CBA Spring Performance Information

Charlottesville Ballet Academy is gearing up for our second annual Spring Performance Seasons of Dance, featuring students from Charlottesville Ballet Academy and a guest performance by members of Charlottesville Ballet’s professional company.  Please see more information below.  Click here to purchase your tickets online!

Seasons of Dance
Saturday, June 1st, 2013 @ 3:30pm
The V. Earl Dickinson Building at PVCC

Around the World Program – Please Help Us Proof!

• Please click on the thumbnail image below for a proof of the CBA Program.  If you see any errors in your child’s name, please email Moira Price (info@charlottesvilleballet.org) with the page number and the corrected spelling/wording.

Co-Director Sara Jansen Clayborne’s Final Performance!

A Note from Co-Director Sara Jansen Clayborne:

Photo by Andrea Shirey Photography

Dear Friends, Patrons, and Community Members:

On April 20th, 2013 Charlottesville Ballet will present the Mainstage Two Performance: Tribute at Piedmont Virginia Community College to celebrate the professional company’s fifth performing season.  I want to let you all know that this will be my final performance as a professional dancer. 

I have thought long and hard about this decision and have realized that my role as both Director and Teacher have become my new passion.  I have been blessed to have a professional career for 12+ years and am excited to focus on the expansion of Charlottesville Ballet rather than expanding my career as a dancer and performer.  I will truly miss the stage (…and may return in a few fun character roles), but I am excited and determined to see Charlottesville Ballet grow to new heights!

I hope that you will join me on Saturday, April 20 in celebrating both the 5th Anniversary of Charlottesville Ballet and the culmination of my career as a dancer.

Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I embark on this new journey.  I look forward to this new chapter in my life and thank each of you for your continued support!

With Gratitude,

Sara Jansen Clayborne

Co-Director, Charlottesville Ballet
Director, Charlottesville Ballet Academy

Our Monthly “Meet the Artist” Series: Devin Sweet

Photo by Andrea Shirey Photography

Devin Sweet

THE BASICS

Name: Devin Sweet

Age: 25

Astrological Sign: Aries

Hometown: Plymouth, New York. It’s a small village in the middle of upstate NY, surrounded by farms and State Forests.

Role in C’ville Ballet: Company Artist and all-around handyman.

FAVORITES…

Devin at North Carolina Dance Theatre’s summer program

Food: Any well-made soup

Color: Turquoise, but I like most blues.

Book: The Tao te-Ching by Lao Tzu

Movie: Star Wars: the original trilogy, Monty Python, Firefly, Serenity, V for Vendetta

Quotation: “Try not, do or do not, there is no try”-Yoda

Musician/Band:  Rise Against, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra.

Spot in C’ville: Any of the forested trails.

NERDY DANCE QUESTIONS

A young Devin auditioning for The Nutcracker

Tell us about your dance background and training:

I started training when I was 4 years old at the Decker School of Ballet (later renamed the Fokine Ballet Company). I was trained very strictly in ballet while I was a student there. At 18, I attended college at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA) where I received training in ballet, modern, partnering and choreography. I left NCSA and spent a year dancing for a small company in South Carolina but returned to finish my degree. After NCSA, I started teaching to stay in the dance world while looking for professional work. Eventually I found the Charlottesville Ballet and moved to Charlottesville in 2011.

Devin with Company Artist Caitlin Lennon in “The TogetherColoured Instant” by Peter LeBreton Merz (2012)

 

What genres of dance do you enjoy?

Favorite dancers or role models?

Photo courtesy Steve Clarke

I’m really looking forward to the Mainstage Two Performance that will close the company’s season on April 20.  I’m performing in a ballet called L’après-midi d’un faune (or The Afternoon of a Faun), a pas de deux by Associate Director Keith Lee that’s inspired by the original version by Vaslav Nijinsky.

Nijinsky took inspiration from a series of Greek vases he saw at the Louvre and created the original version for the Ballet Russes back in 1912.  Check out this video clip of Nijinsky…from 100 years ago!

Keith Lee’s version of the ballet is a more modern, impressionistic dance (with less abstract choreography and more challenging partnering skills), but I’m pretty excited to play a “faun” animal on stage and bring the story to life over 100 years later.  Come see me perform L’après-midi d’un faune with Sara Jansen Clayborne in the Mainstage Two Performance: Tribute – April 20th at PVCC!

Thanks for enjoying our “Meet the Artist” segment– and look for a new Charlottesville Ballet artist profile next month!

(c) Charlottesville Ballet 2013

Call for Community Performers | Keith Lee’s “Trilogy”

Calling All Dancers– Perform on Stage with Charlottesville Ballet’s Professional Company!

Charlottesville Ballet is offering community members a chance to participate in our upcoming Mainstage Two Performance: Tribute on April 20 at Piedmont Virginia Community College. The performance celebrates the company’s fifth season with an evening of works by Associate Director Keith Lee.

The grand finale for the April 20 performance is Keith Lee’s gospel-inspired work called Trilogy, which includes ballet, jazz, and modern dance movements. We are looking for community performers from all across Central Virginia to join the professional company on stage for the third and final section of Trilogy in an upbeat and energetic dance.

For more information about Community Collaboration in the Mainstage Two Performance, please contact Co-Director Emily Mott: emott@charlottesvilleballet.org or 434.973.2555.

Our Monthly “Meet the Artist” Series: Hannah Deveny

Charlottesville Ballet’s “Meet the Artist” profile for February 2013 features company Artist Hannah Deveny– check out her interview below and enjoy!

Hannah Deveny

THE BASICS

Name: Hannah Deveny

Age: 23

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Hometown: Akron, OH

Role in C’ville Ballet: Company Artist

FAVORITES…

Food: Chocolate, coffee, spicy food!

Color: Green, Blue

Book: Harry Potter series

Movie: Elf

Musician/Band:  The Black Keys—They are from my hometown, Akron! I also love the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Spot in C’ville: Downtown Mall, Saunders Trail, Sugar Hollow, and Humpback Rocks

Business/Store in C’ville:  Trader Joe’s

NERDY DANCE QUESTIONS

Photo by Andrea Shirey Photography

Tell us about your dance background and training:

I started dancing around my house and fell in love with ballet at the age of 3. I started studying ballet seriously at age 10 at the University of Akron Dance Institute. I was fortunate to train with many professional dancers and perform with the University of Akron Dance Ensemble in high school.

I attended summer intensives at Washington Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Salzburg International Ballet Academy, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, and Hubbard Street.

I recently received a BFA in Ballet from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. After graduating this past June, I joined the Charlottesville Ballet!

What genres of dance do you enjoy?

Favorite dancers or role models?

Do you have a favorite ballet:

Hannah with Participants from Charlottesville Ballet’s Summer Intensive 2012

Thanks for enjoying our “Meet the Artist” segment– and look for a new Charlottesville Ballet artist profile next month!

(c) Charlottesville Ballet 2013

CBA Closed Thursday 1/17/13

Charlottesville Ballet Academy will be closed today, Thursday 1/17, due the the risk of inclement weather.

Please stay tuned to our Facebook Page and call 434.985.3200 for inclement weather updates– stay safe and warm!

The Hard Hat Fundraising Gala is 10 Days Away!

Construction is coming along beautifully in Charlottesville Ballet’s new home at 1885 Seminole Trail!

Our Board of Directors, Dancers, and Staff have been excitedly preparing for the Hard Hat Fundraising Gala, which will be held in the new space on Saturday, January 26th at 6:00pm.  Special thanks to Lindsay Garrett Design & Photography for creating our beautiful posters and invitations for the event!

The Hard Hat Fundraising Gala will feature catering by The Little Red Hen and drinks by The Whiskey Jar.  Our silent auction features some of Charlottesville finest merchants including:  Angelo, Crutchfield, Penelope, Bristles, Bonefish Grill, Regal Cinemas, Andrea Shirey Photography, Virginia Wineworks, Artful Lodger, Curves, Hedge, Whole Foods Market, Jefferson Vineyards, and more.

Tickets to the event are $40 per person or $75 per couple with all proceeds benefiting Charlottesville Ballet.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.CharlottesvilleBallet.org or by calling the Box Office at 434.227.7592.

We’ve been updating our Facebook page with pictures and information about the progress of the construction, but we also wanted to post some updates here so you can really appreciate the transformation when you see the space at the Hard Hat Fundraising Gala!

Our contractor Mark Wiggins and his team finished installing the base of the sprung flooring system this week.   They’ve spent tedious hours laying state-of-the-art foam blocks every 6 inches across the 50′ x 30′ studio.  These little blocks may look like nothing, but they integral to creating a healthy space for our dancers– they allow the subfloor to give and cushion a dancer’s joints when he or she lands everything from small jumps to flying grande jetes!

Architect Corey Clayborne inspects the new framing

Mark Wiggins’ team laying the foam blocks

Over 4,000 blocks and many hours later…the sprung flooring base is complete!

Thank you again to all of our patrons, local businesses, and sponsors for making this new home possible for Charlottesville Ballet.  If you would like to make a donation, please visit our Contribute Page here.

Donate Now!

We look forward to seeing you at the Hard Hat Fundraising Gala!

Our Monthly “Meet the Artist” Series: Blake Seidel

Charlottesville Ballet’s “Meet the Artist” profile for December 2012 features company Apprentice Blake Seidel– check out his interview below and enjoy!

Blake Seidel

THE BASICS

Name: Blake Seidel

Age: 22

Astrological Sign: Virgo

Hometown: Fairfax, VA

Role in C’ville Ballet: Apprentice

FAVORITES…

Food: Chocolate chips and salad, but not together!

Color: Green

Book: This Boy’s Life

Movie: Mean Girls

Musician/Band: Incubus

Quotation: “Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.”-Martha Graham

Spot in C’ville: Whiskey Jar

Business/Store in C’ville:  Trader Joe’s

NERDY DANCE QUESTIONS

Blake and his family

Tell us about your dance background and training:

I started dancing at the age of 18 when I was attending Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY. My mother was a dancer and I have always loved to dance, so I decided to take a beginning modern dance class my first semester. It was love at first sight. I transferred to the University of Virginia my third year of college and continued to study dance through the University. I auditioned for the Charlottesville Ballet during my final year at UVA and was hired as an Apprentice with the company, simultaneously balancing my work with the company with finishing my final year of college. After graduating, I completed summer intensives with the American Ballet Theater and the Joffrey Ballet School. I am continuing to study and grow as a dancer with the Charlottesville Ballet during the 2012/2013 season.

 

Blake performing in David Dorfman’s “Prophets of Funk: Act One” at the University of Virginia

What genres of dance do you enjoy?

Favorite dancers or role models?

Do you have a favorite dance piece:

Blake during a photo shoot with Andrea Shirey Photography

What is your favorite ballet step/movement?

Adagio! Most people hate it, but I love it!

 

Tell us, why do you dance?

For me, dance is just as necessary as oxygen is. I feel full of life with it and feel empty without it. It is a challenge for me – physically, emotionally, and and mentally. It allows me to express with my body what I cannot express in words. I simply could not live without it. Dance brings me more joy than anything that I have ever tried before, so why would I ever stop?

 

OTHER

What other jobs/activities/pursuits are you involved in?

I work at the Whiskey Jar on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall and I teach Contemporary and Hip Hop dance classes at Charlottesville Ballet Academy.

 

What other talents or passions do you have?

I can sing, do yoga, do lots of handstands, and I am working on my breakdancing skills!

Anything else you’d like to express:

I cannot express how much I appreciate all that Sara Clayborne and Emily Mott do – for me, for the company, and for Charlottesville and its surrounding area. They have given me the opportunity to follow my dreams to become a professional dancer and are an integral part of the dancer I am today.

Blake and Resident Choreographer Audrey Fenske as Clara and the Nutcracker

Come see Blake Seidel perform as the title role in our production of The Nutcracker Suite at PVCC December 22nd and 23rd!

Thanks for enjoying our “Meet the Artist” segment– and look for a new Charlottesville Ballet artist profile next month!

(c) Charlottesville Ballet 2012

Our Monthly “Meet the Artist” Series: Heather Hutton

Charlottesville Ballet’s “Meet the Artist” profile for November 2012 features company lighting designer Heather Hutton– check out her interview below and enjoy!

Photo by Andrea Shirey

Heather Hutton

THE BASICS

Name: Heather Hutton

Age: 47

Astrological Sign: Aquarius

Hometown: Dallas, Texas

Role in C’ville Ballet: Lighting Designer

FAVORITES…

Heather’s husband Dirk and daughter Eliza

Food: Mexican

Color: Blue

Book: Harry Potter

Movie:  The Lord of the Rings

Musician/Band: Broken Bells, and Big Band anything!

Quotation: “Wherever you go, there you are”

Spot in C’ville: My yard

Business/Store in C’ville: Oh Susanna

NERDY DANCE QUESTIONS

What genres of dance do you enjoy?

Favorite dancers or role models?

Do you have a favorite dance piece:

What’s your favorite ballet/dance step:

Anything that involves dancing with another human being.

 

LIGHTING DESIGN QUESTIONS

Tell us, why do you light dance?

I would rather light dance than anything else. Lighting is visible music. I love to create the underpinnings, the inner space, of a dance. The lighting creates another form of flow, from beginning to end.

How did you become involved in technical theater?

When I was an undergraduate dance major, I had to fulfill technical stage hours every year. I discovered I loved working backstage, with all the lighting equipment.

Heather’s Lighting for the Live Art’s “Afterglow” Party 2011

Tell us a bit about your background and training in lighting:

I studied lighting concurrent with my undergrad dance training at TCU. I began to design dance shows, and was lucky enough to light several works by Fernando Bujones while he was an artist-in-residence at TCU. I quickly realized I wanted more training. I received my MFA in lighting from Bennington College. I designed lights for professional theatre for several years before moving to

Heather’s Lighting for “Eurydice” at Live Arts (June 2009)

Charlottesville. While here, I’ve designed for Live Arts, for Wundekammer, and very happily for Charlottesville Ballet. In 2005, I had the chance to accompany Jennifer Tipton to Paris while she was designing lights for the Paris Opera Ballet’s performance of Jewels. It’s the same version that was filmed for PBS Great Performances. It was a real treat to watch a lighting master and a stellar ballet company in rehearsal for 2 weeks while sitting in the amazing Opera Garnier.

What is your favorite show you have worked on:

Eurydice, directed by Bree Luck, at Live Arts.

 

OTHER

Heather’s daughter Eliza as the black sheep in Charlottesville Ballet’s “The Nutcracker Suite”

What other jobs/activities/pursuits are you involved in?

My husband and I are raising our dancing daughter. She is my favorite pursuit!

 

What other talents or passions do you have?

I am a devoted gardener, a good cook, and a voracious reader.

 

Anything else you’d like to express:

I truly enjoy collaborating with Charlottesville Ballet as their Lighting Designer. I am so thrilled that the organization is expanding and will be moving to Charlottesville soon– I can’t wait to see what happens next!

 Thanks for enjoying our “Meet the Artist” segment– and look for a new Charlottesville Ballet artist profile next month!

(c) Charlottesville Ballet 2012

Announcing Charlottesville Ballet’s New Home in Charlottesville!

Thanks to community support and dedication, Charlottesville Ballet is growing!

We have exceeded capacity at our current location in Greene County and are now fundraising for a new home in Charlottesville!  The state-of-the-art facility will be located at 1885 Seminole Trail in Charlottesville and provide a wonderful home for both the professional company and Charlottesville Ballet Academy!

A State-of-the-Art Facility on Route 29 and Woodbrook Drive–

Coming Spring 2013!

•Second Floor Space with Elevator Access
•Three Studios with Sprung Marley Flooring
•A Beautiful New Home for the Professional Company and Charlottesville Ballet Academy

 Help Us Build the Future of Charlottesville Ballet!

Members of the Professional Company pose during a tour of the new Charlottesville location. Help us turn this unfinished space into a fabulous center for dance in Charlottesville!

Charlottesville Ballet is thrilled to create a new home in northern Charlottesville that will serve both the professional company and the students of Charlottesville Ballet Academy.

Our mission is to promote lifelong health and well-being through excellence and access to the art of ballet. The new Charlottesville home will allow us to offer accessible dance education and performance to more members of the community.

Please consider making a special donation today to help build a new home for Charlottesville Ballet.  For more information about our capital campaign, please see our Support page or contact Co-Director Sara Jansen Clayborne (sclayborne@charlottesvilleballet.org).

Thank you for your support!