Richmond Ballet
| Richmond Ballet, State Ballet of Virginia | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Name | Richmond Ballet, State Ballet of Virginia |
| Year founded | 1957 |
| Website |
www |
| Artistic staff | |
| Artistic Director | Stoner Winslett |
| Other | |
| Official school | The School of the Richmond Ballet |
The Richmond Ballet, named the State Ballet of Virginia in 1990 by then Governor Douglas Wilder, is a nationally recognized education and performance institution, founded in 1957.
Founding
In 1957, the Ballet Impromptu, founded by Richmond natives Robert C. Watkins Jr.[1] and Marjorie Fay Underhill[2] and Donna Comstock Forrest, became Richmond's first ballet company.[3] Later, the Ballet Impromptu became the Richmond Ballet. The Richmond Ballet existed for more than twenty years as a small, civic company until 1975, when the School of Richmond Ballet was created. In 1980, Stoner Winslett became the founding artistic director. In 1984, Richmond Ballet became the first professional Ballet company in Virginia and was designated the State Ballet of Virginia in 1990, by then Governor Wilder. Richmond Ballet's educational outreach program, Minds In Motion, was founded in 1993. It features a pedestrian based movement curriculum that is taught to 4th graders all over the commonwealth. In 2000, Richmond Ballet moved into a renovated state-of-the-art facility in the heart of downtown Richmond.
Richmond Ballet’s mission is to awaken and uplift the human spirit, both for audiences and artists.
The Richmond Ballet "is dedicated to the promotion, preservation and continuing evolution of the art form of ballet, according to specific aesthetic and institutional values established by the vision of the artistic director and supported by the Board of Trustees. Richmond Ballet strives to keep meaningful works of dance alive and to produce and foster new works that remain true to these values."
Performances
In his 2011 article on American productions of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, the New York Time's Alastair Macaulay singled out the Richmond Ballet production as one of the best in the country.[4] The company debuted in New York City in 2005 with performances at the Joyce Theater.[5] In October 2013, during the company's 30th season, the ballet premiered the contemporary work “Phoenix Rising”, choreographed by Philip Neal, a former student of the Richmond Ballet school and dancer for 23 years with the New York City Ballet. Richmond Ballet returned to The Joyce Theater in April 2007 as part of a tribute to American master choreographer John Butler, and again in 2010. In 2012 Richmond Ballet made its international debut when they traveled to London where they performed in the Linbury Theatre at the Royal Opera House. In 2015 Richmond Ballet embarked on a tour of China. While in China they performed at the "Meet in Beijing" Arts Festival at the National Centre for the Performing Arts. They also performed in the cities of Jinan, Dezhou and Shanghai.
School of Richmond Ballet
The School of Richmond Ballet was founded in 1975. Since then it has prided itself on the solid foundation of ballet training it presents to the community of Richmond for over forty years. After nine years of training the school realized its graduated class of professional level dancers had nowhere to perform in their own beloved city so the professional company of the Richmond Ballet was formed in 1984. Even now the school is recognized throughout the community and the country for its ability to train professional level dancers that have the opportunity to perform for major ballet companies here in the states and abroad. The School of Richmond Ballet is a direct feeder school into the professional Company of Richmond as over half the dancers have received training in its programs at some point in their schooling. The two year Trainee Program is a pre-professional level program that offers students invaluable experience through rigorous daily classes and performance opportunities with Richmond Ballet's professional company. The Trainee Program fed directly into the Richmond Ballet's apprentice program from which most of the professional company's dancers were hired. However in 2012 the apprentice program was dissolved and Richmond Ballet II, Richmond Ballet's first second company was established. Where the apprentice program studied the professional company extensively day in and day out Richmond Ballet II performs its own repertoire and performance schedule while also performing with the professional company. This program affords graduated students a smooth transition into professional life while giving them the tools they will need to become seasoned professional dancers. The school along with offering professional tracked studies designed for the aspiring ballerina also welcomes those who simply wish to enrich their lives through dance. These students may choose from a variety of classes the school offers that are developed for this particular course of study. These classes include ballet, modern, jazz, theater dance, and character dance and are open to children and adults of all skill levels. The school also offers a creative movement course for children ages three to seven who are interested in the art of ballet and is called Invitation to the Dance. This unique program gives young children the opportunity to observe professional level rehearsals, attend Richmond Ballet performances in the grand Carpenter Theater, as well as a backstage tour of the performances they have attended. This program plants the seed for a love of ballet deep within a young child's heart whether they grow to be the next Sugar Plum Fairy or a ballet supporter here in their own beloved city or afar.
References
- ↑ Slipek, Edwin. "Remembrance: Robert C. Watkins Jr., 1920-2013". Style Weekly. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ↑ "Obituary for: Marjorie Fay Underhill". Bennett Funeral Homes. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ↑ Carvell, Susan (16 August 2009). "Reaching Out Through Dance". Discover Richmond. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ↑ Macaulay, Alastair (2 January 2011). "'Nutcracker' Question with Many Answers". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2013.
- ↑ "Richmond Ballet at the Joyce". BWW. 14 April 2010. Retrieved 17 December 2013.