5/18/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

We hope you had a good weekend and that you didn’t experience flooding from the massive amount of rain. Our home is fine, but our boulevard has a small lake in the middle of it! Messy for us, but our dear Gabe does love to jump in puddles, and small lakes! Gotta love those water dogs :)

Yesterday we wrote a press release for our At-Home Gala. Here’s what will be coming out today, published by Candace Jordan in the Chicago Tribune. It captures the magic of our full Gala Program in a most exciting way. Thank you, Jessica Strang, for your help in making this happen!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Megan Sindelar, Ballet Chicago

Phone:     312-543-5194

Email:      msindelar@balletchicago.org

Ballet Chicago announces “Sterling Celebration At-Home Gala”

Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the opening of the School of Ballet Chicago, the Sterling Celebration At-Home Gala, to be held virtually on May 21st, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. CDT, will honor the artistic excellence of Ballet Chicago and launch the next 25 years!

Unique in the region, the School of Ballet Chicago affords its students a high-level training program with culmination in performance of masterworks by George Balanchine, and other choreographers including Ballet Chicago Resident Choreographer Ted Seymour and Artistic Director Daniel Duell. Performance venues include the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the historic Athenaeum Theatre, and the Chicago Cultural Center.

 “Where artistic excellence and content of character forge the next generation…” these words capture the essence of Ballet Chicago’s mission to develop the artists of tomorrow through the study of today’s classical ballet as defined by George Balanchine, the 20th century’s greatest and most celebrated choreographer. 

The Sterling Celebration At-Home Gala will feature live music by Ballet Chicago’s own Maestro of Melodies John Mannos, our original At-home Serenade video conceived and produced by BCSC dancer Dana Coons and her peers; remarks by Commissioner of the City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events Mark Kelly, and Nicole Cornell from the George Balanchine Trust.  Presenters include Artistic Director Daniel Duell and Associate Director Patricia Blair, Ballet Chicago staff and community.  The event features a silent auction (12 noon on 5/19/20 – 12 midnight on 5/21/20) and a live paddle raise by the auctioneer extraordinaire Greg “G Man” Dellinger on May 21st at 7:45pm.  All proceeds benefit Ballet Chicago’s scholarship programs:  The Philip and Marsha Dowd Merit Scholarship Fund and Dance for Tomorrow serving inner-city students, children in foster care, and those in financial need.

Join in commemorating Ballet Chicago’s 25-year milestone! 

RSVP by following this link: https://balletchicagogala.app.rsvpify.com/

Special thanks to our annual sponsors including Wintrust Community Bank, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., American Girl, IAC, DCASE, McNally Capital, Tutu School Chicago, Designs by Rosa, Neurosport Chicago, The Florian Fund, and our wonderful individual sponsors Phillip and Marsha Dowd, Chris and Erin Behnke, The Markel Family, The Richard Family, and all Masterwork Society donors.

And a heartfelt thank you to all our Gala Sponsors including Chicago Artist Luis Arevalo, Tutu School Chicago, Andrew Weeks Photography, Coco + Peach Fine Jewelry, The East Bank Club, Wear Moi Dancewear, IO Comedy Club, Briana Jarrin with MAC Cosmetics, MD Complete Skin Care, Jaclyn Beattie Personal Styling, Discovery Toys, Zarely Performance Tights, Norwex, Gabe the Pup, Ted Seymour Custom Pottery, and last but not least, Ballet Chicago’s wonderful faculty and pianists.

It’s going to be such a fun evening - we hope you will all join us!

And now for today’s rollouts:

- Intermediate 2 with Ms. Green and Kyle Kunkler (Recorded)
- Emma Wittig Isometric Workout (Recorded)
- Pre-Ballet Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (Katherine Alvarado)
- Introduction to Ballet Story-Time and Ballet Zoom Class (Hurst)
- Ballet 3A and 3B Zoom Class (Hurst/Kunkler)
- BCSC Zoom Class (Blair/Mannos)

Our love to you all, our beautiful BC family…

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell


PS – Silent Auction Preview – Chicago Artist Luis Arevalo Original Acrylic Painting - “Orange Bloom in Blue”

Size:  30" tall by 40" width

From the Artist:  "The Orange and Blue colors were inspiration from the Ballet Chicago performance at the Harris Theater. (Spring 2019) of an original and unique ballet experience from Ted Seymour's choreography. (Long Living Line). Before each performance, Ballet Chicago's diversity is always noted by Daniel Duell, which resonates with me, resulting in the diversity of the ballerinas in my painting."

Below, you will see a photo of the painting, and below that, a video made by the artist to express his love and appreciation of the dance.

Artists video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjGEBsug2zs&list=PLOWoHf56bP1HM3K-VkJGa_epFjFGE98kh&index=2&t=0s

Isometrics (All Levels): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfdS8c4-NZw&list=PLOWoHf56bP1GinruvUSUfq4yVWKOpfZPD&index=3&t=0s

Isometrics (BCSC): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_F32iyx5o_Q&list=PLOWoHf56bP1GinruvUSUfq4yVWKOpfZPD&index=2&t=0s

Intermediate 2 (Levels 4 & 5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcmFJ8ksf28&list=PLOWoHf56bP1Ez9-BOLC_RNN2LJMFhaTSK&index=2&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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5/15/2020

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Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

Remembering Mr. B. …"We cannot ignore even one moment…”

In his company class Mr. B. always had us polishing the simple steps, the small steps, and the connecting steps, ones like “glissade” and “petit failli”, making them as finished as every other step, and as specifically timed.

One day in the center, Mr. B. gave a swift, complex “petit allegro” combination, consisting of pas jetes battus, glissades, and petit failli, among other steps. Mr. B. wanted a particular emphasis on the petit failli, connecting two other steps with extra articulate footwork and a change of body direction at the same time. To impress upon us the importance of that brief moment, Mr. B. paused the combination for a moment and said (my paraphrase), “You see, a composer is a very, very, very great person...starts with nothing, and makes a design of sound in time. Every moment of that design is conscious - there are no empty moments. So how can we ignore even one moment when we dance to music?” Then he followed with an intriguing speculation: “If you copied one note per second of what Mozart wrote in his 35 years, you would not finish in an entire lifetime…” His admiration for Mozart’s copious musical output over his short life, conceived from scratch with astounding invention and speed, was clear. 

Later on, Jacques d’Amboise carried this idea into transitional moments onstage, ones when a dancer walks or runs from one place to another between sequences of steps. Jacques’ counsel was that all moments onstage, even walking or running to place, need to be musically timed so as to remain a part of the overall design of choreography to music. 

My own feeling is that one needs to “inhabit” the music one moves to, to live inside it, to enter its realm of design with one’s heart, soul, and entire physical being. One needs to feel how each piece of music breathes and develops, how its cadences rise and fall, how its rhythms can be made visible, and how we can draw the viewer into it through our dancing.

Simply put, no part of a dancer’s being can ignore even one moment of the music to which we move. 

Needless to say, this is an important part of our daily training at Ballet Chicago, evidenced by having our wonderful pianists for our classes.

And now for today’s rollouts:

- Ballet 1 and Ballet 2 Technique with Ms. Vonder Haar and Jeremy Harris (Recorded)
- Pointe Barre with Ms. Green and Kyle Kunkler (Recorded)
- Logan Hutt’s Cardio Barre (Recorded)
- Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Class (Seymour/Smith)
- BCSC Technique (Seymour/Mannos)
- Student Division 5pm Zoom Meeting and Secret Garden Gathering

We hope you got to spend some time in the sunshine yesterday afternoon – it was so beautiful outside…

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

P.S. - RSVP to our Virtual Sterling Gala Celebration on Thursday, May 21 from 7:00 - 8:30 pm CT here: https://balletchicagogala.app.rsvpify.com

Pointe Barre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fxjrXnsGus&list=PLOWoHf56bP1GGOnrEVbJTlz6gMQCq2ZgX&index=2&t=0s

Cardio Barre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--PW_nNrtWI&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FofRMe8TGeIcx_ow52FHrA&index=2&t=0s

Bravo Boys!: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOWoHf56bP1F8Ff_HQrFMANjkz6p-EqgO

Beginner Ballet (Levels 1 & 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkYvODSth1M&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FFWiXKOGnUQ3BhUk7XsXz5&index=2&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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5/14/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

One week from today we will all join together to celebrate 25 years of the School of Ballet Chicago!

We have a wonderful evening planned for you -  surprise guest speakers and stirring videos of our beautiful students, a fun cocktail/mocktail making demo, the beautiful music of Maestro Mannos and our signature Paddle Raise with the” G-Man” Greg Dellinger.  So join the party! Bring the kids, bring the pets and enjoy this delightful, interactive, action-packed evening!

We have some amazing auction items for you:
-Original Acrylic Painting by Luis Arevalo – Orange Bloom and Blue (30”tall by 40” wide) Mr. Arevalos states the diversity in his painting is "reflective of what he sees on the Ballet Chicago stage."
- Wear Moi Gift Packages (1 for each level – bid one level up from your current class level)
- Private Lessons Galore:

• Gyrotonic with Mr. Duell

• Ballet with Ms. Blair

• Ballet with Mr. Seymour

• Ballet with Ms. Hurst

• Ballet with Ms. Green

• Ballet with Ms. Vonder Haar

• Pilates with Logan Hutt

- A Tutu School Magical Birthday Party from Genevieve Custer Weeks
- Dance Photo Session with Andrew Weeks (he’s the one that did the Nutcracker book for us)
- Mr. Seymour’s beautiful hand made Lumiere’s with custom glazing in the color of your choice
- Earrings by Coco + Peach - Locally Designed and Inspired by the Magic of Chicago
- Four Tickets to IO Comedy Club – Ms. Wright has performed there
- Discovery Toys Summer Play Pack – includes the best toys for outdoor exploration and learning
- A Jaclyn Beattie 2 Hour Wardrobe Consultation
- A Day-forTwo at the East Bank Club, including a $50 gift card and a master-trainer session
- Coco + Peach Cufflinks
- Renew Self Care Set by MD Complete Skin Care
- Zarely Performance Tights Gift Cards
- Ballet Chicago Nutcracker Package (10 tickets and an onstage photo op!)
- And last but not least, a playdate with our beautiful pup Gabe

And to those of you who have attended our live Galas in the past,  you’ll surely remember the fun and excitement of our Paddle Raise and Last Bid challenge.  Last year, we had tickets to West Side Story. This year we bring you a COVID Relief Basket with some very hard-to-find items. Hint - As I saturate paper towels with bleach to clean my phone, I have been heard to say “My kingdom for a pack of Clorox Wipes”

We are so looking forward to next Thursday and to seeing you on the Zoom. RSVP Here: https://balletchicagogala.app.rsvpify.com

And now, on to today’s rollouts:

- Creative Movement Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (Hurst)
- Ballet 3A and 3B Zoom Class (Hurst/Kunkler)
- Pilates with Logan Hutt
- Advanced Ballet
- BCSC Zoom Meeting

Sending you all so much love and zillions of hugs…

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Pilates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOUk3FbO9e4&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FofRMe8TGeIcx_ow52FHrA&index=2&t=0s

Advanced BCSC Class: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOWoHf56bP1EP2XDWuVtQoegediGYDIpp

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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5/13/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

We have had a lot of conversations with students over the past five days.  Most of them are the older ones, the Studio Company dancers, who are truly mourning not being able to perform Spring Rep at the Harris Theatre.  Many of them feel as if the floor was ripped out from underneath them.  In our conversations, it has become apparent to us that part of their fear is their mistrust of the future and what it might bring. We, on the other hand, have been around long enough to have experienced very difficult national crises in our lifetime - 9/11, the Vietnam War, the assassination of JFK, the Challenger disaster... and we grew up with great grandparents, grandparents and parents talking about the horrors of World War II, the Korean War, the Great Depression - stories that we listened to around our dinner tables in our youth. We marveled at the bravery and resiliency of our family members, and our hearts were filled with respect for each one of them.

We realize that part of the difficulty for our students is that they don’t have the perspective to understand that as difficult as these things are and can be, we do come out the other side of it.  In our conversations with Phil and Marsha Dowd, Phil said something very interesting to us that helped to calm us. His words frame our current situation in a far broader perspective:

“Smart people like to say 'Things will never be the same' and of course that's always true. But I don't think things are going to change that much as a result of this virus. How much did things change after the Spanish Flu?  In the last 100 years the US has certainly seen some major events.  How much change in our everyday life did any of them actually bring?  Technology has certainly changed the way we live, but shocks like the depression, WWII, the dotcom bust, the 2008 recession, etc?  Did the sinking of the Titanic end ship travel across the Atlantic Ocean?  Did 9/11 end construction of tall buildings?  Did the offices in the top half of the Sears Tower go vacant?”

Our hope is that this broader perspective is a catalyst for calm, a way to reach and begin to heal the insecurity that some of our students, and maybe even some of our parents, feel as this pandemic wears on. Is a longer view necessary at this time, and do more years on this planet, the overcoming of more challenges, more experiences in our back pockets, provide reassurance? We think so, because we know that references from our past help us to manage our present.

In our hearts, we understand that we will get through this, that things will get better.  As frustrating as the shelter in place order is, and as heartbreaking as the tragedies we experience at this time are, we do know that we will survive it, surmount it, and that we will all be together in person again. Food for thought! 

We offer these words with humility, love, and prayers - and the hope that they may bring some peace.

And now, on to today’s rollouts:

- Wednesday Yoga with Maggie Vannucci (Recorded)
- Bravo Boys Zoom Class (Seymour/Kunkler)
- Ballet 1 and Ballet 2 Zoom Class (Blair/Cross)
- Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Pointe Barre (Hurst/Harris)
- BCSC Zoom Class (Seymour/Mannos)

Until tomorrow, beautiful dancers…

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_7j1pV5Myg&list=PLOWoHf56bP1HeKE7tdrI6NtqWE8J4Tpxe&index=2&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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5/12/2020

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Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

Remembering Mr. B…

“A hundred times a day” - the paintbrush of hands, wrists, and fingers.

One of Mr. B.’s most stringent requirements in his company class was cultivating the shaping of hands, wrists, and fingers in movement. Making clear shapes in the air without any sort of graph or chart or measurement other than one’s in-person observation of a teacher’s demonstration is a challenge! One day in Mr. B.’s company class when I was still new in the company, our first combination in the center was 15 tendus to the front in croise while “air-phrasing” a repeated pattern of wrists, hands, and fingers every four counts. The sixteenth tendu went to ecarte derriere and closed to fifth behind, and the combination then repeated to the left. The wrist, hand, and finger pattern as demonstrated by Mr. B. was quite specific, but to my novice young dancer’s mind, it was less important than showing heroic big steps to come later in the class. 

Mr. B. stopped the combination for a moment and said to me, “To become accurate, you need to practice hundred times a day.” My young mind thought - "This simple little thing, a hundred times a day? What about the big steps I am dying to show?” Mr. B. looked at me in that moment, and said, “Hmm...I can tell you are not going to do…” Talk about being “caught-out”! But that motivated me to tackle that arms and hands pattern one hundred times a day for a long time. In doing so I discovered that reproducing wrist/hand/finger movement patterns in the air with absolute precision is not so easy - such an elusive thing requires much repetition! But after a month of steady practice it began to happen with ease, and eventually it became second nature.

On that day in company class, as on many others, Mr. B. was pursuing how we “paint the air” with our arms, wrists, hands, and fingers.. Like a paintbrush that changes shape as it flows along a wall, our wrists, hands, and fingers all need to change shape in the flow of movement, resolving into crystallized form at the end of each phrase. And in the same way that a paintbrush must be guided very precisely to deliver a clean paint job, so our arms, hands, wrists, and fingers must be guided very precisely to deliver clear, yet lyrical, dancing. 

As most serious dancers come to realize, wrists, hands, and fingers are the great “finishers” of polish and clarity in ballet. If they are not constantly, clearly articulated, the strongest, cleanest dancing in every other respect will still look unfinished. 

Thus we place great emphasis on the paintbrush of wrists, hands, and fingers here at Ballet Chicago. And by the way, that paintbrush not only provides clear, lyrical dancing, but it also brings out each artist’s individuality, something that is important to us at every stage of our young artists’ development. 

And now, today’s rollouts include:

- Intermediate 1 with Ms. Vonder Haar and Greg Smith (Recorded) – YES, Ms. Vonder Haar is back!
- 3A and 3B Pre-Pointe Zoom Class (VanEekeren/Smith)
- Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Class (Wright/Mannos)
- BCSC Zoom Class (Duell/Harris)

And today’s Step of the Week is Preparation for Fouetté. This is a great way for our young students to learn the principle of fouetté that will serve them not only for adagio work, but eventually will make your fouetté jumps and tour jetés clean and clear. And for our more advanced dancers, this is your chance to make sure those tour jetés really do go front – side – back, no more helicopter legs!

And we have an Update for our Preparatory Division Students.  Based on the survey, here is the revised Story Time Ballet schedule:

- Creative Movement:  Thursday 10:15 – 10:45 with Ms. Hurst and Saturday 10:00 – 10:30 with Ms. VanEekeren
- Pre-Ballet:  Monday 10:145 – 11:15 and Saturday 10:30 – 11:00 with Ms. Katherine Alvarado
- Introduction to Ballet: Monday 11:00 – 1:30 with Ms. Hurst and Saturday 10:30 – 11:15am with Ms. VanEekeren

Finally, our Bravo Boys Zoom Class will take place on Wednesday at 3:00 PM.

Until tomorrow, beautiful dancers, and all of our wonderful parents…

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Intermediate 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtEZj5l6rT8&list=PLOWoHf56bP1Ez9-BOLC_RNN2LJMFhaTSK&index=2&t=0s

Step of the Week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0E3jXnKxXw&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FgPdD9u-h1gsq06KbFJP5z&index=2&t=0s

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5/11/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

We hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day and were able to celebrate together. And we hope you liked the virtual flowers we sent you. So, here we go - it’s Monday and the start of week nine of our quarantine. It’s hard to believe that we’ve been doing this for over two months. I know this was a tough weekend for all of us, missing what we would have been doing on stage at the Harris Theater. We heard from many dancers and parents individually, expressing your sorrow and struggles in dealing with the loss of doing what you most look forward to. We get it, we feel the same sorrow. So, some of you may be feeling very sad, some of you may feel like “what’s the point”. It’s OK to have these moments of doubt, but we want to tell you that you need to keep your spirits up, you need to keep digging in. 

This will not last forever, and when it is over, we need to be ready to resume in person, in the studio, that which we love so dearly. And if you’re worried about not being in the same shape that you normally are when in the studio all the time, let us relieve you of that concern. We know how to get you back to where you were, and we can help you NOW to develop skills that will allow you to gain ground even during this quarantine. So stay strong, stay healthy, keep your spirits up, and keep dancing, beautiful dancers!

We have a couple of things to share with you. One is this beautiful rendering of ballerinas from all over the world dancing the Dying Swan. It is called Swans for Relief and was created by Misty Copeland and Joseph Phillips to raise funds to support dancers around the world. Mr. Duell calls it “A Swan Song of Hope for the World”. It is very beautiful – enjoy! 

https://youtu.be/exuUvJ-HzW0

The second is rather silly, but very cute.  It is a little “Dr. Seuss” poem honoring teachers and students in the midst of COVID-19.

I will teach you in a room.
I will teach you now on ZOOM.
I will teach you in your house.
I will teach you with a mouse.
I will teach you here and there.
I will teach you because I care.

And now for today’s rollouts:

- Intermediate 2 with Ms. Green and Kyle Kunkler (Recorded)
- Emma Wittig Isometric Workout (Recorded)
- Pre-Ballet Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (Katherine Alvarado)
- Introduction to Ballet Story-Time and Ballet Zoom Class (Hurst)
- Ballet 3A and 3B Zoom Class (Hurst/Kunkler)
- BCSC Zoom Class (Blair/Mannos)

Until tomorrow, beautiful dancers, hang tough, and stay steady - Demi, Demi, grand, tendu, degage, etc… We love you all dearly.

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Intermediate 2 (Levels 4 & 5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1HeavrbUOw&list=PLOWoHf56bP1Ez9-BOLC_RNN2LJMFhaTSK&index=2&t=0s

Isometrics - All Levels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkkcBAtW3zA&list=PLOWoHf56bP1GinruvUSUfq4yVWKOpfZPD&index=2&t=0s

Isometrics - BCSC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwQgS9jys-s&list=PLOWoHf56bP1GinruvUSUfq4yVWKOpfZPD&index=3&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

5/8/2020

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Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

Before we get to Mr. Duell’s rendering of his influential teachers, we wanted to take this moment to recognize our Ballet Chicago teachers! They have all been working tirelessly to deliver the written lesson plans, pre-recorded classes, zoom classes, and the fun supplementary content that goes to you every day. We so appreciate their efforts and willingness to learn how to do something none of us have ever done before - teach ballet online!  Who would have thought we’d see this day…  

Our marketing team is also working above and beyond, coordinating and downloading all of this information so that you can have it not only in real time but on the portal our students can access at any time.  

And now, here’s Mr. Duell…

Going back to first ballet lessons in 1963 in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio, a memory of the inimitable Miss Jo, my very first teacher,  was hearing, “Oh, but HONey!…” followed by a blistering technical or character critique.  But she also gave warm-hearted support. She could not abide negative dressing room gossip, what she called “scuttlebutt” - if you got caught engaging in scuttlebut, you would hear from her, big time (I think Ms. Blair channels Miss Jo on that issue)! Miss Jo and her co-founder sister Hermene established and maintained a well-rounded program with a performing civic company, giving us participants a very strong technical and artistic grounding.

David McLain, my first male teacher, taught every class with unbridled joy. His natural enthusiasm encouraged energy and confidence in us beginners. I had him for three years before he moved on to direct the dance department at Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. 

Jon Rodriguez, of Spanish heritage, had beautiful legs and feet, and clear, clean execution. His dancing was just beautiful - I remember the great clarity of his “petit allegro” steps, and his gorgeous “entrechat-six”! His classroom teaching also focused on clean technique, and helped us young dancers advance.

Bess Saylor was our teacher for Graham technique. Bess’s soft voice sounded tender, but she was technically very demanding. She loved large-scale movement, and her choreography to Benjamin Britten’s music for “Four Sea interludes” and “Fall Into Winter” was very challenging, and provided much artistic growth. 

The summer of 1969 brought my first encounter with Stanley Williams and Antonina Tumkovsky, in SAB’s former non air-conditioned studios on Broadway at 82nd St.  Mme. Tumkovsky (“Tumi”) taught us about strength, stamina, and attention to sequence. Stanley Williams was at first a bit of a mystery, but his partnering classes were inspiring and enabling.

Fall 1969 - Stanley Williams became far and away my main influence, as was true for many dancers during Stanley’s 37 years at SAB as the principal men’s teacher and technique teacher for ladies. Stanley was always about quality and clarity first - quantity by itself was of no interest to him. It was Stanley who practiced the unique approach of “through lines” of technique for all steps. His short, often repeated words, like “in”, “over”, “through”, “point my knee”, applied to everything, from plies to tendus, to moving steps, to turns, to jumps. His heritage in the Bournonville tradition (he had been a soloist with the Royal Danish Ballet) also imbued his teaching with a very beautiful use of epaulement and port de bras.

June 1972 - As a new company member, I began the amazing journey of learning from Mr. B., who, even though he was a phenomenal choreographer, always considered himself first and foremost a teacher. It was in his company class that his teachings about “dancing beyond technique” were imparted to us dancers. Over the course of the ten and a half years of taking his company classes, we all learned a vast range of things that I might summarize as how to challenge one’s limits in every way, speed, slowness, stamina, amplitude, clean articulation of small steps, rhythmic clarity, technical control, awareness of arms, heads, epaulement, and how to look ALIVE, bigger than life, at all times. More than any other teacher, it was Mr. B. who infused into my very being, “If you can, you must!” 

There were some other influential teachers, mentors on the side who were very meaningful in my performing career. Jacques d’Amboise in particular greatly reinforced all of Mr. B,’s teaching, and set a supreme example of beautiful partnering. It was he who taught me that “all of partnering is dancing”, and how to make the placing of one’s hands for turns and lifts disappear, disguised within the movement of “port de bras.” Violette Verdy danced with inspiring musicality, energy, and gracious warmth, and it was she who was responsible for my being invited to SAB - I am ever grateful to her. And last but not least, Suzanne Farrell showed me in every performance how courageously “oneself” it was possible to be onstage.

And now for today’s rollouts:

- Bravo Boys! with Mr. Seymour and Greg Smith (Recorded)
- Pointe Barre with Ms. Green and Kyle Kunkler (Recorded)
- Logan Hutt’s Cardio Barre (Recorded)
- Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Class (Seymour/Smith)
- BCSC Technique (Seymour/Mannos)
- Student Division 5pm Zoom Meeting and Secret Garden Gathering

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Pointe Barre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zf8VRqh_NVs&list=PLOWoHf56bP1GGOnrEVbJTlz6gMQCq2ZgX&index=2&t=0s

Cardio Barre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1H_9IoisAxQ&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FofRMe8TGeIcx_ow52FHrA&index=2&t=0s

Bravo Boys!: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOWoHf56bP1F8Ff_HQrFMANjkz6p-EqgO

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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5/7/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

Continuing with National Teachers’ Week, we wanted to talk with you about some of our most influential teachers.  For me (Ms. Blair) there were so many who shaped me, including my first childhood teachers, Maryanne and Romaine Strilka, then at SAB, Alexandra Danilova, Antonina Tumkovsky, and Stanley Williams.  

Danilova has an especially fond place in my heart.  There was a time when my family was really struggling.  We did not have much money at all.  I had just one leotard and one pair of tights which I diligently washed by hand every night.  Some of the girls, and sadly even some parents, made fun of me because I was poor. I was the only girl in the variations class that did not have a skirt, and one day, Madam Danilova pulled me aside and gave me a little bag in which there were three beautiful skirts! I teared up immediately – I was overwhelmed by her kindness. I thanked her and curtsied what I hope was a most reverent curtsy, and placed them very neatly in my little dance bag. I felt such joy and gratitude toward her! I wore those skirts for years, always with a secret smile. I eventually passed them on to a young student who needed them as much as I had, those many years before. I often think of how grateful I am that the BC family is kind to the students in our school.

Other influential teachers for me were Nolan Dingman, Mimi Paul and Gina Vidal at North Carolina School of the Arts, and then back in NYC, Nanette Charisse, David Howard, Robert Denvers, Melissa Hayden, and most beloved of all Willy Burmann, who taught and coached me for most of my performing career. Willy was very demanding – his classes were blisteringly fast and hard, yet he was endlessly generous with his time, his advice, and his encouragement. I think of him now, in heaven, alongside Mr. B and the many artists who shaped ballet in America, and shaped generations of dancers.

For Mr. Duell, there is also a long list – he will talk with you about them in tomorrow’s update!

AND FOR OUR BC STUDENT DIVISION DANCERS - I wanted to make a special mention about tomorrow’s meeting, now rescheduled for 5pm.  We will have our normal weekly conversation, but in this Zoom call,  taking place on the day that would have been our Dress Rehearsal at the Harris Theater, Mr. Duell is going to share with you special information about his vision for The Secret Garden. We so hope you will ALL join us! Parents are welcome as well.

And now, on to today’s rollouts:

- Creative Movement Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (VanEekeren)
- Pre-Ballet Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (Katherine Alvarado)
- Introduction to Ballet Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (VanEekeren)
- Ballet 3A and 3B Zoom Class (Hurst/Kunkler)
- Pilates with Logan Hutt
- Advanced Ballet
- BCSC Zoom Meeting

Sending you all so much love and zillions of hugs…

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Pilates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlFMaHCFaN4&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FofRMe8TGeIcx_ow52FHrA&index=2&t=0s

Advanced Class: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOWoHf56bP1EP2XDWuVtQoegediGYDIpp

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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5/6/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

This is National Teachers’ Week, so we would like to give a shout out to all teachers, including those in academics, music, visual and performing arts, and of course, ballet. Teachers throughout the world are reaching out to stay connected to the students they educate and inspire each day, and countless parents are taking on new teaching duties in their homes. In light of that, we want to share with you something so funny and endearing that we saw on Jimmy Fallon’s “Tonight Show.” We don’t get to watch a lot of TV, but we did enjoy a very sweet episode where Jimmy was talking about his wife's and his experience of homeschooling their two young girls, who are very active and beyond adorable. Jimmy declared, “Teachers should be paid $1 billion a year!” His statement, accompanied by his daughters climbing on top of his head and him reaching up to hug them, made us laugh a really big laugh for the first time in a while, and we think a lot of people are experiencing the same sentiment. And what a stimulus package that would make! 

So, as many of you take on homeschooling your own children, we applaud you! You need to be celebrated! And in honor of National Teachers Week, we give a heartfelt salute to all the teachers who educate and guide our children every day.  

Stay safe. Stay home, wash your hands, and practice social distancing - PLEASE, LET’S ALL HELP AND PROTECT EACH OTHER

And now, on to today’s rollouts:

- Wednesday Yoga with Maggie Vannucci (Recorded)
- Ballet 1 and Ballet 2 Zoom Class (Blair/Cross)
- Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Pointe Barre (Hurst/Harris
- BCSC Zoom Class (Seymour/Mannos)

Sending love, hugs, light, hope, and prayers...

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell


Ode to Teachers by Pat Mora

I remember
the first day,
how I looked down,
hoping you wouldn't see 
me,
and when I glanced up,
I saw your smile
shining like a soft light
from deep inside you.

“I'm listening,” you encourage us.
“Come on!
Join our conversation,
let us hear your neon certainties,
thorny doubts, tangled angers,”
but for weeks I hid inside.
I read and reread your notes
praising 
my writing,
and you whispered,
“We need you
and your stories
and questions
that like a fresh path
will take us to new vistas.”

Slowly, your faith grew
into my courage
and for you—
instead of handing you
a note or apple or flowers—
I raised my hand.

I carry your smile
and faith inside like I carry
my dog's face,
my sister's laugh,
creamy melodies,
the softness of sunrise,
steady blessings of stars,
autumn smell of gingerbread,
the security of a sweater on a chilly day.

Beginner Ballet (Levels 1 & 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vegOYimoJgY&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FFWiXKOGnUQ3BhUk7XsXz5&index=2&t=0s

Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5cTd_NVeIw&list=PLOWoHf56bP1HeKE7tdrI6NtqWE8J4Tpxe&index=2&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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5/5/2020

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Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

It’s cold outside! So, we lit our fire, lit our candles, and turned on our Christmas lights.  All good with me - I inherited from my Mom a deep love of celebration, even in the hardest times.

As we work our way through this, I am keeping those who are suffering in my prayers, and holding onto the fortitude to continue to do the next right thing. It is essential. I love you all dearly, and hold you all in my heart.

xoxox , Ms. Blair 


And now, from Mr. Duell…

 “Remembering Mr. B., and a special understudy story…”

At some point in my third or fourth year in the company (1975 or ‘76), I got called to understudy the principal role of the third movement of “Symphony in C”, the role that I ended up performing years later on the day Mr. B. passed away in 1983. 

I had not understudied the role for long, when one day in a stage rehearsal led by Mr. B., the designated third movement male lead had a sudden injury, and I was “thrown on”. There was a question about which version of the brief male solo was I to do (unlike ballerina roles, male dancers would often choose a solo which fitted them best, always with Mr. B.’s approval, of course). As it happened a wonderful mentor on the side (to many dancers), Jacques d’Amboise, had already taught me a version of the solo from a prior era, a version choreographed by Mr. B. on Jacques…. It involved a thrice-repeated sequence of a quick preparation into a triple pirouette, then jumping from the standing leg directly into a traveling grand jete, followed by a soutenu to fifth position, followed after the third repeat by a final pirouette into a double tour landing on one knee. Mr. B’s eyes opened wide when he observed me dance this version that he had not seen for a long time, and then on the spot he modified the sequence to a version that I was the only one ever to perform: from the triple pirouette, push off of the standing leg into a traveling “gargouillade en face” (facing straight front), still ending with the pirouette into double tour to the knee. 

The role was one that I performed numerous times with numerous ballerinas, and over the years I revised that brief solo myself, always with Mr. B.’s permission. But the version I cherish most is the one he devised for my very first performances of the role, with a very big thank you to Jacques d’Amboise for his ready help. 

Our beautiful BC dancers, please know that as we all await our return to the studios, we cherish you and our daily virtual experiences with you, including the opportunity to share some history from our performing years. 

And now, today’s rollouts include:

- Intermediate 1 with Ms. Hutt and Greg Smith (Recorded)
- Pre-Pointe Zoom Class (VanEekeren/Smith)
- Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Class (Wright/Mannos)
- BCSC Zoom Class (Duell/Harris)
- And today’s Step of the Week is Pique Turn. This will be great fun!

As we go dancing on, 

 Mr. Duell and Ms. Blair

Intermediate 1 ( 3A & 3B): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRl66ykIX0M&list=PLOWoHf56bP1Ez9-BOLC_RNN2LJMFhaTSK&index=2&t=0s

Step of the Week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bw8WcIdq6UI&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FgPdD9u-h1gsq06KbFJP5z&index=2&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

5/4/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

“The power of poetry”

Mr. Balanchine was known to have said “Dancers are poets of movement.” Indeed, the urge to express oneself in poetry finds a parallel with the urge to express oneself in movement - both involve a reaching within to find and express truths beyond fact, beyond intellectual description.

One day in Mr. B.’s company class while we were doing barre, which was typically swift, challenging in energy, and demanding in concentration, Mr. B. stood by me and said (my paraphrase from memory), “You should recite poetry, dear, while you do barre. Can you imagine how beautiful it will be to dance steps with legs and feet, while up here (indicating arms and head and epaulement), you will be expressing poetry?”

Back then I recalled that the great American dancer Jacques D’Amboise would demonstrate for the audience a complex set of leaps, tours, and turns while reciting a verse from “Pyramus and Thisbe” during independent touring concerts - that had deeply impressed me. 

Thus, the thought of enhancing one’s expressive capacity while doing barre was intriguing, so I turned to a collection of poems from high school days and chose one by Richard Realf, a mid-19th-century American poet. Titled “Indirection”, its ideas and beautiful language were captivating to me. So I memorized its five stanzas and practiced reciting them during solo nightly warmup barres before performances. It indeed is challenging to accurately recite poetic verse while keeping track of movement sequences and counts!

During a recent pre “shelter-in-place” Ballet Chicago Level 6 and 7 barre, I encouraged the dancers to bring out their inner poet, using this incident with Mr. B as an example, and witnessed new levels of self-expression in our beautiful young artists. Here is the poem - I hope you enjoy it! 

Fair are the flowers and the children, but their subtle suggestion is fairer; 
Rare is the rose-burst of dawn, but the secret that clasps it is rarer; 
Sweet the exultance of song, but the strain that precedes it is sweeter; 
And never was poem yet writ, but the meaning out-mastered the metre. 

Never a daisy that grows, but a mystery guideth the growing; 
Never a river that flows, but a majesty sceptres the flowing; 
Never a Shakespeare that soared, but a stronger than he did enfold him, 
Nor ever a prophet foretells, but a mightier seer hath foretold him. 

Back of the canvas that throbs the painter is hinted and hidden; 
Into the statue that breathes the soul of the sculptor is bidden; 
Under the joy that is felt lie the infinite issues of feeling; 
Crowning the glory revealed is the glory that crowns the revealing. 

Great are the symbols of being, but that which is symbolled is greater; 
Vast the create and behold, but vaster the inward creator; 
Back of the sound broods the silence, back of the gift stands the giving; 
Back of the hand that receives thrill the sensitive nerves of receiving. 

Space is as nothing to spirit, the deed is outdone by the doing; 
The heart of the wooer is warm, but warmer the heart of the wooing; 
And up from the pits where these shiver, and up from the heights where those shine, 
Twin voices and shadows swim star-ward, and the essence of life is divine. 

-Richard Realf

And now for today’s rollouts:

- Intermediate 2 with Ms. Green and Kyle Kunkler (Recorded)
- Emma Wittig Isometric Workout (Recorded)
- Creative Movement Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (Hurst)
- Pre-Ballet Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (Katherine Alvarado)
- Introduction to Ballet Story-Time and Ballet Zoom Class (Hurst)
- Ballet 3A and 3B Zoom Class (Hurst/Kunkler)
- BCSC Zoom Class (Blair/Mannos)

As we go dancing on,

 Mr. Duell and Ms. Blair

Intermediate 2 (Levels 4 & 5): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_E_kg4bfG8s&list=PLOWoHf56bP1Ez9-BOLC_RNN2LJMFhaTSK&index=2&t=0s

Isometrics (All levels): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak3VjO5fM0Y&list=PLOWoHf56bP1GinruvUSUfq4yVWKOpfZPD&index=2&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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5/1/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

HOPE

As we get deeper into this extended stay-at-home existence, we are always seeking ways to not only inform you about what is going on in our Ballet Chicago community, but also to provide hope. As many of you are, we are also personally dealing with this pandemic in ways that we have never imagined. I was born in New York I have so many friends and family who live there, Mr. Duell spent his entire performing career in NYC and also has many friends and family there. We worry about those we love, some have gotten sick with COVID, and we have lost a very dear person to us both. We deeply mourn our loss, and pray for our friends and families.

How can we find hope amid uncertainty, conflict, or loss? When we feel we have lost hope, we may find inspiration in the words and deeds of others, or in poetry. Using metaphors for hope seems appropriate, as the concept of hope is difficult to describe. It is deeper than simple optimism, and more mysterious, delicate, and elusive. It is a feeling we must develop and cultivate, but like faith, it is also a state with which we are graced. Hope can foster determination and grit—the ability to bounce back and to remain determined despite failures and setbacks—when we make the daily effort to change and improve what we can control, we speak to the importance of hope and resilience.

And in the midst of this, while we are looking out for our entire Ballet Chicago’s community, we are also touching base nationally and globally with colleagues. We are collaborating on a large scale, saving this art form that we all love so much. We  look at the big picture with hope and compassion, and we seek to do as Mr. Duell says every day in the studio, “If you can, you must”.  We can, so we must…we get up each day and look for ways to make a difference, to help those around us, to sustain our community. We wake each day and seek hope, and then we find her.

Sigh not for there is hope
Doubt not because it is there
Just seek it
Let thy eye wander far
Just touch it
Let thy hands lay softly
Just live it

Let thy heart fill the cold
And conquer
Laugh in joy not in cruelness
Cry always but not in pain
Sing tunes for the far
And Dance for the near
Wonder not
Because hope never dies 

Author - Jodi Right

And now for today’s rollouts:

- Bravo Boys! with Mr. Seymour and Greg Smith (Recorded)
- Pointe Barre with Ms. Green and Kyle Kunkler (Recorded)
- Logan Hutt’s Cardio Barre (Recorded)
- Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Class (Seymour/Smith)
- BCSC Technique (Seymour/Mannos)
- Student Division 4pm Zoom Meeting 

Happy first day of May – let’s all let hope spring forth!

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Pointe Barre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTWcSKRQTJ4&list=PLOWoHf56bP1GGOnrEVbJTlz6gMQCq2ZgX&index=2&t=0s

Cardio Barre: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJcyGvi3Yw0&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FofRMe8TGeIcx_ow52FHrA&index=2&t=0s

Bravo Boys!: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOWoHf56bP1F8Ff_HQrFMANjkz6p-EqgO

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4/30/2020

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SUMMER is around the corner!

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

First and foremost, we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and well. The past weeks have seen us all encounter profound changes due to COVID-19…our normal way of living has been upended, turned inside-out and upside-down.

But we have adapted quickly, proactively pursuing positive new solutions, and maintaining forward drive in our endeavors. As you all know, our current curriculum includes Zoom classes, recorded classes, written class plans, weekly group student meetings, and supplemental conditioning – Yoga, Stretch, Floor Barre, Isometric Workouts, and twice weekly viewing of Ballet Chicago Performances.

We are finding that “the way opens” as we navigate new paths during this time. 

Regarding summer, we are working toward ensuring that all students can experience Ballet Chicago’s summer training programs as originally intended. We offer three summer programs, and we are looking closely at them collectively and separately to provide the best solution for our students. Most want to dance if they can, so if it is safe to proceed, we will provide in-studio summer training. This will only happen if the CDC, The Illinois Department of Public Health and the Chicago Department of Public Health deem it safe to do so, and we will follow the recommendations of state and local authorities regarding mandates on the re-opening protocols of safety, social distancing, and travel.

We are brainstorming with other arts organizations across the country, putting our collective heads together to share information as we all make decisions regarding our students. We are all subject to the individual state and local guidelines set forth, but collaboration brings increased knowledge.

And we are looking at many practical solutions including starting or Summer Intensive and Advanced Repertory Workshop a week later, reducing class sizes, staggering the start and end times of classes to minimize crossover, and of course adopting aggressive cleaning measures.  We have also measured our barre space at the studio to determine the number of dancers able to be at the barre six feet apart should that be necessary.

In the event we cannot hold onsite Summer Programming, tuition fees will be refunded. Additionally, we will honor refunds for families who choose to withdraw their students. We understand that even local travel may not be possible during these times.  Your family's safety is our top priority. In all scenarios, Virtual Summer Intensive (VSI) options will be available for those students who choose to enroll in Ballet Chicago’s VSI Programs.

The Registration Paperwork deadline is extended to May 30th.  And we will continue to work with you on payment plans as needed. We thank you for your patience as we work to provide as many options as possible.  We will send updates on our Summer Programming plans as the situation evolves.

We thank you for your patience while we work to provide as many options as possible.  We will send updates on our Summer Programming plans as the situation evolves.

And now for today’s At-Home Class offerings:

- Creative Movement Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (VanEekeren)
- Pre-Ballet Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (Katherine Alvarado)
- Introduction to Ballet Story-Time + Ballet Zoom Class (VanEekeren)
- Ballet 3A and 3B Zoom Class (Hurst/Kunkler)
- Pilates with Logan Hutt
- Advanced Ballet
- BCSC Zoom Meeting

We send love and virtual hugs to you all - keep your spirits up!

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Pilates: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kheRjcBEcZA&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FofRMe8TGeIcx_ow52FHrA&index=2&t=0s

Advanced Ballet: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOWoHf56bP1EP2XDWuVtQoegediGYDIpp

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4/29/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

As you all know, we are now under a stay-at home-order until May 30th. It is with some sadness, but with acceptance of the realities of the Covid-19 crisis, that we announce that Ballet Chicago will not perform its Balanchine + Beyond “HeartStrings” program at the Harris Theater, nor our Annual School Performance, scheduled for May 31 at the Studebaker Theatre. But all is far from lost! These beautiful and exciting works will still have their day onstage - we plan to perform both programs in 2021.
 

As we have experienced both as students and in our professional careers, the learning of choreography and perfecting it is valuable unto itself. Mr. Duell, Mr. Seymour, and I all learned many roles that we never performed on stage. The learning of these, from the advice of our teachers and directors, was to help us grow, give us more skills, and strengthen us. The learning of ballets that we did not perform added greatly to our base of knowledge, and is part of what we pass on to all of you today. Every time we start a new ballet, we tell our dancers that working on steps, the rehearsing, is the most valuable part of the process. We encourage them not to get fixated on casting, but to soak up everything they can from the process of putting a ballet together. So, as we go into this extended time of staying at home, we want to provide all of you the gift of continuing to grow, to give you more skills, to strengthen you, and to keep you connected to what you love!

When I (Ms. Blair) was performing, my director, Mr. Edward Villella, called me to learn George Balanchine’s Tarantella!  The girls in our company that normally danced Tarantella were in the 5’ – 5’4” range, so I was a little surprised and frankly daunted by the learning assignment – Tarantella is blisteringly fast for any dancer, and for a woman of my height, even more of a challenge.  But I went to every rehearsal and worked hard.  When I inquired about going for a costume fitting, Edward said “Oh you won’t perform this, you’re too tall. I just wanted you to have the opportunity to learn how to dance faster!” Dance faster I did, and this served me very well for the remainder of my performing career.

Speaking of dancing, today’s rollouts include:

-Wednesday Yoga with Maggie Vannucci (Recorded)
-Ballet 1 and Ballet 2 Zoom Class (Blair/Cross)
-Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Pointe Barre (Hurst/Harris)
-BCSC Zoom Class (Seymour/Mannos)

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

P.S. We will discuss the Secret Garden rehearsals during our Student Division Zoom meeting this Friday, May 1 from 4:00-5:00PM. We still plan to connect regarding the story and choreography, even though we will not be performing Secret Garden in 2020. Student Division dancers and parents will receive an invitation to the Zoom meeting by email.

Beginner Ballet (Levels 1 & 2): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAABkPQoxtc&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FFWiXKOGnUQ3BhUk7XsXz5&index=2&t=0s

Yoga: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYfFv_foHxY&list=PLOWoHf56bP1HeKE7tdrI6NtqWE8J4Tpxe&index=2&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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4/28/2020

Dear Ballet Chicago Families,

ZOOM!

We started our extended Zoom programming yesterday, and for the most part it went pretty well. 

Creative Movement children and Pre-Ballet children had the opportunity to visit with their teachers, with their fellow classmates, connect with a beautiful ballet story, and dance! The children were so happy to see each other, and they looked so cute sitting with their dolls and stuffed animals, listening to the story, and getting up to dance out certain parts.  It was really sweet.

We did have some technical glitches with the Introduction to Ballet class, but we think those have now been fixed. We also had the Ballet 3A and 3B classes able to connect with Miss Hurst, and I, (Ms. Blair) taught the Ballet Chicago Studio Company class.

It is interesting doing Zoom classes.  It takes a little getting used to the platform.  

Unlike meetings which are a more natural fit with this technology, we find that teaching class takes a great deal more energy than it does in the studio. The task to keenly observe each dancer’s movements in order to correct takes on a different meaning when doing so on the screen.

We feel a great responsibility to our students, to ensure that they keep dancing and that this integral part of their lives is upheld.  One of our parents wrote:

"Thank you so much for all your communications and for the hard work everyone is doing to provide such a wonderful variety of videos for keeping dancers at all levels engaged in their learning and practice.   Lillian is enjoying using her tracking sheets, and we look forward to your thoughtful emails. We love seeing her go to our basement to practice, inspired by all that you have provided.  You are an integral part of the dancers’ identities, which is always a joy to see!  The efforts you are making to reach out and to stay connected to dancers and families during these challenging times are making a tremendous impact.  We take joy in remaining committed to the Ballet Chicago community and send all of you our love and appreciation for all that you do, and all that you are!" 

Such a beautiful statement; thank you Hundley family!

So, until the stay-at-home order is lifted, we will continue to navigate our way through this (hopefully not for long) new normal, make adjustments as needed, seek ways to keep the students inspired, engaged, and ensure that we are able to connect in meaningful ways and continue to do what we love.

And now, today’s rollouts include:

- Intermediate 1 with Ms. Hutt and Greg Smith (Recorded)
- Pre-Pointe Zoom Class (VanEekeren/Smith)
- Ballet 4B and 5B Zoom Class (Wright/Mannos)
- BCSC Zoom Class (Duell/Harris)
- And today’s Step of the Week is Temps Lié. Remember to keep those heels front, hips square, and place your feet solidly into the floor.

As we go dancing on,

 Ms. Blair and Mr. Duell

Intermediate 1 (Levels 3A & 3B): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaX0Mu1lFdc&list=PLOWoHf56bP1Ez9-BOLC_RNN2LJMFhaTSK&index=2&t=0s

Step of the Week: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZDgA2NlO68&list=PLOWoHf56bP1FgPdD9u-h1gsq06KbFJP5z&index=2&t=0s

Please find all at home ballet resources on our parent portal. Please note, our Youtube class videos are unlisted. You will only be able to access them through the links that we provide, not by navigating our Youtube channel.

Past Ballet Chicago Daily Parent Updates

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