Bermuda Civic Ballet - 35 years of dance
Date Posted: Tuesday, July 31, 2007Author: Christen Pears
International News Categories:
Arts & Entertainment
Latest Articles:
- God’s word is a mirror
- Saving energy, saving the environment
- The importance of training our children
- Bermuda’s bike laws - don’t punish responsible riders
- Conscription and the young black male
- Parenting: why court isn’t the answer
- Bermuda 2008: Tourism and Hospitality
- The possibilities and pitfalls of growing up in Bermuda
- Amsterdam: a gem of a city
- My love affair with vintage
Search International News:
Marianna Tsartolia may be tiny but she’s a hard taskmaster. As the young dancers of Bermuda Civic Ballet rehearse, she observes every step, writing copious notes, which she later reviews with the performers before they take their places and begin again.
The dancers are rehearsing Harvest, a modern piece by Pascal Rioult. Marianna is one of two members of the New York-based Pascal Rioult Dance Theater who, along with colleague, Brian Flynn, is teaching the work in preparation for Bermuda Civic Ballet’s 35th Gala Anniversary performance this week.
For many of the dancers, who are aged just 14 and up, it’s their first taste what life is like in a professional company. And it’s tough. Pembroke Sunday School, where the rehearsal is taking place, is not air conditioned. Fans whir overhead but it’s still stiflingly hot for the dancers as they’re put through their paces. They work in the morning, have an afternoon break from around 1pm to 5pm and then it’s back to work in the evening for another four hours.
Coral Waddell, Bermuda Civic Ballet’s director, says: “The company was set up by Patricia Deane-Gray and she really wanted a stepping stone for students in Bermuda who were at the top of their school before going off to possibly be professionals or just to see what that step was. They get to see how much work it takes.”
Many of the dancers who have taken part in summer school have benefited from their experience with the company and have gone on to enjoy successful careers in dance, including Coral herself who danced with the Copley Square Ballet in Boston and is currently a teacher at the Bermuda School of Russian Ballet. Alexandra Duzevic went on to the Stanlislovski Company in Moscow and Sophia Cannonier was with the Dance Theater of Harlem before opening the Bermuda Health Coop.
Bermuda Civic Ballet was founded in 1972 with the aim of fostering interest in ballet and providing opportunities for dancers of all abilities to perform. Run by a board of trustees, it offers an inclusive programme that encompasses both classical ballet, modern dance, tap and jazz. In its inaugural year, it staged a performance of Devil in the Village and over the last three decades has performed diverse works ranging from Tubular Bells to Giselle.
Education is one of Bermuda Civic Ballet’s cornerstones and has provided young dancers with opportunities to work with leading international teachers and choreographers such as Tatiana Legat of the Kirov Ballet and the legendary Ana Roje.
Coral says: “There is a lot of dance in Bermuda and summer school draws students from the island’s dance schools. It’s a wonderful opportunity for them to learn from some of the best teachers in the world and take things to the next level.”
Pascal Rioult has been working with Bermuda Civic Ballet for a number of years after the company performed at the Bermuda Festival and Coral hosted some of the dancers. “We got into a discussion and we just clicked. We were all of the same sort of mindset and the teaching was just an extension of that,” she explains.
As well as the duo from Pascal Rioult, this year’s guest teachers and artists include American dancer and choreographer David Drummond and Suzette Harvey, owner and founder of United Dance Productions.
The 35th Anniversary Gala Performance will offer a typically eclectic programme of three works. These include Sweet in the Morning, which is choreographed by Suzette Harvey. The company will also be performing an excerpt from Pascal Rioult’s Harvest, which is inspired by the work of pre-impressionist painter Jean-Francois Millet and pays homage to the people who tend the land. The second half of the programme will be a complete performance of the classical ballet La Fille Mal Gardee.
The gala will take place at 8.30pm on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 of August in the Botanical Gardens. Tickets cost $35 for children and $25 for under 12s. Tickets are available from City Hall Box Office on 292 2313. For more information contact Alexia Cooper on 232 0949.