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Bella, Bello

Christopher McDaniel | October 7, 2020

Topics: COVID-19, Elena Bello, Gloria, Ma Cong, Pandemic, Richmond Ballet, social distancing, Solas, Studio Series, Thel Moore III, To this Day

Studio Series: September, Richmond Ballet’s first in-person performance since the pandemic began, demonstrated the new normal for live dance performances, and displayed some world-class talent.

As gathering restrictions begin to ease by law, one local dance institution risked an in-person performance for the first time since March. Richmond Ballet held “Studio Series: September” in their studio theatre from September 15-27, and it established the new norms for live art. The ballet announced at the end of August that their dancers will be rounding out the year with three Studio Series performances. Typically held throughout the company’s regular season, the three shows this season are taking place in September, October, and November.

Personally, while I’m glad that Richmond Ballet is taking precautions for the good of their audience, I can’t help but feel saddened. Most of the audience seating was closed to maintain proper distance between patrons, meaning only about six seats per row were available for purchase. My seat in Row I was positioned directly in front of center stage and a trickle of showgoers were in my peripheral view. Before the show began, a small, projected video played that revealed masked dancers, asking the audience to leave their masks on during the performance.

Photo by Sarah Ferguson

“Studio Series: September” began with excerpts from the popular ballet/opera, “Gloria.” You may remember this specific piece appearing alongside Richmond Ballet’s name, as it was the company’s last year at the season’s opening; prima ballerina Maggie Small retired at the conclusion of its 2019 run. This 2020 quarantine concert featured distanced dancers across the breadth of the stage. Dancers performed a stripped-down version of this classic, allowing only couples who live together to perform close-quarters partnering. This worked because a notable number of Richmond Ballet dancers are married to one another.

A couple of numbers performed were new pieces, either choreographed by company dancers or by the company’s new Associate Artistic Director, Ma Cong. Cong, who accepted the position during the pandemic, choreographed his piece for the show entirely virtually; a first for Richmond Ballet. My favorite moment of the night came from dancer Matthew Fralin’s piece “To This Day,” a solo executed at the time by Thel Moore III. The choice for the dancer’s back to face the audience during much of the run exemplified the literal distance felt within the empty seating. He shook his raised hands back-and-forth, violently, with an umbrella on the floor close by.

Photo by Sarah Ferguson

One soloist, Elena Bello, performed a dark and mournful farewell. Bello’s role in “Solas” served as the ballerina’s last role with Richmond Ballet as she retired from the company at the conclusion of “Studio Series: September.” As long as I’ve reviewed and reported on dance in the river city, Bello has been there, in the studios, perfecting her technique for us all. Merde!

For Richmond Ballet’s upcoming October and November performances, tickets are already on sale at Richmond Ballet’s website. “Studio Series: October” runs Oct. 13-25. All shows are also viewable by live stream with the purchase of a virtual ticket.

Top Photo by Sarah Ferguson

Dancing to Self-Love and Teamwork

Paige Holloman | February 19, 2020

Topics: after school programs, art, ballet, ballet company, ballet programs, dance, dance team, Jordan Glunt, local art, minds in motion, new york city ballet, richmond, Richmond Ballet, Richmond schools, richmond va, RVA, school activities, Stoner Winslett, Theatre, things to do richmond va

Richmond Ballet’s Minds in Motion program gives city school students a different type of extra-curricular activity credit: ballet. 

While thousands of Virginia students walked across stages to collect their diplomas last year, several hundred marked the end of the school year in a different way — with the grand finale of Minds in Motion, a program by the Richmond Ballet that sends dance teachers into the public schools. Virginia requires fourth graders to study math, language arts, science, and history, but about two dozen districts have added another subject to the curriculum. Once a week they gather to study ballet.

Stoner Winslett, the organization’s artistic director, always had a passion to give back to the Richmond community. Minds in Motion was directly inspired by a National Dance Institute program, founded by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Jacques d’Amboise. 

“The goal was to allow the children of inner city schools to experience what it’s like to be an artist — to seek excellence in an art form,” said d’Amboise. “It’s not to make them dancers, painters or musicians. Using the finest professionals, we introduce them to an activity that demands excellence in themselves. There’s no winner or loser, as in sports. It’s a motivational program for children that works.”

PHOTO: Richmond Ballet, Minds in Motion

Now in its 25th year, Minds In Motion has successfully expanded from two to 27 schools, serving students in Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, Hopewell, Charlottesville, Chesapeake, and Woodbridge. In addition, the program has an international component working with Israeli and Arab children in the Middle East. Acclaimed by teachers, parents and students, Minds In Motion has grown to become a major focus of Richmond Ballet’s education and outreach mission.

“It allows us to introduce movement when we first enter the classroom,” said Jordan Glunt, acting director of Minds In Motion. “Everyone has to participate.”

Language is instrumental to their approach in supporting learning. The use of language, integrated with the movements students are taught, helps each dancer learn their steps. Working together as a group, emphasizing teamwork rather than competition, also helps make the students comfortable enough to learn well.

“Students will pick up choreography, the connection of steps, easier and faster if we give them words to say,” Glunt explained. “As they progress, they’re building on steps, linking on steps which leads to greater choreography — and they’re dancing before they realize they are truly dancing.” 

Students also gain important life skills: not only the discipline necessary to master the routines, but the permission to be creative and follow their muse in a less rigid fashion.

PHOTO: Richmond Ballet, Minds in Motion

“It does take discipline, and it is hard work, but it also can be very freeing,” Glunt said. “We really support creativity. They get this sense of play, in a way. We can have fun, but there is a structure to it that is getting them to learn and move, and they really start to work together as a class.” 

Even the boys who initially shun ballet, thinking of the dance form as intrinsically feminine, often find it has its merits. 

“Professional football players are taking ballet classes to help with being more agile and quick on their feet, and able to move quickly,” said Glunt. “Virginia students understand that because they’re dancing, they’re working really hard; they break a sweat. And by the end of the Minds in Motion class, they’ll think, ‘Oh!’ Some of my favorite experiences are boys saying, ‘I’m not doing ballet!’ And by the end of the year, they’re the ones in the front row saying, “Yes!”’

Both teachers and students report that ballet has boosted their self-confidence, offering another way to succeed at school away from the rigid segmentation of letter grades. Glunt says it’s an experience that stays with them long after the curtain comes down. Minds In Motion even has an after-school scholarship class, designed for students with an aptitude for dance, called Team Excel.

“Those kids invited to audition get that ‘audition experience,’ and then they find out if they made it into Team Excel or not,” says Glunt. 

Team Excel, now in its second year, takes place on the ground level of Richmond Ballet. About 40 children have the experience of touring and dancing in the actual company. They also get to experience other forms of dance besides ballet, like tap, jazz, musical theatre, and modern dance. They’re viewing classes along with their families, who find joy in watching their children dance.

PHOTO: Richmond Ballet, Minds in Motion

All this practice culminates in their spring performance at the Dominion Energy Theatre, where all the fourth grade classes and schools come together for a professional production. 

“It is truly done by the fourth graders. All of us teaching artists and musicians get to step away and sit in the audience and cry tears of joy in watching the students put on this amazing performance,” says Glunt, who grew teary-eyed with happiness. 

“I’ve run into students I taught 10 years ago in the grocery store, and they’ll say, ‘I remember my finale dance,’” says Glunt. “They’ll dance in the grocery store aisle, the entire finale.” 

To learn more about Minds In Motion and their programs, check out their website here and catch up with them through the Richmond Ballet on social media. 

The Fervor of Tradition On Pointe: Contemporary Classics At Richmond Ballet

Christopher McDaniel | October 4, 2019

Topics: Anthony Oates, Carmina Burana, Contemporary Classics, George Balanchine, John Butler, Maggie Small, Richmond Ballet, Sabrina Holland, Themes and Variations

At the opening performance of Richmond Ballet’s 2019-2020 season, prima ballerina Maggie Small gave a heartfelt farewell performance as new dancers made a strong first impression.

This past weekend kicked off the 2019-2020 performance season of Richmond Ballet, the state ballet of Virginia, with Contemporary Classics at the Dominion Energy Center. Featuring fan favorites choreographed by John Butler and George Balanchine, Richmond Ballet company dancers new and old impressed an immense crowd of family, friends, and children with poise and grace. “Themes and Variations” was performed by the company for the first time in the organization’s existence, and “Carmina Burana” was the send off to retiring prima ballerina, Maggie Small.

Sabrina Holland and Anthony Oates in Theme and Variations. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.

With a live score provided by the Richmond Symphony, “Themes and Variations” is quite possibly my favorite Balanchine work performed by Richmond Ballet yet. Lead roles were held by Sabrina Holland and Tony Oates, and they were powerful displays of prowess within the art form.

Tchaikovsky’s chamber sounds were meant to be felt, accompanied by the long lines of ballet. From toe to finger, the audience was left enthralled, peering onto the Carpenter Theatre’s stage and witnessing effortless execution. I must say: brava, Holland. Artistic Director of Richmond Ballet Stoner Winslett said herself that she’s “been saving this for a company strong enough to perform. And after 40 years, we have it.”

After the intermission, and as the audience returned to their seats, the walls and aisles of the first and second floor began to fill with choral singers dressed in long black garb. One hundred operatic voices from the VCU Commonwealth Singers and the Richmond Symphony Chorus erupted into the resonant overture of “Carmina Burana,” a sixty-year-old ballet that is recognizable to even the least informed patron.

Maggie Small in Carmina Burana by John Butler. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.

With this mighty presence, and a subject matter as ripe as peaches, Maggie Small took the stage one last time alongside other leads by Cody Beaton, Fernado Sabino, and Ira White. Each were as phenomenal as you can imagine, sending Small off to retirement with gusto as she performed what some would call her magnum opus.

Contemporary Classics only showed three performances with a run-time of about 90 minutes, and the only thing I wish was different was that it lasted just a little longer. We all did not want the night to end, for Small to walk off stage one last time, for the Symphony to pack up their instruments. But like all good things, it came to an end, and I’m glad I had the opportunity to see it happen. This performance was by far the most meaningful concert I’ve had the pleasure to see from the Richmond Ballet.

Dancers of Richmond Ballet in Theme and Variations. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.

There’s still time to purchase your tickets to Richmond Ballet’s next performance “Studio One,” running from November 5 through November 10. Tickets are available through their website.

Top Photo: Maggie Small with dancers of Richmond Ballet in Carmina Burana by John Butler. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.

With “Contemporary Classics,” Richmond Ballet Says Goodbye to Maggie Small

Christopher McDaniel | September 26, 2019

Topics: Carmina Burana, Carpenter Theatre, Contemporary Classics, Dominion Energy Center, Fernando Sabino, George Balanchine, John Butler, Maggie Small, Richmond Ballet, Themes and Variations

Before her final performance this weekend, longtime Richmond Ballet dancer Maggie Small shares her thoughts about a career spent on her toes.

For the season opener of the Richmond Ballet’s 2019-2020 performances, the company presents Contemporary Classics at the Dominion Energy Center for the Performing Arts this weekend, Friday, September 27 through Sunday, September 29.

Paying homage to some of the ballet’s roots, Contemporary Classics will offer two ballets: “Themes and Variations” by George Balanchine and “Carmina Burana” by John Butler. The program is accompanied by live instrumentation presented by the Richmond Symphony, in tandem with 100 choral singers from the VCU Commonwealth Singers and the Richmond Symphony Chorus.

The 2019-2020 season for the Richmond Ballet is one of many firsts and a few lasts. This season will be the last for company dancer Fernando Sabino. With Contemporary Classics, Richmond Ballet also bids farewell to long-serving company member Maggie Small. After the conclusion of Sunday’s performance of “Carmina Burana,” Small will officially retire from performance and assume a position on the administrative and fundraising side of the nonprofit ballet company.

Before she goes, RVA Magazine had the opportunity to sit down with her and listen to the highlights and takeaways of a distinguished ballerina.

“I’m excited to go out on something that I really care about,” Small said, “and to share that with so many people between the dancers, the artistic staff [of the Richmond Ballet], and soon to be the audiences, I just feel so grateful and supported.” 

Maggie Small and Ira White in Carmina Burana by John Butler. Richmond Ballet 2019. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.

Small is a Richmonder through and through, having taken advantage of the multiple programs the Richmond Ballet currently has that promote and give opportunity to children who might not get exposure to ballet. She was a student of the School of Richmond Ballet and became an apprentice at 17, while still in high school. After working her way through both professional companies to a principal dancer, Small has accrued notable accolades for her career in ballet, including a cover shoot for DANCE Magazine in 2012.

“What I love about dancing is the way it builds between people,” Small said. “It’s an art that’s handed down from generation. There’s moments where you’re working with a ballet master and they translate how you work with people in the room into dancing. We’re family here, too. If we don’t work together, it just won’t work.”

Small, who could honestly say that ballet is her life, was the first to admit that it’s a hard line of work. There’s mental and physical exhaustion, torn ligaments, and broken bones — but she wouldn’t have had it any other way. The Richmond Ballet offered her a home when she was just five years old, and it will continue to be her home as she steps away from her principal role into a development role writing grants for the nonprofit. Who better to tell the story of the ballet than its own ballerina?

Sabrina Holland and Anthony Oates in Theme and Variations by George Balanchine. Richmond Ballet. All Rights Reserved. Photos by Sarah Ferguson. Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust.

You can come say “thank you” to Maggie Small this weekend only at the Dominion Energy Center’s Carpenter Theatre. Friday and Saturday shows start at 7pm, and the Sunday show starts at 2pm. Tickets start at $25 and can be purchased on Richmond Ballet’s website.

Top Photo: Dancers of Richmond Ballet in Carmina Burana by John Butler. Richmond Ballet 2019. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Sarah Ferguson.

Richmond Ballet Opens New Doors with Performance Season Closer ‘Studio Three’

Christopher McDaniel | May 14, 2018

Topics: dance, pointe, Richmond Ballet, rva ballet, rva dance, Studio Three

Richmond Ballet’s annual performance season ended with the “Studio Three” concert, as a professional ballet company now entering its 35th year, and the 2018 Studio Three production on opening night resounded what I believe the Ballet represents: refined professionalism and paramount artistic expression. Richmond Ballet has operated as a non-profit organization for 61 years, awakening and uplifting the human spirit through the art form of ballet. One of my preferable forms of their enlightenment is their educational outreach through the School of Richmond Ballet and the Minds in Motion program instituted within Richmond Public Schools. These endeavors were strengthened after Studio Three’s opening night as Richmond Ballet held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for two brand new studios on their facility’s ground floor.

The performance opened with the reproduction of a 2012 premiere, “Gargoyles.” This piece stood as cornerstone for what ballet can do with classical repertoire, classical music, and a fresh theme. As always, dancer Eri Nishihara’s refined technique took my breath away with the poise she possesses, and Cody Beaton’s repetition of clawed hands while being seemingly manipulated by her partner was the most thought-provoking movements series of the night. Abi Goldstein and Thel Moore’s partnering had a blip of continuity that could have been interpreted as a mistake, but that was not my opinion. I was able to see, for the first time of my concert-going experiences, that these dancers are human, and that these dancers make a career in the performing arts. One of the most difficult jobs available. However, the duo owned that stage.

After a short intermission, Mayor Stoney entered the room and sat just in front of me for the world premiere of Katarzyna Skarpetowska’s “Awkarium.” This number featured 12 of the Ballet’s best, and it simply did not disappoint. Following the theme of a fluorescently lit aquarium, costume designer Fritz Masten, this year’s recipient of the Irene Sharaff Award, clad the dancers in leotards of blue and green with yellow stripes, making them truly reminiscent of a school of saltwater fish. Unique choreography and real fluorescent light stripes as a backdrop made the dance an experience, taking me inside the water. The piece featured excellent pointe, and when the company takes the piece to Salt Lake City on tour, the rest of the world’s ballet community will be in for a contemporary treat.

The audience was welcomed to the first-floor lobby at the end of the performance for a special ribbon-cutting ceremony of two fresh dance studios, named after founding board members and donors, aiming to increase School of Richmond Ballet students and Minds in Motion participants. After speeches from the nonprofit’s board, the Artistic Director, and Richmond’s mayor, three alumni from the School cut the ribbon, ushering in a new capacity for the historically-renovated building of Reynolds Metal Company. Alumni Ira White, Maggie Small, and Anthony Oates were the first among the crowd as Mayor Stoney followed just behind for the public unveiling.

Photos By: Sarah Ferguson

Review: Richmond Ballet’s ‘The Nutcracker’

Christopher McDaniel | December 14, 2017

Topics: Carpenter Theatre, dance, Minds in Motion Ambassadors, Richmond Ballet, The Nutcracker

“The Nutcracker” on opening night was something to behold. On Sat. Dec. 9, Richmond Ballet premiered its annual festive production at the Carpenter Theatre for families and dance enthusiasts alike. With extravagant costumes and detailed set design, Richmond Ballet’s rendition of “The Nutcracker” is iconic.

The performance’s symphony played in the pit, and the curtains rose to the overture put forth from clarinets, violins, and French horns. Apart from the dazzling story, the live music was the most enjoyable part of the evening. Hearing that bassoon rip the run in “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” was immensely satisfying.

Photo by Branden Wilson

The first act of the production begins as a story through movement with musical accompaniment, telling the old tale of a girl, a mouse, and a nutcracker. From the start, Richmond Ballet’s incorporation of their students in the School of Richmond Ballet and Richmond Ballet’s Minds in Motion Ambassadors into “The Nutcracker” is the program’s strongest quality by far. Yes, the art and skill are phenomenal, but to see Richmond Ballet put children from their dance programs alongside their company dancers – that accessibility is what makes this community stronger.

The props, pyrotechnics, and tech crew deserve shoutouts for their execution in that first act, as well as Lauren Archer and Matthew Frain’s performance. The second act is when the remaining company dancers take turns on the stage. Costuming from around the world accompanied cultural dances in the guise of ballet. Chinese, Spanish, Russian dances and more provided rich context in the “Kingdom of Sweets” for children and parents.

My favorite performances of the night went to “Marzipan (Mirliton Dance)” with Sabrina Holland, Marty Davis, and the cutest lambs I’ve ever seen. This piece epitomizes that accessibility for Richmond Ballet children to get an opportunity to perform with professional dancers. And the “Grand Pas de Deux” from Maggie Small and Fernando Sabino was breathtaking. Magnificent all around.

Photos by Sara Ferguson 

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