INTERNATIONAL BALLET EXCHANGE

Annual Report 2010 (July 1, 2010–June 30, 2011)

38 East Schoolhouse Lane Philadelphia, PA 19144 215.849.7950 (phone) 215.849.3117 (fax) [email protected] www.internationalballet.org MISSION Established in 1998, IBE has an overarching mission: to bring high-quality education to students from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds; to foster valuable artistic and life skills, international understanding, and aesthetic awareness; and to make the understanding and appreciation of ballet accessible to all segments of society.

HISTORY International Ballet Exchange (IBE) began as a partnership between Wissahickon Dance Academy (WDA) in Philadelphia and the Pisarev Choreography School in Donetsk, . Since its inception, teachers from the Pisarev School have been invited to teach at WDA and talented WDA students have had the opportunity to study abroad in special intensive ballet programs in Donetsk.

IBE’s presence in the Philadelphia public schools began in 1999 with a pilot in-school program at Simon Gratz High School in North Philadelphia. With the full support of school administrators, 25 students received ballet training with a ballet master from the Pisarev Choreography School and then had the rare experience of performing with the Donetsk Ballet in a free community performance of Peer Gynt.

Since 2000, along with Simon Gratz High School, IBE has placed ballet residencies at University City High School, Kenderton Elementary School, Philadelphia High School for Girls, Northeast High School, Anna B. Pratt Elementary School, George Washington High School and Morris S. Leeds Middle School. Residency students dance in a fully staged ballet with students from WDA.

Through IBE, audiences of children and youth from the Philadelphia public schools have also had the opportunity to see free performances of the Donetsk Ballet’s , , Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere and Peer Gynt. The Dontesk Ballet’s annual touring production of offers public schools and residents of the Philadelphia area the opportunity to experience a performance by a world-class Russian supported by a cast of local children.

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 2 FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Arts in education became the focus of the International Ballet Exchange 1999, when we established a residency, teaching ballet at Simon Gratz High School. As our relationship with Gratz developed over the following 11 years and as we became a presence in other schools, we became learners, too. In working with the public schools, we learned important lessons about the role of leadership in each school. We learned to reach out to the school district staff.

However, the most important lesson we learned is the value of bringing dance to the schools, so many of which are underserved. I continue to see the joy in the faces of the children we serve as they come to discover new role models, new movement vocabulary, new goals to work toward, new experiences, and a new world of ballet.

We invite all of those who share our interest in developing the next generation of culturally aware, inspired citizens to support our programs, and we offer our gratitude to the many supporters, past, present and future.

Sincerely, Nancy Malmed Executive Director International Ballet Exchange

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 3 WHAT WE DO IBE brings the beauty and joy of classical ballet to Philadelphia’s public schools. In fact, IBE brings ballet directly into the schools with in-school performances of fully staged story ballets and 30-week “residencies” where students learn from master teachers. IBE builds audiences, teaches ballet, offers performance opportunities and makes a difference.

IBE Builds Audiences In 2010–2011, IBE transported more than 3,000 students from the Philadelphia public schools to the magic realm of dance:

On December 16, 2010, IBE presented the Dontesk Ballet of Ukraine’s The Nutcracker, with a cast of 45 local children, to an audience of 1,000 students, teachers and chaperones from 13 Philadelphia schools at George Washington High School.

On May 22, 2011, IBE presented La Fille Mal Gardée, a charming story ballet, to more than 2,000 students, teachers and chaperones from 25 of Philadelphia’s public elementary and middle schools at George Washington High School.

It was awesome seeing students from other school district schools perform in such a professional manner! —Teacher, Philadelphia school district

To maximize the experience of seeing La Fille Mal Gardée and being part of an audience for the performing arts, IBE provided free teachers’ guides with pre- and post-performance lessons and activities to use in the classroom. A post-performance survey indicated that 85 percent of the teachers who attended the performance found that the guide helped them effectively prepare their students for attending the show.

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 4 IBE Teaches Ballet During the 2010–2011 school year, IBE provided 30 weeks of high-quality ballet lessons—150 hours of in-school programming— to 100 Philadelphia public school students grades 3–12.

Elena Tiuriakulova, IBE’s “ballet master,” was in residence at Anna B. Pratt elementary school in North Philadelphia, Morris S. Leeds Middle School in East Mount Airy, and George Washington High School in the Northeast, teaching a total of five student groups. The 100 residency students performed La Fille Mal Gardée alongside 25 children from the Wissahickon Dance Academy for more than 2,000 elementary school students from across the Philadelphia school district.

Ms. Tiuriakulova was trained at the Mariinsky (formerly Kirov) Theatre and is a graduate of the Vaganova Choreography School, both in St. Petersburg, Russia. As principal ballerina with the State Ballet and Opera of Kyrgyzstan she danced the major roles in , Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, La Bayadare, and Swan Lake, among others.

Students from Anna B. Pratt Elementary School

IBE provided leotards, tights and ballet slippers for the residency students to wear in class, and costumes for their roles in La Fille Mal Gardée, as well as transportation to and from the theater for rehearsals and performance. Residency students and their family attend free IBE’s presentation of The Nutcracker with the Donetsk Ballet

We believe it is important to be a presence for at least two years, to work, when possible, with cohorts of students, building their skills and confidence. For this reason, we seek multiyear, or even long-term, relationships with the participating schools. This was IBE’s fourth year in residence at Pratt, second at George Washington and first year at Leeds.

[My student] has benefited so much by being in the dance class as well as the IBE program. She has found her love of dance and culture and tries to go out into the community and see live art, music, and dance when she can. This program does so many wonderful things for our students at George Washington High School, and I hope we house this program and their performances for years to come. —Michele Sorkin, dance teacher at George Washington High School

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 5 IBE Offers Performance Opportunities In December 2010, the Donetsk Ballet and a diverse cast of 45 area children and youth performed alongside 18 professional dancers of the internationally renowned Donetsk Ballet of Ukraine. On December 18, they performed at George Washington High School for students from 13 schools in the Philadelphia school district. On December 18 and 19 they performed for the community, at William Penn Charter School’s performing arts center.

IBE annually holds an open audition for the opportunity to perform with this world-class ballet company. Children and youth ages 10 to 22, currently enrolled in ballet classes anywhere in the region are welcome to audition for this production.

IBE’s open audition was held on September 19, 2010. Those selected rehearsed for 12 weeks with Viktor Yeliohin, a Russian ballet master before performing with the Donetsk Ballet.

The Donetsk Ballet brings 18 professionals to the United States for its annual tour. Many of these dancers have competed and won medals in international competitions. The company is led by artistic director Vadim Pisarev, a celebrated gold medalist. Pictured above: Evgeny Svetletsa and Anastastia Esopuva of the Donetsk Ballet.

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 6 IBE Makes a Difference Seeing a ballet unfold on stage is a marvelous experience, and IBE brings its productions specifically to the school district’s youngest audiences, in a school setting, laying the foundation for their participation in other audience programs, such as the and Opera Company of Philadelphia’s open dress rehearsals.

It deeply moved me to see the students get to experience something that otherwise may not have been made available to them. Bravo. —Teacher, Philadelphia school district

IBE maintains its residency programs for multiple years, and on average, 62 percent of children eligible to continue with lessons do so. Studying ballet, especially with IBE’s qualified teachers, offers a unique opportunity to develop physical and mental skills, exposes students to music and to the mathematics and vocabulary of dance. The long-term goal of being part of a stage performance adds skills that are transferable not only to other academic areas but to life: discipline, goal setting, grace, commitment, teamwork and self-respect that comes from mastering a complex skill.

Ballet has helped my students to communicate feelings, images and thoughts that would never have been revealed had it not been for their experience with IBE. Students entering the school anticipate the opportunity to be part of the residency, and many graduates of the program have been inspired to become dance educators and teachers of the performing arts, and are currently enrolled in various universities and colleges. Without IBE, many students would lose the opportunity for such a meaningful, motivating experience. —Dr. Delores Williams, former principal, Simon Gratz High School

As a middle-school student explained, “My experience in ballet was a lot of fun. I had a chance to learn something new in my life. I also had a chance to meet some new people. Ballet also helped me to get over my fear of being in front of a lot of people.”

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 7 WHO WE SERVE International Ballet Exchange serves diverse communities. In 2010–2011, IBE reached a total of 3,866 children and adults with our classes and performances: 100 students participated in IBE residencies; more than 3,000 students, teachers and chaperones attended reduced-rate performances of The Nutcracker and free performances of La Fille Mal Gardée; and 800 attended the community performance of The Nutcracker.

Residency Schools • Anna B. Pratt Elementary School: 97 percent economically disadvantaged; 94.9 percent African American, 1.1 percent Caucasian, 2.7 percent Latino

• Morris S. Leeds Middle School: 75 percent economically disadvantaged; 96.5 percent African American, 4 percent Caucasian, 2.3 percent Latino

• George Washington High School: 57.7 percent economically disadvantaged; 41.7 percent Caucasian, 28 percent African American, 16.5 percent Asian, 12.9 percent Latino

Performances for the School District: The audiences for IBE’s in-school performances of The Nutcracker and La Fille Mal Gardée were broadly representative of the school district’s populations, which for the 2010–2011 school year are reported as 56 percent African American, 7.4 percent Asian, 14.1 percent Caucasian, 18.6 percent Latino, 0.2 percent Native American and 3.6 percent other.

Community Performances of The Nutcracker • Our 45 student performers: 51 percent African American, 49 percent Caucasian • Our community audiences, totaling 800: (as self-reported) 51 percent Caucasian, 49 percent African American

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 8 OUR SUPPORTERS IBE benefits from the generosity of many donors, volunteers and providers of in-kind goods and services.

Funders IBE expresses our sincere gratitude to the following public and private foundations for their support during 2010–2011: Connelly Foundation Douty Foundation Samuel S. Fels Fund Christopher Ludwick Foundation Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts Philadelphia Cultural Fund The Seybert Foundation Target Foundation Union Benevolent Foundation

Contributors Every contribution, even a modest one, helps bring the beauty and joy of ballet to more than 3,000 students in the Philadelphia public schools. The following were among our most generous supporters in 2010–2011:

Andrea Allan Nancy and Richard Malmed Michael Bloom Mary Mehler Marsha and Howard Borin Joleen and John Miller Andrea Brooks Jill and Jay Muchnick Mariette Buchman Eric Mullendore Margaret Chambers Paula and Lawrence Ninerell Elaine and Len Cohen Mark and Barbara Pankhurst Ralph and Doris Copperman Donald Perelman and Elise Singer Terry and Lynn Copperman Ellen and Hy Portnoy Barbara Copperman Kim and Keith Pride Paul and Susuan Copperman James Robb Sue and Matt Dougherty Amy and Charles Roehrig Jerome and Harriet Fisher Michael and Pauline Senturia Valerie and Dwight Franz Stephen and Peg Senturia Jeffrey and Karen Freedman William and Elizabeth Shortridge Pat and Steve Gluckman Shellie Sigel Rita and Steve Gordon Mikki Stephens Eliott and Kathy Grey David and Sara Tabby Betsy and Ted Hershberg Gene and Etta Waldman Jo and Laurenc Jennings Gertrude Waldman Reggie and Peter Kenen Sandra and Tim Weckesser John and Rachel Krauser Joe Kromdyck

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 9 In-kind goods and services Capezio Ballet Makers Kim Pride Sandra Weckesser Elaine Cohen Jerome Fisher

IBE appreciates its ongoing relationship with the School District of Philadelphia, especially the encouragement and guidance of Dennis Creedon, Ed.D, director of the Philadelphia school district’s Office of Creative and Performing Arts.

BOARD AND STAFF

Board Nancy Malmed, ex officio, Jerome Fisher President Patricia Gluckman Sheila Hawes, Esq., Vice Joleen Miller President Deysi Peterson Sandra Weckesser, Esq., Kimberly Pride Secretary Eazle Stephens Elaine Cohen, Treasurer

Staff Nancy Malmed, executive director Elaine Cohen, office manager Elena Tiuriakulova, ballet master, residency program Viktor Yeliohin, ballet master, The Nutcracker Jenna Berardino, administrative assistant

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 10 FINANCIALS Summary, July 1, 2010, to June 30, 2011

Income Grants $31,969 Individual giving 11,295 Ticket sales 22,253 Miscellaneous fund-raising 13,370 ______Total support and revenue $78,948

Expenses Program Residency $19,051 Nutcracker 27,850 Advertising 15,774 Support services General administrative 11,348 Postage/printing 2,462 Utilities 600 Fund-raising 3,768 Other 518 ______Total expenses $81,371

Net assets ($2,423)

International Ballet Exchange has 501(c) 3 designation from the Internal Revenue Service and is a registered charitable organization with the Pennsylvania Department of State.

International Ballet Exchange, Annual Report 2010 11