Rachel Seeholzer Archives

Stavna Ballet’s Alice In Wonderland showed a dance troupe picking up momentum and finding its groove, writes Christopher McDaniel.

On Saturday January 11^th, Stavna Ballet held Alice in Wonderland at the Modlin Center for the Arts, their first production of the 2020 calendar year. The wonderful show retold the classic Lewis Carroll tale through dance and movement, and it was a simple delight. Ballerina Katy Clay maintained the role of Alice with energy, drawing the audience in from her first appearance on stage.

The last performance by Stavna that I was able to attend showcased a growing organization with good legs. This year’s performance demonstrated that the company has found its niche and its groove within Richmond’s dance community. With more male ballerinas and an expanding trainee/apprentice program, Stavna’s shows can immerse the audience into a world they intend, without breaking continuity — until intermission, at least.

*Katy Clay as Alice. Photo by Robert Lindholm*

Alice’s flight down the rabbit hole into a psychedelic voyage was envisioned and cast onto the stage with flashing lights, as dancer Ryan Davis portrayed the White Rabbit. He’d stop, look at his watch, look at the audience, and bolt off into a darkened wing of the stage. It was as if you could hear the words “I’m late!” reverberate and echo around your ears, even with them never being said out loud.

Canonical performances were spaced out with routines carried out by the students of the Stavna Dance Academy. This structure allows children to perform alongside professionals, creating an environment of support, nourishment, and enrichment. They make up with cuteness what they lack in movement, and that’s okay. A group of students labeled the Pool of Tears stole the show.

Back in December of 2019, the local dance community held its inaugural awards ceremony, the RVA Dance Awards. Stavna grabbed three nominations in three categories: dancer Kinsey Phelps for Youth Dancer of the Year, ballet mistress Nicole Shaver for Best Ballet Choreography, and company member Rachel Seeholzer for Dancer of the Year. Alice in Wonderland was co-choreographed by Shaver and Stavna Artistic Director Shannon McConville. The company is picking up momentum.

*Ryan Davis as The White Rabbit. Photo by Robert Lindholm.*

My favorite performance of the night came from a duet featuring company members Elkey Love and Seeholzer. Their characters, the Knave and Queen of Hearts, came to life on stage. Both dancers perfectly portrayed the scenario of the evil ruler commanding a reluctant servant into a duet. Seeholzer would rouse the crowd while beautifully executing technique after technique as Love cowered, bracing himself to catch and lift her high. The audience was cheering and laughing, right there in the Hearts’ throne room with them.

To get more information about Stavna Ballet’s upcoming performances, check out their website, stavnaballet.com.

Top Photo: Rachel Seeholzer as the Queen of Hearts, by Robert Lindholm.

Earlier this month, Richmond’s Stavna Ballet brought top-quality ballet at an affordable price to Dogtown Dance Theatre.

Stavna Ballet hosted the second production of their performance season, Director’s Choice, on April 12 and 13 at Dogtown Dance Theatre, and it was a treat to see. Stavna Ballet is a nonprofit dance company founded in Richmond that aspires to give local artists an outlet for artistic expression by giving dancers a chance to perform, and bringing top-quality ballet to the Richmond area.

Shannon McConville, founder of Stavna, translates the word “Stavna” to loosely mean “simply” or “simply beautiful” ballet. The juxtaposition between the words “simply” and “beautiful” was thought-provoking, yet easily explainable after watching the opening night of Director’s Choice.

During the first of two acts, Stavna began with extended excerpts of a production still in-works: Sleeping Beauty. Each of the company’s five members all played a different role in the plot of the beloved classic. This act contained three pieces, totaling twenty or so minutes, and it was full of brightly colored classic tutus on the Dogtown stage — a stage which does not usually find itself hosting ballet.

The typical Dogtown audience was in attendance, and many found themselves stunned at this high-art performance brought down to a reasonable price. It’s great to see a ballet company besides the Richmond Ballet drawing an audience in Richmond.

The second act featured contemporary works of ballet, and it was in this act that I found love. Simply, the ballerinas of Stavna showed the dance community that breathtaking choreography can happen, and indeed is happening locally, on a grassroots level. Homegrown and passionate, I saw unheralded emotion as the dancers performed full company pieces, duets, or solos.

Notable performances came from guest choreographer and dancer Vanessa Owen, on her solo “A Misunderstanding.” Owen, a world-renowned dancer currently based in Old Fort, NC, also co-choreographed the group finale piece, “To Know You,” with her partner Gavin Stewart. Another impressive and passionate performance came from the duet “Proclivitas,” performed by Madison Case and Eric Robinson.

My favorite work of the night, however, was a solo performance entitled “Douleur.” The soloist, Rachel Seeholzer, captivated the feeling that founder McConville spoke on: simply beautiful. The raw emotion seen from her performance was the highlight of my night. Her costume was simple, yet her movements spoke louder decibels than the theatre speakers. An image, one of Seeholzer staring into the side stage as bright lights bathed her and on her tip-toes, is still as clear to me as the hands in front of my face. I saw confidence and self-awareness. Simply beautiful ballet.

Stavna Ballet has not announced their next performance, but you can keep an eye out for it on Facebook, or their website. Doing so is highly recommended.

Top photo by Bella Ella Photography

Stavna In Wonderland

“Simply Beautiful Ballet:” Stavna Ballet Awes and Delights at Dogtown Dance Theatre