CFB Selects Students for Summer Intensive

This Saturday, January 14 marks the annual audition for the Central Florida Ballet's Summer Intensive Dance Program. This intensive ballet-focused program provides formal Russian classical ballet training for local and out-of-town students. "We find our dancers improve their classical technique significantly over the duration of this program for several reasons." says Diane Withee, the CFB School Director.

Photo By: Virginia Trudeau & Deedee Sherman

For one, our Russian style of training is known as one of the most difficult, but rewarding in the dance world. The Central Florida Ballet's Founder & Executive Director, Vasile Petrutiu, and Artistic Director, Vladimir Bykov, are primary instructors of the Summer Intensive and both were trained in national elite ballet schools under the Vaganova (Russian) style.  Furthermore, students are able to focus their whole day on just dance during the summer term. Meaning they have ample time and energy to perfect their dance vocabulary while learning new steps. The Advanced level students have a full day of classes Monday-Friday.

A typical day begins at 9:00am with ballet technique followed by pointe and variations. Then after a one hour lunch break students continue with classes in complimenting dance styles such as modern, jazz, character, lyrical, yoga or repertoire where they learn a ballet presented in a final performance for family and friends at the end of the session. Plus each week different workshops are given discussing dance-related topics including dance history, acting, stage make-up and hair, and nutrition. Since opening in 2000, the CFBA's exemplary training method is shining brighter than ever..Recent Alumni of the Central Florida Ballet Academy and Summer Intensive include:

• Sasha De Sola, Corps de Ballet with San Francisco Ballet
• Joanna Schmidt, Graduate Program at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater
• Meredith Harrill, Trainee with Joffrey Ballet
• Kristin Mitchell, Pre-Professional Program at Boston Ballet
  
• Arielle Martin, Professional Division at the School of Pacific Northwest Ballet
• Hunter Finnegan, Student at the School of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater 

For more information on the CFB Summer Intensive Dance Program visit the official website page here or call 407.849.9942.

Central Florida Ballet Delights Romania with ‘Nutcracker’

Just over a week ago the Central Florida Ballet concluded its tour to Romania for its award-winning production of “The Nutcracker”.  A large group of thirty-five students, dancers, parents and staff traveled across the Atlantic to bring the magic and joy of the CFB production to Sibiu, Romania (the city of which was named the cultural capital of the European Union in 2007). A total of five performances were held at the ‘Casa de Cultură a Sindicatelor’ where Romanian families saw a modern and American twist to the holiday classic.

Ashton Gordon as Maria in the Party Scene of ‘The Nutcracker’ where dancers try to grab the prized Nutcracker away…

Vasile Petrutiu, Founder and Executive Director, of the Central Florida Ballet says he never doubted the performances would be well-received in Romania… “It was a unique production few have seen in Romania...From the pyrotechnics, sets and backdrops, to the American choreography and nuances along with the impressive technique of our Academy students – the families were astounded by the end of each performance.” The success and acclaim the production received however did take lots of detailed, painstaking preparation.

To bring the production overseas the ballet companies had just barely three months to create the same production more than 5,500 miles away or 24 hours traveling time by airplane. The Teatrul de Balet Sibiu created new backdrops from the designs of Central Florida Ballet’s set designer, Dorin Gal; large and small props were needed including the sleigh, large Owl clock, cannon, couch, puppet carriage; costumes were made for the Waltz of the Flowers and Snow Scene plus many of the Act II divertissement; not to mention preparing the dancers, pyrotechnics, light design nor travel, food, and housing arrangements or even media attention; both companies certainly had their work cut out for them.

A curious mouse appears onstage amongst fog and a sleeping Maria to discover cheese to share with the other mice…

 

Asked if the Central Florida Ballet will return to Romania for more performances, Vasile says “Definitely. It was a great learning experience for our dancers, many of whom have never been out of the United States. It opened their eyes to a new culture and way of living – and a new language! At the same time, the citizens of Romania expanded their view of the American culture likewise.”

Next up for the Central Florida Ballet is “The Enchanted Garden”; a free performance performed by the CFB Studio Company and sponsored by the annual ArtsFest of United Arts of Central Florida. Enjoy an afternoon with your friends at the Trinity Preparatory School where the performance will be held at 2:00pm on Sunday, February 19, 2012.

For more information on the Central Florida Ballet and its Academy, visit http://www.CentralFloridaBallet.com or call 407.849.9942.

Nutcracker in Romania: Final Video & Photos

 

Enjoy this exclusive backstage footage from Sibiu, Romania..we are in Act II of The Nutcracker and the Russians are taking the stage to delight the audience...

 A group picture onstage before one of the last performances in Sibiu, Romania..

 Dancers gather for a photo beneath the gigantic Christmas tree in the main plaza of the Sibiu...

 An article in one of the major Romanian newspapers about the first collaboration between the Teatrul de Balet Sibiu and Central Florida Ballet...

Students pose for a photo before warm-up class onstage...

 Dancers and parents enjoy their free day to explore in the city and stop to eat at 'The Gallery'..

 The dancers are purely delighted to see it snow (and not just onstage) on
nearly the last day in Romania...

Just one day until the first performance, the dancers rehearse for the Party Scene...

For more information on the Central Florida Ballet and its Ballet Academy, visit http://www.CentralFloridaBallet.com or Call 407.849.9942.

Nutcracker in Romania: Performance Pictures

Take a look at some of the pictures from the performances in Romania. 

A very special thank you to Anthony Cotter for the photos!

Maria's mischievous brother, Fritz, is chased by the party teens, girls and boys in the Party Scene..

 

 Maria dances in the dream sequence with Prince Nikita. This pas de deux is included only in the Central Florida Ballet's version of 'The Nutcracker'.

 Jealous of Maria's present from Drosselmeyer, the party girls and

boys try to grab the 'Nutcracker' from Maria.

A lone mouse arrives in the house and will soon find some cheese to share with the other mice before Drosselmeyer chases them away...

The Shepherd Doll dance concludes in the Party Scene and Drosselmeyer 

quickly has them disappear with his magic!

Nutcracker in Romania: Take a Tour in Pictures

From December 13 - 22 of 2011, the Central Florida Ballet embarked on its first performance tour of "The Nutcracker". Thirty-five dancers and parents made the trip overseas to Sibiu, Romania where performances were held in collaboration with the Teatrul de Balet Sibiu. From flying overseas, to counting lei (Romanian dollars), communicating with the locals, and traveling the countryside it was truly an experience to remember for a lifetime. Since many of you were not able to join us on the trip, we thought we would bring Romania to YOU! Join us as we take a tour through the pictures below and check back soon for more updates and video! Have a question on our experience? Post a comment below!

The Christmas Market held in the main plaza of Sibiu. Our dancers found many homemade gifts for their friends and family here. During the evenings, traditional Romanian dances were held on a large stage and you could ride bumper cars or take a walk around with a horse! Click Here for a live web cam of the market!

Streets in Sibiu with so much detail. Did you know Sibiu is one of the oldest towns in Romania?

 Dancers: Kailey Withee, Cassandra LeRette, and Margaret MacNeil pose in front 

of one of the many 'Nutcracker' poster sightings around town.

 A close up view of the 'Nutcracker' poster...

 Buildings along the main plaza street...

 Dancers take a moment to relax in the dressing room and form a massage line 

before the fourth 'Nutcracker' performance.

 Side entrance to the theater (known as "Casa de Cultură a Sindicatelor")

 Large poster on the front of the theater. It was huge!

 View from the street below...

Beginning of the Snow Scene..Soloists: Reina Yagura and Bogdan Plopeanu perform the Snow pas de deux. 

The Snow Scene ends with the dancers waving goodbye to Maria and Prince Nikita...

Dancer Travels to Romania for 'Nutcracker' Rehearsals

Dancers of the Central Florida Ballet are about to cross the Atlantic for the upcoming performance tour of "The Nutcracker" in Romania, but one dancer got an extra special head start on the group. Kailey Withee, a trainee of the Central Florida Ballet, traveled to Romania in mid-November to assist in 'Nutcracker' rehearsals with the dancers of the Ballet Sibiu. She spent nearly two weeks in Romania to teach the soloists and the corps dancers the choreography of the Central Florida Ballet's Nutcracker. From crossing the ocean for the first time to understanding the Romanian language - there were many firsts. Check out Kailey's experience below in our exclusive interview!

This is me on one of my only days off during the trip. We went to shops around Sibiu and to one of the tallest buildings in the city...

1- Describe your typical rehearsal day...

KW: My typical day started at 10:00am with a warm-up class. We started rehearsal at 11:00am and went until about 7-8pm during the first couple of days and by the end of the trip we were ending around 3-4pm. We started with long individual rehearsals with the soloists and by the end we were running the entire show all the way through with the entire cast. We even got to rehearse at the theater which is in the same building as the rehearsal studios.

2- How were the classes different from regular classes at Central Florida Ballet?

KW: The only class I had was a warm-up class every morning. But it was pretty similar too what we have here. The combinations had a lot of back and forth, so it took a little getting used to versus the classes from our regular teachers at CFB.

3- Did the dancers speak English? What other languages did they speak?

KW: Pretty much all the dancers spoke fluent or knew a lot of english, A group was from Japan (so they spoke Japanese). The rest were American or Romanian (so they spoke Romanian). 

This is the view from the top of the building. I went with a coach from the Ballet Sibiu and we could see nearly the entire city from the top...

 

4- Did you have time to go sight-seeing? If so, where and what did you see?

KW: Didn't really have time. We went to an old church - it was very beautiful and we went to the top of one of the tallest buildings (as you can see in the picture above). Each floor had art work to look at and at the top you could see the whole city. That's pretty much all I had time for.

5- How long were your flights? Did they have good food on the airplane? Were there any annoying passengers?

KW: The first flight was to Paris. It was about 9-10 hours long. The food was ok. The had a good variety of things (such as chicken and vegetables or pasta). But it wasn't that great. There weren't any annoying passengers, in fact on the way back I had the whole row to myself, so I could stretch out along the seats.

6- Tell us about your grocery shopping experience..Did they have normal shopping carts? Any of the same brands as in the USA?

KW: They did not have carts but they had shopping baskets. The only US Brands were coke products and lays chips products.

7- Was it cold?

KW: It was cold but manageable. The studios sometimes felt colder than outside, lol. You always had warm-ups on (jackets, sweats, scarf) versus in Florida where we regularly just wear a leotard and tights. 

This is another view from the top of the building where you can see 

how high we were from the buildings and street below...

8- What do you wish you brought to Romania - but did not?

Nothing I really felt like I had everything. The item I used the most outside of dance was my computer to watch movies and to pass the time. Also, I used my camera to take pictures.

9- What do you want to see when you go back this December for the 'Nutcracker' performances?

KW: When we were there, they were putting up all of their Christmas decorations along the streets and lights on all of the stores. The day we left they started a Christmas/holiday market and that lit everything up. So I want to see the market and how beautiful all the streets look lit up. 

10- What is a key item to have in Romania for a dancer?

KW: A key item(s) would be warm-ups; you need to stay warm in order to be able to dance to your fullest and to be comfortable dancing. The theatre especially was cold. 

11- Did you have soda there? Or Powerade/Vitamin Water?

KW: They had coke products. No powerade or vitamin water. I mostly drank water and sometimes "Coca-Cola Lite" - their version of Diet Coke.

12- As a CFB Trainee and just sixteen, were you intimidated or scared to be teaching the professionals the choreography from the Central Florida Ballet's "The Nutcracker"?

KW: I think I was at first, just because I didn't know them or know if they knew English. I also didn't want to mess anything up or teach them something wrong. But when I arrived there they were all so welcoming and sweet. So those feelings quickly went away. 

13- What was one thing that surprised you the most about Sibiu or Romania in general?

KW: One thing that surprised me the most was how comfortable I felt there. I wasn't scared to go out on my own or kinda explore a little. As long as you are careful, and smart of course. It is a great city!!!

Want to see this 'Nutcracker' production but not in Romania? The same production with guest dancers of the Ballet Sibiu will be presented in Orlando - next weekend (December 10 & 11) at the Linda Chapin Theater in the Orange County Convention Center. For information and tickets, visit http://www.CentralFloridaBallet.com or call the Box Office at 407.849.9948. Central Florida Ballet's production premiered in 2001 and since been highlighted by USA Today, CNN Headlines News, and named Top Pick by the Orlando Sentinel for 2011!

Holiday Gift Stories from Our Attendees

The holiday season is officially upon us and you may be struggling to find the perfect gift for your friends, co-workers, and loved ones! After talking with our ticket buyers, we see many of them are using the Central Florida Ballet's "The Nutcracker" as the perfect holiday gift to remember for years to come! Read below for stories on how those in Central Florida are using it as a special gift....

- Gift to a Mom - One mother (who has never seen a ballet performance) will get a very unexpected surprise with tickets to the performance from her daughter - it is sure to be an eventful afternoon for this family!

- Gift to a Neighbor - Good deeds do not go unnoticed, especially for a very deserving neighbor who will have a surprise this year of a group outing to "The Nutcracker".

- Romantic Evening for Wife - A husband is "mixing it up" this year and surprising his wife to an exciting evening at the ballet and a pre-performance visit to the Nutcracker Silent Auction. We think this wife will definitely be more in love as the night goes on...

- Holiday Surprise for the Family - One father is giving his family a special treat this year with tickets to both the Nutcracker Holiday Brunch and Performance! He is happy to share a great morning with his children meeting the popular characters in "The Nutcracker" & to see the ballet with his wife and children.

Have another holiday story? Tell us at kklopfenstein@centralfloridaballet.com

If you know someone who will love "The Nutcracker" as a gift, visit our website at (http://www.centralfloridaballet.com or Call 407.849.9948) for performance details and to order your tickets now.