We are excited to announce Season 3 of The Ballet Clinic!! This last season has been insane, and while COVID-19 has created numerous issues, we are lucky enough to have survived and thrived. This 2020-2021 Season has been crazy, but we have already been awarded numerous awards and recognized for our outstanding and dedicated faculty. We are extremely excited to announce next season as we start our search for the next 36 dancers who will be a part of The Ballet Clinic. Here are some of the photos from this Fall Season! We are so excited to be moving on to our Winter 2021 Season!! To learn more about Season 3 or The Ballet Clinic visit our Website: www.TheBalletClinic.com
Balancing College and Priouettes by Eric Hipolito Jr. Here he talks to dancers Kiara Felder of Les Grand Ballet de Canadian, Montreal, Andy Garcia of Boston Ballet, and PNB’s Genevieve Waldorf.
Jillian Verzwyvelt talks about Transferable Skills You Can Take Beyond the Studio. Jillian talks to four amazing women who have transitioned from ballet: Miko Fogarty, Jessica Columbus, Melody Lynch, and Cristina Milanes.
When I was younger, kids in my ballet class were awarded stickers for coming to class in the proper uniform with their hair in a neat ballet bun. My mom arranged my thick natural hair into individual braids that were nicely pulled back for class, however, I was the only girl who did not get a sticker for being in the proper uniform. I was always told my hair was not right for the class. Eventually, I told my mother about the issue. We met with the director who apologized, and I finally got my stickers. This experience was traumatizing for me. It could have deterred my interest in this art form. Ballet schools must be more accepting of the cultural and racial differences of their students. The ballet community should accommodate hairstyles for Black dancers who have beautiful, naturally coarse hair. Training to be a professional ballerina is challenging and takes a lot of discipline, regardless of who you are. Read more in our September Issue.
The September Issue is here! Our September Issue here and it is our largest issue ever! Our 20th issue is over 200 pages and the first issue in the history of the Magazine where I did not produce it and I couldn’t be more proud. This issue brings the news that I will be stepping down as Editor-in-Chief and handing over the magazine to Elizabeth Weldon and Ashley Lorraine Baker. The reasoning behind this? I want to make sure that women lead this publication, and that women are being represented in the ballet world as writers, photographers, editors, and are being the voices shaping the conversations in dance. This issue is beyond stunning and I couldn’t have been more proud to see my colleagues (who I am lucky enough to call friends) take control of this issue and produce a beyond stunning issue. We hope you enjoy it! You can read the magazine by subscribing here: www.aballetmagazine.com
Katlyn Addison, Gabrielle Salvatto, Ginabel Peterson, and Jazz Bynum of Ballet West photographed by Joshua Whitehead.
IN THIS ISSUE:
Ginabel Peterson, Jazz Bynum, Katlyn Addison, and Gabrielle Salvatto of Ballet West photographed by Joshua Whitehead.
COVER STORY WOMEN: THE FUTURE: When the staff of A Ballet Magazine began brainstorming for our September issue, the immediate thought that came to my mind was to feature these four beautiful women at Ballet West.: Gabrielle Salvatto Katlyn Addison, Jazz Khai Bynum, and Ginabel Peterson. Read an in-depth article and interview by Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Weldon photographed by Joshua Whitehead.
Growing Up Black: Lauryn Brown Photographed by Ashley Baker
GROWING UP BLACK By Lauryn Brown | Photographed by Ashley Baker When I was younger, kids in my ballet class were awarded stickers for coming to class in the proper uniform with their hair in a neat ballet bun. My mom arranged my thick natural hair into individual braids that were nicely pulled back for class, however, I was the only girl who did not get a sticker for being in the proper uniform. I was always told my hair was not right for class. Read more of Lauryn’s personal essay.
DO THEY SEE US? By Ashley Baker Creating quality ballet choreography can come from anyone and anywhere. Ballet seems to be lacking in finding, or better yet, uncovering black women who choreograph ballet. Where are all the black female choreographers? Amy Hall Garner and Claudia Schreier unpack being choreographers, being black, and being women.
THE VIOLENCE OF WHITE SILENCE By Elizabeth Weldon In the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd, and the surge of Black Lives Matter protests worldwide, ballet dancers of color have taken to their social media accounts as a platform to express disappointment in their employers. One of the first of these dancers was George Sanders.
THE POINTE OF PIGMENT Written and Photographed Ashley Baker Some of the world’s top pointe shoe companies share in their mission to better represent the community that uses their products. This article features Freed of London, Suffolk, and Gaynor Minden. We had the chance to sit down and talk with the owners of these companies and talk about their contributions in providing pointe shoes of color.
MASTER TEACHER By David King My first introduction to Andrea Long wasn’t in person. And no, it wasn’t because of the Covid-19 pandemic. My first introduction to Andrea Long was in 1993, sitting inside the local cineplex at six years old. Now, I have the privilege of calling this master teacher my friend. Here is a feature on this stunning and talented teacher.
#ABESONESTOWATCH NEW FEATURE: Each issue A Ballet Education and A Ballet Magazine will be selecting up and coming ballet dancers to be featured in the issue! We are kicking off this feature with six talented young women who are breaking onto the ballet scene with a punch. Featuring Maddison Brown, Adeline Dunlap, Bella Jones, Alexandra Owens, Destiny Wimpye, and Sasha Manuel.
FALL FASHION: COLOR BLOCKING Written and Photographed Ashley Baker featuring Mia Patton and styled by Berly Baray
STYLE: HERE’S TO HAIR Written by Ashley Baker featuring Alexandra Terry
RESILIENCE & REPRESENTATION a profile on KIYON ROSS Written by Eric Hipolito Jr.
AZ DANCE MED TAKES YOU THROUGH HELPFUL EXERCISES TO PROMOTE A MOBILE AND SUPPORTED SPINE
RESOURCES: WHEN WILL IT BE WOMEN’S TURN? Written by Jillian Verzwyvelt artwork by Ashley Baker
PROFILE: DANCE THEATRE OF HARLEM STEPHANIE RAE WILLIAMS Written by Isabella Costantino
PROFILE: PAVIELLE VERSALLES: THE WOMAN BEHIND CONCEPT PAVIELLE
Issue 16 features A Ballet Education’s The Ballet Clinic. It celebrates the young dancers who inspired us to open this training facility. On the cover: Cassie Van Wolde, Harrison Pickering, Lauryn Brown, Bel Pickering, Annabelle Gourley, Nikolas Alexander, Jordan Gourley, and Leonidas Adarmes.
Things have been happening so fast over here at a Ballet Education. Things have been coming in left and right, up and down. It is kind of chaotic. Between doodling what seems to be and endless amount of orders, the artwork for the children’s book, the magazine, the emails, the teaching, RDA Nationals in PHX, the list goes on and on… It is like mega overload… Super overload. Plus, the big secret we have been working on over here… It has just been ridiculously crazy. BUT I DO HAVE GOOD NEWS! LOTS OF IT!
BEHIND THE SCENES OF ARIZONA DANCES: Taimy Miranda, photographed by Ashley Baker // Ashley Lorraine Baker is coming to work for a Ballet Education full time. Why? Mostly because I need help and I like being around her. Okay, just kidding, because she is super talented and understands my madness.
ISSUE 4‘s crazy fiasco has been solved by the talented Vikki Sloviter. With the issue of the cover story falling through, an even better cover story has emerged and we are so excited to announce it soon. The magazine should be released May 10, at the latest… fingers crossed… But, if you have images that you want in the magazine, keep sending them over… we have lots to write about and need photos!
THE BIGGER NEWS!! Recently, I have been getting a ton of emails from dance studio owners and business owners asking about how I am able to track my social media platforms, how I am able to juggle it all, and how can they use social media to the limitless potential it has… Well, remember, prior to my blog I was working in fashion and doing well in PR, Marketing, and Social Media. But, yes, I do know how the logarithms work and I also understand how social media, digital marketing, and content hold the future of ballet in their hands. So, IÂ have been working together with a team of writers, editors, social media strategists, digital marketing gurus, PR powerhouses to make sure my theory worked… And it did.Â
What does thismean?
It means… I can finally announce that a Ballet Education has created a Ballet Network.
A Ballet Network is now a network and resource for dance studios, product/apparel, and more to use. Feel free to go ahead and check it out!! I am pretty happy with it, well actually very happy with it. And now, everyone can have a large team working for them at an affordable price. I saw some of the prices out there, and read what people were paying with little or 0 results and was pretty shocked. But now, any small business can afford it!!
TRENDY:CJ of a Ballet Education has his own successful business and we love it!! The Bachelor Candle is one of the first to join the new A Ballet Network. Shop this week and get 20% off using the coupon code: 20OFF (It is the perfect gift for a male ballet dancer or male ballet teacher. The scents are strong, clean, kind of sexy and a lot of fun.)
