the mortal world.  Drosselmyer tells the envoy that the lair of the Rat Queen is in the home of his niece Clara.   They decide that Drosselmyer can best sneak the envoy into the house by casting a spell to turn him into a Nutcracker and taking him to the party as a gift for Clara.  When the clock strikes midnight, the spell will be released and the envoy will be free to do battle with the Rat Queen.

The ballet begins with Drosselmyer on his way to the party and the story continues………..

GSPAC 2008

GSPAC 2008
This has just been a wonderful 2 weeks – Tiring? Yes, but also energizing.

This year’s GSPAC program was, in my opinion, the best one we have ever held, and is an example of the way our new class schedule is set up with each dance discipline complementing and enhancing the other.

Each Day began with a Floor Barre: 1/2 hour of Group mental focus on muscle preparation for physical learning, followed by a 2 hour class with Guest Teachers alternating Contemporary or Jazz with Ballet training.

We had a wonderful roster of Guest Teachers this year.

Mr. Todd Fox: Currently an International Guest Artist with South Africa’s Ballet Theatre African, Ireland’s Cork City Ballet, Yugoslavia’s Serbian National Theatre Ballet, Scotland’s Ballet West, and Venezuela’s Ballet Metropolitan de Caracas.

“I recently had the pleasure of teaching both advanced and intermediate level ballet classes for the GSPAC summer intensive program.
During class, I focused on fundamental ballet technique, dynamics of movement, as well as over-all musical phrasing.
The students at GSPAC are very well disciplined; they take correction well, keep open minds, and are willing to try new approaches and ideas. It was a pleasure to help hone and shape their ballet technique which will hopefully translate into many different aspects of their future lives.  All of them came to my classes with a sound work ethic, friendly personality, and ready to be challenged by my teachings.

In my experience as an instructor not all ballet institutions share this same positive atmosphere and the qualities which I feel are essential to the learning process. The Director, Nancy Gell, has provided these students with a solid foundation of ethics, discipline, and enthusiasm which in turn allows them to be able to take full advantage of any instructor, including myself, who comes to LaGrange to offer their wisdom and teachings. It has been a privilege to be a part of this organization and I look forward to returning in the future to share the joy of dance with all of the students attending.”

Sean Kelly: Former Principal Danseur and Ballet Master for the Houston Ballet, currently the Resident Director for the Broadway and Touring shows of Tyla Tharp’s “Movin Out”

“I worked with the students on the precision of their movements: for example, fully stretching and shaping the feet and legs.  We worked on the presentation of the upper body to express the mood of the music and on how the same step can mean different things to the viewer depending on how it is executed.  I made some of the class combinations quite challenging to help the dancers learn new choreography more quickly.

The dancers here are very well trained and clearly trained in a professional environment.  They have a good understanding of how to work intelligently and in a manner that respects their chosen art form.

I really enjoyed teaching here.

To the dancers:  Keep working hard and enjoy the process of development.  Even as a professional, you should always be trying to grow both technically and also as an artist.  It truly is a journey and not just a destination.  Stay open and positive to input from your excellent teachers.”

Caitlin Granville – Contemporary and Broadway Jazz:  Came to us on the recommendation of MIM, Va.  She is a recent graduate of Shenandoah University with a BFA degree in dance and is well versed in Pilates floor technique, Ballet, Contemporary, Jazz and Broadway dance styles.  She is at the beginning of her career and is a beautiful dancer!

“We worked on expanding their movement vocabulary and relating it to their already strong ballet technique.  In class, we focused a lot on the movement and manipulation of the spine and the core strength required to execute all movements properly.  In the “Phrases”, we focused on the connectivity of the movements and keeping a constant flow of energy.

The dancers are very strong technically and very “open” to new movement.  I saw them all grow so much during these 2 weeks and really enjoyed getting to know each one of them.

I would love to teach here again.  The atmosphere is amazing and the LGB Director and staff are so knowledgeable and helpful in every way.

To the Dancers: I hope they received as much as I did out of the experience.  Never be afraid to take risks with your dancing and keep exploring all the ways your body can move.”

Val Longshore: Graduate of LaGrange College, and our Resident Lighting Designer:Acting through movement, Stage Make- up and Stagecraft
Gell – design concepts – headpiece, make-up or costume

Beau Foister: Jazz
” I worked with the dancers on classic Jazz technique and we did some “Pop Jazz” combinations.   I loved the studio space, and the dancers were well trained – very attentive and open to learning new things.  I would be honored to return and teach here again.  I would like to THANK all of the students for their enthusiasm, hard work and their clear love for the ART of dance!”

Sean Kelly - Did a sampling of sections from a real “Movin Out” audition.  He shared his experience in working with Twyla Tharp and the kinds of things that can make or break a dancer at an audition.  He stressed that auditions are very different from taking classes.  The dancer must try to incorporate and show back what the choreographer is “looking for” in the performance, and he stressed that they also need to project a positive energy at all times.  Choreographers see many wonderful and well trained dancers – so what makes the people who get “HIRED” stand out?  Twyla for example will often reject an excellent dancer because of what she has observed about their attitude and energy when they don’t think they are being observed.  He also talked about the differences between commercial “Broadway” jobs and Not for Profit Ballet companies.  Dancers on Broadway are paid more, but there is far more competition for the limited number of jobs, they do 8 shows a week and are only working on one show at a time which is less interesting artistically for the performers.  Broadway is Commercial based ( Time = money) while Ballet companies are funded which allows for more creativity and experimentation in dance forms.  On Broadway dancers work on 1 show repeatedly for several years and in Ballet/ Modern companies, dancers work on multiple repertoire in various dance styles all the time.

He also stressed that a lack of commitment, inconsistent work ethic and a negative attitude can prevent a dancer from ever being hired again.  The professional dance world is small and Directors all talk to each other.

We hope everyone has had an enjoyable summer. This is a time when we all evaluate where we are and where we are headed, scheduling our time and setting goals for us and our children. We are glad you have chosen LaGrange School of Ballet to be a part of your students training. We have had a great start and look forward to a great year.

September Reminders

• Labor Day – No Classes
• Tuition due the 15^th
• Nutcracker Auditions Clara for girls age 9-12

11:00 – 12:30

Boys for age 7-10

11:00 – 12:00

Fritz 12:00 – 12:30

• Colored leotards permitted in all classes the week of September 22 – 26
• Mandatory Nutcracker Orientation for Cast member Parents

September 18, 6:00-7:00 pm

Upcoming October Dates

• October 6 – 11 Parent Observation Week
• Fall Break-Oct. 13-14
• October 15 Tuition Due for Month 3