Fall 2011 - Amherst Ballet

A PUBLICATION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
FALL 2011
BEHIND THE SCENES
at Amherst Ballet
From your Director...
by Catherine Fair
As Amherst Ballet celebrates its
40th anniversary, I reflect upon the many
happenings at the ballet since my first days
here as an instructor beginning in 1997.
From the wonderful people with whom
I’ve had the chance to meet and work, to
the incredible talent I’ve been privileged
to nurture, to the breadth and depth of
artistically diverse and satisfying projects
I’ve been involved in, it’s been an
incredible journey.
I have made many dear friends and been enriched by
the wealth of artistic, intellectual and cultural resources that I
have encountered as part of the ballet’s many collaborations.
My recollections are limited to fieen years; and while my
experiences could fill the pages of a book, they are but a drop in
the bucket of the ballet’s forty years. Each performance had a
cast of characters, both onstage and behind the scenes, that
brought life to the performance and the artistic vision of the
choreographers and creators involved. e stories and
anecdotes that accompany every season are always rich with
meaning and beauty for they involve the collective efforts and
dreams of so many.
For the full story to be told we also need to turn to
our distant past, to founder erese Donohue, to our alums and
their families and to former faculty and board members.
During this anniversary year we will be gathering pieces of
memories to present to our community and audiences. ese
pieces will come together in this season’s repertoire
performances which will highlight memorable works from each
decade of AB’s forty years; see Sueann Townsend’s article (on
page 2) for details. A costume fashion show retrospective in
Amherst Ballet Theatre Company
April will find our dancers modeling costumes from our vast
costume storehouses. Other compelling memory-joggers
include an exhibit of performance posters recently held in the
Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce offices and in future
displays of performance programs and multi-media
presentations. Stay tuned as our walk through history unfolds!
With the progression of time and in the history of
every organization, change is inevitable and can bring about
new opportunities and allow for a fresh perspective. Partly in
response to the demands of parenting and partly due to the
needs of the ballet, I will be focusing on the role of Executive
Director by delving more deeply into the intricacies of the job.
We have further refined the oversight of the Upper and Lower
Schools and have named Sueann Townsend as Upper School
Principal while I will serve as Lower School Principal. We hope
to better serve our students and dance community in this way
and believe that these changes will contribute to the longevity
and health of Amherst Ballet for many years to come.
We look forward to hearing from you. If you have special
memories of classes, teachers or performances I hope you’ll
share them with us; please send anecdotes and your thoughts to
[email protected]. Onward and upward for the next
forty years and more!
Y
The newest Picture Book Theatre Production
opens in November
AB founder Therese Brady Donohue opens her sixth
season of Picture Book Theatre Production at the Eric Carle
Museum this November. Using Amherst Ballet dancers she
observes in spring classes, Ms. Donohue chooses those young
dancers with the talent, interest in performance and appropriate
height for her fall productions. This year Picture Book Theatre will
perform Eric Carle’s “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth as a
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Picture Book Theatre Production
(con’t from page 1)
stick puppet show and a revival of
Rooster’s Off to See the World with puppets
and dancers. Double-cast Amherst Ballet
dancers featured this year include Stone
Dresser and Isabel Wardlaw in the title
role of the Rooster and Amy Benedetto,
Isabela Gomez, Rachel Oram-Brown,
and Madeline Poole sharing the roles of
two cats.
HIP-HOP SENIORS
It’s become a tradition to feature our high school seniors in a newsletter article
during their senior year. We’ve come to know those seniors well after the years
they’ve spent in our studios, in the student lounge and on the stage. This year we
welcome 5 new dancers who are joining us for the first time while they are seniors.
We call them the Hip-Hop Seniors; they are Kyla Amick, Natalie Barkman, Maya
Berkman, Julia Rossen, and Martie Stothoff. Welcome to Amherst Ballet!
These performances are highly entertaining
for all ages and feature wonderfully
imaginative interpretations of the picture
books. Come see these dancers on
Saturdays in November at 2:00 and 3:00
plus the Friday after Thanksgiving.
Admission is $5 at the door.
O
Top Row: Julia Rossen, Olivia Riley, Elora Simkins, Isa Braun and Maya Berkman
Bottom Row: Martie Stothoff and Kyla Amick / Missing: Natalie Barkman / Photo by Tracy Conner
Performance plans for the 40th anniversary by Sueann Townsend
Rehearsals for the Amherst Ballet 40th Anniversary
Performance are already underway. e performance, which will
be held on May 26 at Bowker Auditorium, is entitled
“Historiography: 40 Years of Amherst Ballet.” As the newly
installed Upper School Principal, the responsibility fell to me to
choose the repertoire which best celebrates such an august
occasion. Aer watching more video archives from Amherst
Ballet than could reasonably be considered healthy, I decided
upon four pieces to reconstruct, one from each decade.
From the first decade of Amherst Ballet’s existence comes
Persimmon, a Graham-style modern work choreographed by
Robin Karson. is piece was originally made in 1978 and
revived in 1979, 1982, and 1987. From the 1980’s we have a
classical work in the “ballet blanc” tradition: Elegie
choreographed by founding director erese Brady Donohue.
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Amherst Ballet Theatre Company
To acknowledge Amherst Ballet’s global outreach, we are
reviving Sharon Donohue Tolczyk’s neo-classical ballet Cello
Concerto. is work was seen in Amherst in 1993 and 1994 and
toured to the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in
Aberdeen, Scotland in 1994. And choreographed by current
Director Catherine Fair, we have the Little Fugue from An
Evening of Music and Dance with Johann Sebastian Bach which
premiered in 2001.
Not all the works on offer will be from the archives however. In
celebration of current trends in Jazz and Hip-Hop, a new work
will be on offer to represent the present decade. e current
group of Amherst Ballet dancers is quite excited about
reconstructing works danced by their AB predecessors. All of us
at AB look forward to sharing the past and the future of dance
with you at our 40th Anniversary Performance in May!
FALL 2011
Donating to Amherst Ballet by Andrea Leibson
During this 40th year of celebration, we are most grateful to
the donors to Amherst Ballet who have been crucial to our
You may contribute specifically to one of our
scholarship funds.
longevity and stability. There are several ways to give.
e home page of our website (www.amherstballet.org)
has a Donate Button. By clicking on the button, you may
make a donation to AB on-line using a credit card OR a
PayPal account. e donation goes directly into our
account and we are sent an email reporting the name of
the donor and amount of donation—so we can thank you
for your generosity!
You may donate to Amherst Ballet through the UMass
Amherst Community Campaign (UMACC), the
workplace giving program for University of Massachusetts,
Amherst employees. UMass employees may give through
payroll deduction, direct payments (cash, check, credit
card) or through the transfer of stock. To donate to
Amherst Ballet Theater Company indicate code #687533
on your pledge card. If you have already sent in your pledge
form but would like to change your designations, you may
do so by calling the UMACC office at (413) 577–1101.
DONORS
Benefactors
$1000 + Julie Bermant, in memory of Lili
Bermant
Patrons
$500 - $999
Florence Savings Bank*
Principal Dancer/Sponsors
$250 - $499
Thomas Echeverria*
Heather Reichgott*
Melanie Sage*
Jane Wald*
Andrea Leibson & Jack Wileden*
* Includes in-kind services
Soloist/Friends
$100 - $249
Dael Chapman
Catherine Sanderson &
Bart Hollander
Mark Horwitz
Camela Moskin
John Robert Moskin
Paragus Strategic IT*
Scapes Builders &
Landscaping*
Jerry Schoen
Corps de Ballet
$50 - $99
Steve Braun*
Nonny Burack
Michelle Burgess
Alan Dallmann
Nancy Huntley
The Young Dancer Scholarship Fund was established in
2001 by a 13 year old AB dancer. She donated a portion of
her Bat Mitzvah gift money to establish a scholarship to
share her joy in class and performance with other young
dancers. Contributions to this fund have included a
donation from another Bat Mitzvah and a memorial gift
from an AB parent to honor her dance-loving mother. We
have awarded between 2 and 7 Young Dancer scholarships
totaling up to $850 each year and have nearly depleted the
fund. Please help spread the joy of dance to elementary-aged
children by contributing to this scholarship fund.
The Maura Donohue Fund provides scholarships to dancers
who don’t qualify for the Young Dancer Scholarship. This
scholarship fund was created from donations received by
Amherst Ballet upon the death of Maura Donohue,
daughter of Amherst Ballet founder Therese Donohue.
Maura had been an integral part of Amherst Ballet as a
student, performer, pianist and receptionist.
Suzanne Imm
Eun Mi Kwon
Kara Leistyna
Vivian Liu
Justyne Ogdahl
Cathy Osman
Jill Palmer
Susannah Richards*
Marilyn Rueschemeyer
Kathleen Savage
Libby Stanforth*
Jan Tyner
Meg Vickery
Jane Yolen*
Donors $25 - $49
Audrey Altstadt
Robin & Ted Diamond
Chris Eliot
R. Michelson Galleries*
Doris Holden
Sam Karlin
Ed Leibson
Gene Tevelev
Supporters $1 - $24
Annette & Dean Cycon
Melanie DeSilva
Sue Dresser
Lucinda & Edgar Feldman
Gordon Fretwell
Clare Hoffman
Nancy Nesheim
Jodi Falk & Gary Newcomb
Julia Rueschemeyer
Angeline Shenje Peyton
Heidi Stemple
Carlin Weirick
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BEHIND THE SCENES
FOCUS ON SENIOR, ISA BRAUN
by Heidi Stemple
There is no one at AB who hasn’t been drawn
into Isa’s energy field. She is “one of those rarely
gifted individuals whose ability to move is as
natural as breathing,” says Ms. Fair. “She has an
innate ability to understand the dynamics of
movement and put combinations together.”
When Isa was a sophomore, Ms. Fair asked her
to choreograph a piece, Rhapsody of Youth, to
be performed at Bowker Auditorium. Isa says
getting to “step back and see the other side to
the production process was an amazing
experience,” during which she “gained a sense
of maturity.” In fact, seeing the end result was
one of her most rewarding performance
experiences.
But she was first a dancer. It was the older girls at
AB that made her really want to get serious
about dancing — that and a summer camp role
as a flower fairy. Isa has danced in many roles
with AB including in Don Q and as Susan in
Emily of Amherst. Her favorite role was as a red
fish in the ballet Shim Chung choreographed by
Sam Kenney. It was Sam who taught Isa she
could “move big and be strong, not just in jazz,
but in ballet.”
Isa has moved more towards jazz and hip-hop
Isa Braun is full of energy. Actually, Isa is
recently and is hoping to find a college where
filled with positive, exuberant, infectious
she can double major in Theater and Journalism.
energy. She brings this energy to the
But, there will always be time to dance. Ms. Fair,
stage, not only when she dances, but also
for one, is happy to hear this because she
through her acting and choreography. Her
believes, if Isa doesn’t perform the “world will
parents saw this very early, at the Temple
be missing out on something quite special!”
Dancing Camp when she was 7 and even
Besides, Isa says, “I need to dance. I’ll go crazy if
before that, when she made up her own
I don’t.”
sword dances after returning from a trip
to Scotland.
4 Amherst Ballet Theatre Company
Photo of Isa by her aunt, Luna Jaffe.
Stability and Change at
Amherst Ballet
by Andrea Leibson
In our 40th anniversary year we’re making some changes. In
response to the evolving demands and needs of our school, we
have restructured our key staff responsibilities; see “From Your
Director” for more details. Several of our annual fundraisers have
shifted when they occur. And the December Presentation at
which the Upper School dancers show us what they’ve been
learning will be changed to a “teach-in” at our studios so we can
watch how they learn.
Last May we held our first dance-a-thon. It was a great occasion
with fun dancing for all ages. Organized by parent and board
member Libby Stanforth and Director Catherine Fair, the dance-athon featured board member Ted Trobaugh as DJ, parent Zulma
Rivera leading Zumba and original choreography created by AB
dancers. Pledges were collected by dancers in the Lower and Upper
Schools and the event raised about $2700 for AB. Congratulations
and thanks go to Upper School dancer Clare Kelly who brought in
$365 in contributions and to then-Lower School dancer Tendayi
Peyton who had sponsorship from 14 different individuals. The
organizing team of Libby and Catherine is working again to create
this year’s dance-a-thon to be held on November 12. It will take
place at the Jewish Community of Amherst building. Please pledge
to support an AB dancer if asked—or come to watch the dancing
or come and dance yourself! The dance-a-thon is AB’s only
student-driven fundraiser and shows how much our dancers can
accomplish on behalf of their beloved dance school!
For the 8th annual Fete and Silent Auction, the board of directors
has decided to shake things up. Rather than hold the event in the
fall, we will hold it in March. And because March is a bad time to
have a party in a barn, we’ve moved locations to the Maple Ridge
Church and Community Center. (Thanks go out to Jim Duda
who initially conceived of the Fete and to Jim and Gillian Duda
who hosted the 7 previous Fetes in their barn!) We will still be
featuring good food, diverse auction items and entertainment. New
this year will be a student choreographic showcase—the new
location will allow for a larger performance space and we plan to
take advantage of it! More information on the 8th annual Fete and
Silent Auction will be forthcoming.
FALL 2011
Visitors’ Days have long been a tradition in the Lower School.
They occur in December right before the holiday break and allow
parents the opportunity to sit in the studio to observe a class in
action; this year they are December 12–17. Visitors’ Days are a
great chance to see our younger dancers interact with each other
and with their teachers. For this anniversary year we thought it
would be nice to extend a similar opportunity to our Upper School
parents and dancers. On Saturday December 17 in the afternoon,
parents of Upper School dancers will get a chance to watch miniversions of their dancers’ classes in the AB studios. Parents will be
able to move between the studios to see classes of ballet at different
levels, and Jazz, Modern and Hip-Hop. Lower School dancers and
their parents will also be invited to observe so they can get an idea
of what classes in the Upper School are like. And at the end we’ll
have a social time to celebrate the dancers’ accomplishments, the
holidays and our community.
In this year of celebration of our past we also look forward to the
new. Please mark your calendars for AB events and we hope to see
you there!
Summer Camp 2011: Egyptian Goddesses
Front row: Caroline Hollander, Rachel Oram-Brown, Ellie Friedman,
Ashleigh Martin / Back row: Madigan Kusleika, Anja Eriksen
Photo by: Sara Moss-Horwitz & Catherine Fair
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BEHIND THE SCENES
Alumni News
Where Are They Now?
Sarah Cycon (‘07) spent last spring working in an
NGO in a slum in Jodhpur, India designing a program to
home of Heidi Stemple. ey composed a Sueann uote
uiz as part of the festivities. One of the questions on the
teach sewing skills to impoverished women and girls. To
quote Sarah “I want to support the women of Bhadvasia
as they stitch their way to a disease free life of social and
economic empowerment.” Read of Sarah’s adventures
quiz asked “Where does Sueann tell you to send your brain
to distract yourself while doing pirouettes?” e answer: to
the Bahamas.
As part of our 40th anniversary celebrations, Amherst
enduring 105 degree days and locked train bathroom
doors on her blog: sarahcycon.blogspot.com...
Paul Dennis, former Limon Dance Company soloist and
Ballet had an exhibition of performance posters dating back
to 1978 at the office of the Amherst Area Chamber of
Commerce. The exhibit was included in the September
guest artist at UMass, taught Modern at this summer’s
Teen Intensive. Paul restaged Doris Humphrey’s
Passacaglia at UMass last fall…Former modern teacher
Amherst Art Walk and remained on display through
October. The exhibit was arranged by parent and board
member Libby Stanforth and administrative director
Ariel Cohen was interviewed by the Daily Hampshire
Gazette and reports that she’s now living in Berlin,
Germany as a free-lance dancer…Lydia Wileden (‘07)
performed in a student dance project entitled Embers:
Andrea Leibson.
Mama Project 2011 at Columbia University last
February…In July Robin Palmer (’11) and Lillian
Moskin organized a surprise birthday party for Upper
Addendum to Spring 2011 newsletter: e article on the
7th Annual Fete failed to mention Maureen Manning on
School Principal Sueann Townsend which was held at the
Y
the Silent Auction donor list. We regret the omission
and thank Maureen for her contribution.
Dancers om the 2011 Summer Teen Intensive. Photo by Heidi Stemple
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Amherst Ballet Theatre Company
FALL 2011
UPCOMING EVENTS
NOVEMBER 7 – 18
Dean’s Beans Coffee Fundraiser
Coffee pick-up Dec. 12 –17
FRIDAY, Nov. 11
No classes. Veteran’s Day
SATURDAY, Nov. 12
2ND ANNUAL
DANCE-A-THON!
Amherst JCA 5:30 – 9
NOVEMBER 22 – 27
No Classes • Thanksgiving Holiday
MONDAY, Nov. 28
Classes resume
FRIDAY, Dec. 2
CLASSES DO MEET in spite of
Amherst Schools Curriculum Day
SATURDAY, Dec. 3
Upper School Meeting • Noon – 12:45
DECEMBER 12 – 17
Visitor’s Week for Lower School
SATURDAY, Feb. 18
CLASSES DO MEET
SATURDAY, Dec. 17
Upper School TEACH-IN
OPEN HOUSE at AB studios
FEBRUARY 19 – 26
School Vacation
No classes or rehearsals.
DECEMBER 18 – JANUARY 2
School Vacation
Feb. 21 – 24 • Vacation Camp
for ages 5 – 12. Details TBA
TUESDAY, Jan. 3
Classes resume
MONDAY, Feb. 27
Classes resume
SATURDAY, Jan. 7
Upper School Meeting • Noon – 12:45
MARCH 2 – 4 • YAGP
Competition in Torrington, CT
MONDAY, Jan. 16
No Classes • Martin Luther King Day
SATURDAY, Mar. 10
FETE & SILENT AUCTION
details TBA
FRIDAY, Jan. 27
CLASSES DO MEET in spite of
Amherst Schools Curriculum Day
SATURDAY, Feb. 4
Upper School Meeting • Noon – 12:45
FRIDAY, Mar. 16
CLASSES DO MEET in spite of
Amherst Schools Curriculum Day
SAVE THE DATE • ALUMNI REUNION AUGUST 4, 2012
CALLING ALL FORMER DANCERS, FACULTY, BOARD, PARENTS
ALL-SCHOOL REUNION PLANNED
This season marks the fortieth year since Amherst Ballet was founded in 1971 when Therese Brady Donohue moved to
Amherst from Princeton, NJ and started teaching ballet to a few local students. Established originally as The Amherst
Ballet Centre, she also founded The Amherst Ballet Theatre Company and later The Amherst Ballet Theatre School.
Therese retired in 2004 and is observing her 75th birthday in 2012.
To celebrate these milestones, Therese is organizing an all-school reunion on Saturday, August 4th, 2012. Can you help
us contact former students as well as former board members, faculty members and former dancers’ parents so we may
send invitations to celebrate these grand occasions? Please email Therese at [email protected] or administrative director
Andrea Leibson at [email protected] with your email addresses and street addresses so we may include as
many alumni dancers, parents, board and faculty as possible. Thanks for your help!
Many students trained for up to twelve years at Amherst Ballet and the community they formed along with their
parents has been long lasting. It will be wonderful to get together with as many of you as possible. Watch for more
details about activities at the reunion in the spring newsletter and on our website www.amherstballet.org.
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Non-Profit Org.
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Amherst, MA
01002
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AMHERST BALLET
2011 MCC Gold Star Award winner
29 Strong Street
Amherst, MA 01002
413.549.1555
amherstballet.org
Picture Book eatre Presents
Rooster’s Off To See the World & “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly,” said the Sloth by Eric Carle
at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art — November Saturdays & anksgiving Friday
2 pm & 3 pm • Tickets $5 • www.carlemuseum.org/Programs_Events/Upcoming/
Catherine Fair, Executive Director and Lower School Principal
Sueann Townsend, Upper School Principal
Andrea Leibson, Administrative Director
Therese Brady Donohue, Founder
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Angeline Shenje Peyton, president
Jane Wald, former president
Julia Rueschemeyer, vice-president
Mark Horwitz, treasurer
Libby Stanforth, secretary
Maureen Manning
Michael Ortiz
Melanie Sage
Catherine Sanderson
Heidi Stemple
Ted Trobaugh
Carlin Weirick
ADVISORY BOARD
James Duda
Mitch Gaslin
Pam Glaven
John Montanari
DeAnne S. Riddle
Stan Rosenberg
Howard Sonoda
Ellen Story
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Amherst Ballet Theatre Company
Dancers om the 2011 Summer Teen Intensive. Photo by Heidi Stemple