Volume IX – Issue 1 (Fall 2020)
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To the Pointe! Volume IX Issue 1 The Louisville Academy of Dance celebrates the Dancing During a Pandemic art of dance. We offer the finest in dance in- struction for ballet, jazz, tap and modern. The By: Kristen Wenrick Louisville Academy of Dance is the home of River City Ballet, a 501c(3) pre-professional dance company that provides training and It was surreal when I said good-bye to my Academy E/F class that Tuesday performance opportunities for young dancers. night as we received the news that we would have to quarantine in our homes for an Address: unknown period of time. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 9:15 and they Louisville Academy of Dance were sitting on the floor after finishing 3600 Chamberlain Ln Suite #354 the Stretch and Strengthen segment of Louisville, KY 40241 their Tuesday routine. After I told Contact: them, no one made a motion to gather LAD: [email protected] RCB: [email protected] their things, as if to affirm that if they didn’t, they could stay and we could Online: continue to dance at the studio. Four LAD: http://ladballet.com RCB: http://www.rivercityballet-ky.org days later we were looking at each other Phone: 502.425.7454 through a computer screen going about our class exercises amidst glitches, fro- zen screens and sound checks. Yet we In This Issue: persevered despite the frustration, dis- Dancing During a Pandemic 1 appointment and isolation. Coming to- Performances in Review 3 2018 and 19 Nutcracker gether with the students and seeing 2018 and 19 Nutcracker Tea 2018 Spring Showcase their smiling faces was the highlight of my days during quarantine and I never took Announcements 6 that time for granted, being so grateful to have this technology that could bring us The 2020 Nutcracker and Cinderella Donations and Thank you. together. Had this happened when I was their age, we would have had nothing. My Senior Spotlights 8 gratitude to our dedicated faculty took on new perspectives, not only for the won- Iliana Rich Bethany Roup derful teaching which they continued to impart during this time, but also for lifting Charlotte Wright the spirits of the dancers and giving them something positive to focus on, even Dancer Q & A 14 though we were all feeling the discouragement of the quarantine. Building a Home Studio Floor 19 Meet the New Faculty 21 Deana Hall Annie Honebrink Trusting your Ballet Teacher 25 Alumni News 27 Our Students 29 Editor: Steven Jent Volume IX 2 Issue I 2020 It is a testament to the human spirit (which we all have) to persevere against the odds and limitations imposed on us and progress to find the good and the positive. The Summer Olympics were to be held in Tokyo this past summer. Did the athletes shake their heads and throw up their hands in defeat and disap- pointment when they went into quarantine? No! They developed unique and inventive training ideas that helped them to stay in shape to compete, not only physically, but mentally. From Austria to New Zealand (where it was 3 a.m.) there were the 300 synchronized swimmers at work, sustaining contorted posi- tions on their mats while encouraging one another. There was the slalom canoeist who trained in his swimming pool by teth- ering his canoe with a long rubber strap made from bicycle tires to a palm tree and paddling in the pool against the resistance. From fencers who parried with a tennis ball hanging from a string in their garage to javelin throwers who threw a metal pipe (repurposed from a wedding cake stand) up a cable in their backyard, these athletes, along with so many others, gave us inspira- tion and a sense of camaraderie during these trying times. Back at Louisville Academy of Dance, we walked into the studio for in- person classes at the beginning of June. It felt so good to be together again, even with the restrictions of wearing masks and maintaining six feet between each other. The students quickly learned how to breath and dance in a mask and soon were about their usual business of danc- ing normally, but with face coverings. The progress in their dancing during the summer was a joy to behold. Never before had I seen dancers so committed and focused and hungry to improve. Never before had I seen dancers so grateful for what they never thought in their wildest dreams could ever be taken from them. Volume IX 3 Issue I 2020 Performance in review 2018 & 2019 Artistic Director: Kristen Wenrick The Clifton Center December 9, 2018 December 8, 2019 Volume IX 4 Issue I 2020 Performance in review 2018 & 2019 Nutcracker Tea Volume IX 5 Issue I 2020 Performance in review 2019 “Spring Showcase” River City Ballet Artistic Director: Kristen Wenrick Volume IX 6 Issue I 2020 River City Ballet Presents River City Ballet is excited to be presenting our annual Nutcracker performance, “The Gift of the Nut- cracker”. River City Ballet will be performing this holiday classic on Sunday, December 6, at 3:00 at the Clifton Center. Our shortened version will feature the dancers of River City Ballet, the youth performing company of Louisville Academy of Dance and guest dancers from our younger divisions. In addition to the Nutcracker, River City Ballet will be presenting select pieces from the ballet Cinderella, with the music of Sergei Prokofiev. Come join us for a day of theater and fun. Ticket information was emailed to all LAD students. DATE: Sunday, December 6th The advanced ticket sales deadline is Tuesday, November 24. TIME: 3:00 PM PLEASE MAKE OUT ALL CHECKS TO "RIVER CITY BALLET". We look for- LOCATION: The Clifton Center ward to seeing you at the show! Volume IX 7 Issue I 2020 Announcements The year 2020 came with many difficulties and we at the Louisville Academy of Dance would like to thank the many donors that contributed to our scholarship fund. This fund helped to ensure that several of our hard working dancers could continue to take part in the instruction that we provide. During this time we received donations John & Lexi Eagles as well as seven anonymous donations. If anyone is interested in contributing to the fund to make scholarships available for Session 2, please reach out to Kristen. Many of the recipients reached out to us wishing to thank all of those that contributed. Fellow Ballet Parents, We would like to thank all of those who contributed to the summer ballet scholarship. This scholarship al- lowed our daughter to continue her dancing which she truly loves. Without this, she would not have had the op- portunity to participate in her most important extracurricular activity. We are very grateful for your generosity. Sincerely, Very Thankful Parents Thanks to everyone for helping to fund the dance scholarship. Our daughter was extremely thankful to have this opportunity and experience. Our family was very happy to see the dance community rally during this very unfortunate pandemic. We look forward to the opportunity to give back in the future. Thank you! A Happy Dancer's Mom & Dad Kristen, We want you to know how much we appreciate your efforts and that of Louisville Academy of Dance in making excellent ballet instruction available to our daughter. We feel certain that her enjoyment of ballet comes from being under your particular direction and at- tention. Your care in helping us to access scholarship money so that she may participate in classes was wonderful for us and gave her a great opportunity to grow in her confidence with dance. With affection, Appreciative Parents Volume IX 8 Issue I 2020 Compiled By: Pam Lundquist Senior Spotlight: 10 Questions with Iliana Rich Iliana is 17 years old, has been dancing since she was 3, and has not stopped since! She started dancing with Louisville Academy of Dance/River City Ballet when she was 15 and has danced with them for the last 3 years. Iliana is currently a senior at Spencer County High School. At what age did you go on pointe? I was 11 years old. How many pointe shoes do you go through in a month? I go through 3-4 pairs per month. How many days per week do you dance? I dance 6 days per week. Volume IX 9 Issue I 2020 What Summer Intensives (SI) have you attend- ed? I have attended Cincinnati Ballet SI for 3 years, Kentucky Governors School for the Arts, and Cecchetti Council of America’s SI What is/are your favorite dance Instagram ac- count(s) to follow? @skylarbrandt, @marachok, @dailydancermemes, @balleddanseur, @ballet.addiction Have you danced competitively? I have danced competitively for 7 years. My favorite style was Jazz, and I even had multiple solos. Have you every been injured in a practice or in a performance, how did it affect you? I had extensor tendinitis this past Nutcracker 2019 season. I sat out for about 8 weeks and wasn’t able to perform. What do you think is the key to success in dancing? The key to success is your own little victories and goals set for yourself to achieve the big picture (whatever that may be). Do you have any advice for your fellow LAD dancers? You’re not going to be perfect, and you’re going to have those bad days. Success is landing that triple pirouette you’ve worked hard for. Success is enjoyment of your craft and accomplishing goals along the way. What are your future plans? I plan on attending college and double majoring in dance - ballet focus and finance.