Introducing ISB TV

Click and subscribe to ISB's new YouTube channel, ISB TV! Now playing: our new promo video and last May's performance of Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours. Lots more coming soon!

ISB at the Artsgarden, Sunday, September 21 at 2:00pm

Miss ISB at Penrod? See us again at the Artsgarden!

The Indianapolis School of Ballet will present a free public performance at the Indianapolis Artsgarden on Sunday, September 21 at 2:00 p.m. The varied program includes original ballets to music of Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours, Verdi’s I Vespri Siciliani, and Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espanol by Victoria Lyras and the Cruchy Granola Suite from Fosse, an energizing jazz number staged by Scott Jovovich. The Artsgarden is located above the intersection of Washington Street and Illinois Street in downtown Indianapolis.

Join us at the Penrod Arts Fair this Saturday!

The Indianapolis School of Ballet will perform at the Penrod Arts Fair on Saturday, September 6th on the grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Look for us on the Performing Arts Stage at 1:00 p.m. and be sure to stop by our booth to say hello and enter the drawing for tickets to our 2008 Nutcracker.

The Penrod Arts Fair is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Billed as Indiana’s Nicest Day, the Penrod Arts Fair is one of the largest single day art fairs in the United States with over 300 artists, 6 entertainment stages, children’s activities and plenty of food and beverages on the beautiful grounds of the Indianapolis Museum of Art. All proceeds from the event are allocated to Indianapolis area arts organizations. The Indianapolis School of Ballet has been the grateful recipient of three generous grants from the Penrod Society.

For ticket information and directions visit the Penrod Society website.

ISB announces new faculty

ISB is delighted to announce the addition of four new faculty members: Andrea Bergeman, Mariel Greenlee, Timothy June and Michelle Merrell.

Andrea Bergeman danced professionally with Ballet Memphis, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, Peoria Ballet, and English National Ballet. Andrea's principal training was with Valia Seiskaya at the Seiskaya Ballet Academy and with Maggie Black at the Huntington School of Ballet. She is also a fully certified pilates instructor and will be teaching a pilates course for levels 5, 6 and 7 on Monday evenings in addition Intermediate ballet throughout the week.

Now in her fourth season with Dance Kaleidoscope, Mariel Greenlee received her BA from Point Park University and studied in New York City at Dance Space, The Paul Taylor School and the David Parsons Workshop. Last season, Mariel was a recipient of a grant which enabled her to study at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance, an opportunity made possible in part by the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. She will be instructing Advanced modern classes to levels 6 and 7 on Thursdays.

Timothy June is originally from Enfield, Connecticut and began his training at New England Dance Conservatory in East Longmeadow Massachusetts along with the Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, ad the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg, Russia. Most recently he has performed with Ballet Arkansas, Butler Ballet, Indianapolis Opera, and American Cabaret Theatre. In addition to receiving a BFA in Dance Performance, Timothy has had the privilege to perform works by choreographers such as Thaddeus Davis, James Kudelka, Susan McGuire, and George Balanchine in addition to a wide variety of classical repertoire. Timothy is very excited to be joining Dance Kaleidoscope.

Michelle Merrell began her training at Jordan Academy of Dance in her hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. At the age of 15 she became a full scholarship student at the School of American Ballet in New York City where she was featured in the annual Workshop Performances. Ms. Merrell joined Miami City Ballet under the direction of Edward Villella as an apprentice in 1994 and rose through the ranks to Principal Dancer in 2003. Her many roles include Balanchine’s Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Agon, Western Symphony, Serenade, Concerto Barocco, The Four Temperments, Bugaku, Apollo, Elegie, Symphony in Three Movements, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Who Cares? and Prodigal Son.

Open registration for the fall semester begins today, Tuesday, August 13. Visit www.indyballet.org for registration dates and times, complete faculty bios and an updated schedule of classes.

"Water Ballet" at the Olympics

From the International Olympic Committee website on Synchronized Swimming:

...Most importantly, an underwater speaker lets the swimmers hear the music clearly while underwater, helping them achieve the split-second timing critical to synchronised swimming.

Originally known as water ballet, synchronized swimming began in Canada in the 1920s. It spread to the United States in the early '30s, where a display at the 1934 Chicago World's Fair drew rave reviews. Its popularity soared further when Esther Williams performed in a string of MGM "aqua musicals" in the 1940s and '50s...

Click here for a neat interactive flash demonstration of the sport.

Ms. Vicky in Vail!

 

Ms. Vicky just returned back to Indianapolis after visiting Eric in Colorado, where he's interning for the summer with the Aspen Music Festival and School (and starting a full-time position there in January!). While there, they took a trip to the Vail International Dance Festival to see a stunning performance by Pacific Northwest Ballet.

James Leitner, ISB's treasured guest lighting director for The Nutcracker and May...We Dance!, has been in charge of making the Vail International Dance Festival shine for years. He and Ms. Victoria have been great colleagues and friends since their days together in Pennsylvania Ballet. What a wonderful opportunity to meet up with each other in Colorado! Mr. Leitner will be returning to Indy in December for our 2008 Nutcracker performances.

PNB's program was an eclectic and exciting mix, from Jerome Robbins' charming Fancy Free (music by Leonard Bernstein) to David Parsons' visually stunning contemporary work, Caught. Caught is a men's solo piece that juxtaposes quick, smooth movements with strobe lighting for truly unreal effects. It's one of the coolest, most jaw-dropping performances to see live! Check out the YouTube below!

David Parsons' Caught (premiered in 1982):

A new season, new beginnings, and more surprises!

Welcome to the 2008-2009 season of the Indianapolis School of Ballet! We've come so far already, but this is just the beginning...

Our wonderful young school has accomplished so much in just two years. From the city's only sold-out performances of Nutcracker last year to the incredible 'Dancing With the Masters' series hosted earlier in 2008, ISB has rejuvenated the passion and excitement of dance to Indianapolis students both old and new.

This year's additions include a new Level 7 advanced class, and a broader range of dance genres offered to intermediate levels. From modern to ballroom and Cecchetti to Balanchine, ISB's diverse offerings provide students with the wealth of knowledge and experience expected by the most prestigious ballet institutions. Registration for the Fall begins on August 13; visit indyballet.org for exact dates and times.

From the amazing feedback of last year's performances at the Scottish Rite Cathedral, ISB will be adding a third Nutcracker performance in 2008. Performances will be December 18-21, and as always, auditions are open to any ballet students in the area who wish to participate.

We are so proud of how much our students have grown and matured in the past two years, and we look forward to making more incredible memories this coming season!

Move yourself!