Ballet schools in Washington - Seattle

[Rhapsody]

We are interested in hearing about other ballet schools in the Puget Sound area. We are interested in feedback about Evergreen City Ballet, ARC dance studio etc.

 

Specifically we want to know method (Cecchetti, Vaganova etc), size of classes, if teachers give lots of corrections, are the corrections verbal or is the teacher 'hands on' to demonstrate proper placement etc.

 

PS:PM's are welcome!

[Balletismykidslife!]

Hi Rhapsody!

I just happened to see your post today, and you posted this way back in early March. I hope my information can still be valuable to you! I cannot say enough GREAT things about Evergreen City Ballet! My dd is training there to be a professional ballet dancer. The style is a strong Balanchine based program with excellent teachers who all have thier own 'style' of teaching. Mr Wade the Artistic Director is fabulous who had his own professional career which included Principal Dancer wiht PNB for 10 years I beleive.

 

Some of the teachers are more 'technical' to really keep things clean and accurate, some teachers focus on ~moving~ across the floor, but all the instuctors are fantastic!

 

THe combinations that are thrown at our girls are geared towards upper level dancing and they really prepare the dancers with not only being 'technically correct', but also confident and flowing dancers whose dancing always is very 'connected' as they dance as they move from one movement to another.

 

Great performance opportunities as there are 4 programs presented through the year (2 of them with a live orchestra!). The upper level dancers (PD and Company dancers) also have quite a few dance festivals that they participate in during the year as well. Our dancers are not geared towards 'competition dancing', it is ballet training that has lead many dancers into wonderful professional careers. Dancers have gone on into many companies (and schools) including Juliard, SF Ballet, Ballet Austin and a lot more...

 

I could go on and on! Please provide more info on what you would like to know about Evergreen City Ballet and I will be happy to answer them as best I can! I am still a new member here on Ballettalk so I do not have PM priviledges yet......sorry! Hope this info helps!

 

[edited to remove unnecessary entire quote of immediately preceding post.]

Edited April 23, 2006 by dancemaven

[mandy1313]

I am going to be in Seattle for a few weeks this summer. I'm a pre-professional/professional level ballet dancer, and I wondered if anyone could suggest a place to take classes. Also please let me know if there is a teacher that you think I should try to work with while I'm in the Seattle area. I live on the East Coast, and I am not aware of many of the ballet opportunities in the Seattle area.

 

Thanks.

Mandy

[Balletismykidslife!]

Hi Mandy-

Wow I am glad that I happened upon this post. I have a great place to recommend. My dd's Academy! It's Evergreen City Ballet and we are located in Renton WA. The studio was previously located in Auburn WA. We have a SI for Intermediate and Advanced dancers. My dd will not be there as she was accepted to other SI's and we chose ABT & Ballet Pacifica for her summer away programs.

 

At any rate at ECB we have a new HUGE facility that we are 'growing into' right now. The studio space is huge, and there are many things to be done in the future as far as construction is concerned. Our new space is 34,000 square feet!

 

THe teaching is excellent and the atmosphere is wonderful. THe Artistic Director is Wade Walthall who retired about 11 years ago from professional dance. He was with PNB as a principal dancer for many years as well as dancing all over Europe before that. You can take open classes or sign up for 1 or 2 three week intensives if you want more than just open classes. Many of our prior students have gone on to professional careers in places such as Julliard, SF Ballet, Ballet Austin and more....It truly is a wonderful place.

 

Here is the website address for you to check it out!! www.evergreencityballet.org

 

Hope this helps, absolutely check it out!

[mylildancer]

You can also try looking up Pacific Northwest Ballet's web site for their open class schedule. They usually have advanced classes every morning although that schedule may change for the summer. Feel free to call them for the summer schedule if they haven't updates their web site yet with that info.

[julip]

Stepanie Saland teaches classes at a couple of different locations. I would check her website to make sure she is in town the days you are here http://www.salandance.highpowersites.com/p...age/2158513.htm

 

The open classes at PNB's main studio as well as at their Eastside location are both filled with great teachers and great people. Even though it's not ballet, I would really recommend Sonia Dawkin's open modern class on Wednesday night at the main school.

 

ARC Dance http://www.arcdance.org/index.php?p=bca has a great staff with more advanced classes. It is also possibly the largest studio you will ever come across.

 

Cornish College has open classes that are more geared toward the intermediate dancer, the faculty is increadible. http://www.cornish.edu/summer/summer-dance.htm

 

For a more Russian style, International Youth Ballet http://www.interballetschool.com/iscb/sche...r=3&iSchedule=3

[mandy1313]

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions. I never would have discovered these wonderful studios on my own. I am really looking forward to my time in Seattle.

 

Mandy

[Nashotah]

Another school to consider is the International School of Classical Ballet (ISCB) located in Kirkland, Washington. It has a very strong Vaganova program, with an associated company -- the International Ballet Theatre. The school offers seven levels, as well as a professional division for students training for a career in dance. Classes for the professional division start at 12:30 each day. Classes include two technique classes per day, with the addition of pointe, variations, men's batterie, pas de deux, character, modern, jazz and pilates throughout the week.

 

The artistic director, Vera Altunina, comes from the Kirov Ballet in St. Petersburg, Russia. Other Russian-trained teachers include Stanko Milov, currently a principal dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Anton Pankevitch, also a member of PNB. Francois Serre y Berga is a French-trained dancer with Opera de Paris and Conservatoire Superieur de Paris. Guest teachers have included Boris Akimov, artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet, and Sascha Radetsky, soloist with ABT.

 

Most of the teachers are definitely hands-on with corrections. Classes are small, around 15 students. The three levels of PD have considerably smaller classes with around six to eight students -- they definitely get a lot of individualized attention! This summer, six PD students were awarded full scholarships to schools including ABT-New York, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Milwaukee Ballet. Other students are attending the Kirov Academy, Alonzo King's Lines Ballet, Ballet Austin, Princeton Ballet, etc.

 

The International Ballet Theatre puts on three major productions a year, amounting to 20 to 25 performances, including such full-length ballets as Coppelia, Giselle, Don Quixote, Chipollino, Dracula, and Nutcracker. PD students are required to perform -- but all students are encouraged to audition.

 

We have found it to be a wonderful school for our child -- a lot of fun, but with rigorous training. One of our greatest highlights with the school so far was our trip to St. Petersburg, Russia to watch the students take daily class with Ballet Master Gennady Selyutsky of the Kirov Ballet. The school has already made two such trips to Russia and we hope the tradition will continue. If you're looking for good Vagonova training in the Pacific Northwest, this school cannot be beat!

Edited August 1, 2006 by Nashotah

[bravo]

I just moved to a small town outside of Seattle, called Carnation. I'm an intermediate adult dancer who normally has danced on scholorship (considered pre-professional level) and am looking for a school with strong dancers to inspire me. I have taken a couple of classes at different schools in the area, and I have been very dissapointed. I even took one open class at the PNB studio in Bellevue (ideally I would like to not have to go into the city city for class!) and although the studio was lovely and the class was o.k., the teacher came 15 minutes late (which I heard was not a usual thing) but didn't extend the class an extra 15, and I was (unfortunately) the strongest dancer in the class. I really like russian Vagonova style and would love to hear about classes available from anyone whose actually been. I'm going to try the International Academy of Ballet in Kirkland, and Ballet Bellevue next, but any advice I could get before I go would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

[Rhapsody]

Bravo, welcome to the neighborhood and BT4D.

 

From past experience, we can recommend the International School of Classical Ballet in Kirkland. Although this is not a 'competition' school by any means, one of her students recently won the Honorary Grand Prix award at the YAGP Finals in NY at the age of 16. Ms. Vera is a graduate of the Vaganova Academy, St. Petersburg, therefore the teaching is Vaganova method.

 

Do not judge this school by the outside of the building. Inside you will find great teaching, sprung floors and hardworking students. The attached company, International Ballet Theatre, will be performing Don Q this month. You might want to catch a performance.

[bravo]

I have no idea if I'm doing this reply the right way, but here goes anyway.

When you say 'we' to whom do you refer? Regardless, I appreciate your response as I was begining to worry maybe no one had any info to offer. It is good to know about the award too because although the school I attended before my move wasn't a competition school either, we had 5 students go to NY for the YAGP finals this year. It does suggest good training and hard work.

Have you attended any classes at the ISCB in Kirkland personally? I see that you are in CA (I actually just move to WA from there), so how long ago were you in Kirkland? Are you an adult dancer? Can you tell me how difficult the open adult classes are, how well attended, what levels are the dancers that attend? I really want to be challenged and inspired (have I said this too many times?) and it is hard to know before actually going and trying a class out. But I just don't want to spend money on a class (that I totally can't afford!) that isn't satisfying. Finding a new studio is so hard!

 

Also, do you know anything about Ballet Bellevue?

 

thanks for the welcome

[Rhapsody]

Bravo, my teen studied there at Ms. Vera's and loved it. There is a company connected to the school so there are all sorts of dancers in the open classes and some may be from the company. Some are teens from other schools around the area and some are adults looking for good training. I know what you mean about finding the right open class for you. Years ago I took adult open classes at Dance Spectrum, in the Madronna district. They had a wonderful teacher, Vincent Cuny from Paris who also danced with PNB. Our experience with the teachers at both these schools is that they teach the class (you'll get corrections) as opposed to just giving a class without corrections.

 

I encourage you to try a class at ISCB since that's so close to you. I think they have a special rate for a trial class. Lucky you!

 

Sorry, I didn't even know there was a Ballet Bellevue. That's a new one to me.

[bravo]

Thanks so much for the imput. I called and got some more info. from ISCB and now only have to try and see. If you (or anyone for that matter!) know of any other russian based schools around Seattle, I'd love to hear about it.

thanks again

[julip]

ISCB is really the local school for Russian based training. The open classes there are very intense, too intense for me, but they will make you strong and challenge you.

 

I know that the director of Ballet Bellevue is from a Russian background, but I don't know what their classes are like.

 

There is a teacher at Olympic Ballet Theater in Edmonds who has a Russian background and her classes definetly have that feeling to them. I would call to find out more about who is teaching the open classes now.

 

Myself, I prefer the open classes at PNB in Seattle. The level of dancers taking those classes are of a higher level than the ones in Bellevue. There tends to be a different feeling in the air that lends itself to a more intense class. I know the class that you're talking about that you took in Bellevue, and it is a much different feeling than the classes you will take in Seattle.

 

When you have enough posts to PM, I'd be more than happy to talk to you more in depth about the ins and outs of some of the different classes and teachers in the area. I think I've taken with them all at some point.

[petan696]

We are currently looking for a pre-pofessional school in the Seattle area as we will be staying there for a few weeks this spring and possibly moving in the fall. All of the information listed here is quite a few years old. Does anybody have any suggestions of Seattle area schools, other than PNB? It would be for my daughter, aged 14. Any information about Arc School of Ballet? (teachers, style, live accompaniment?, facility, type of floors etc).

We would also be interested to hear other recommendations for the area - thank you!