The Australian Ballet School’s 45th Anniversary was a significant and resounding success and I thank all staff and students for the commitment that made it such a special and memorable occasion. As we begin a new year, we are already forming ideas for the 50th, as this special anniversary will come around before we know it!

I would particularly like to welcome all new students, staff and parents to the school family, as 2010 promises to be as busy and exciting as previous years. I would also like to offer a very warm welcome to new teaching staff members, Lynette Wills, former Australian Ballet Principal Dancer and Megan Connelly, who as Company Ballet Coach, is dividing her time between the two organisations.

At the time of writing, I am preparing Hannah O’Neill for the finals of the Youth America Grand Prix, which takes place in New York, from 21 to 26 March; Hannah you may remember, was the winner of the Prix de Lausanne in 2009. Leigh Rowles and I are once again members of the international jury for this competition.

Student Leadership is a new initiative introduced this year, with Class Leaders and School Captains announced at a special assembly on Wednesday 24 February. The following students have been chosen to represent the student body: Level 5, Olivia Paine and Hugo Koehne; Level 6, Sophie Zoricic and Alec Roberts; Level 7, Jasmin Durham and Macbeth Kanera. Level 8 School Captains are Bronte Kelly and Jake Mangakahia and Vice Captains, Polly Hilton and Cameron Hunter. Level 4 students will vote for their Class Leaders at the beginning of Term Two.

I am sure 2010 will prove to be another exciting and rewarding year for all at The Australian Ballet School.

Marilyn Rowe OBE
 

Margaret Wilson will be attending the 2010 International Association for Dance Medicine and Science (IADMS) conference this October. She will travel to Birmingham to represent the School.
 
Mark Annear recently attended the Canadian National Ballet School’s 50th Anniversary celebrations as The Australian Ballet School’s representative for Assemblée Internationale 2009 - a celebration of student choreography with participants from 13 international dance schools.

In November last year, Liz Hewett, Michela Kirkaldie and Margaret Wilson took part in a dance-specific Pilates workshop conducted by ex-New York City Ballet member Cynthia Lochard, with a focus on exercises to strengthen and articulate the muscles of the foot.

Kurumi Shibadaira, one of our ITP students from Japan, was recently privileged to be chosen to play the part of young Clara in Graeme Murphy’s production of The Nutcracker, in Tokyo. Kurumi was spotted by David McAllister earlier this year whilst she was on a visit to the School, and he requested her to be cast with the company for the production. Congratulations, Kurumi!

Dale Baker is studying Japanese in order to better communicate with our Japanese students, and Mark Annear is undertaking the Master of School Leadership at Monash University over the next two years.

During 2008, the School introduced ‘Clinic’ – an initiative developed by Lucinda Sharp, Janet Karin, Liz Hewitt and physiotherapist Sarah Way, in order to quickly assess students’ physical health needs at no cost to the student. Students are invited to attend Clinic for advice on prevention of injuries, guidance on strength training for problem areas, and instruction about whether or not their particular need requires physiotherapy.
 

Heartfelt congratulations are extended to our wonderful class of 2009, nine of whom have secured contracts for 2010.
 
The following students have accepted contracts with The Australian Ballet:

Jessica Fyfe
Ako Kondo
Calvin Hannaford
Ben Stuart-Carberry
Jack Hersee
Victor Esquerra

And these students with the Royal New Zealand Ballet:
 
Madeleine Murray
Dimitri Klioris
Kohei Iwamoto

Also congratulations to Eric Gravolin who has been offered a three-month traineeship with Queensland Ballet.

Well done, class of 2009!
 

The Australian Ballet School’s Summer School celebrated 11 wonderful years this January, with its annual programme attracting a record 380 enrolments for students aged 6 to 18, across the two weeks of the programme. This year, the School was privileged to welcome students from New Zealand, New Caledonia, Singapore, and Japan, as well as from around Australia.
 
The timetable was most ably supported by an outstanding staff, embracing teachers from our full-time teaching staff, The Australian Ballet, the commercial/musical theatre industry, and aspiring and enthusiastic young assistants in Christine Vavladellis and Cassandra Horsman. All classical classes were accompanied by musicians from our staff and professionals from their industry. An extremely popular service was introduced this year to give the parents of participants an opportunity to experience The Australian Ballet School - 40 minutes of ballet barre with Irina Konstantinova, and cardio exercises and routines with Natalya Bobenko!

As always, the Summer School was a resounding success, and we look forward to 2011!
 

On January 3 2010, four Level 7 students, Benedicte Bemet, Donna-Mae Burrows, Joel Distefano and Jake Mangakahia, embarked on an exciting journey overseas. They participated in a four-week exchange programme where they had the opportunity to dance with the National Ballet School of Canada, the School of American Ballet, and the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of American Ballet. They also experienced rehersals by the National Ballet of Canada and a special performance by the New York City Ballet.

‘This trip was a fabulous opportunity. The experience to travel overseas and expose ourselves and our dancing to new schools, environments, people, teachers and styles is an opportunity for which we all feel so fortunate. We have a new found appreciation, realisation and understanding about ourselves as dancers and as individuals, and about the surrounding world and our place in it.

The challenges of each day, both in and out of the studio, stretched us both physically and mentally. The things we discovered and learnt from each and every situation will last long beyond their time. These things can be extracted, applied and worked back here in Australia so that they can continue to develop.

The trip was inspirational on so many levels; it allowed us to futher define our goals, and understand the ways we can achieve them. The exposure to wonderful, talented and gifted artists/dancers gave us a unique perspective that allowed us to continue to experience further self-realisations. This trip gave us the gift to dream, and has allowed us to return home with a deeper, more extensive insight of the opportunities which the future of dance has to offer. We would like to thank The Australian Ballet School for such a special and beneficial opportunity. We feel extremely grateful and appreciative for this rare experience, and shall always hold this trip close to our hearts. Thank you.‘

Donna-Mae Burrows, Level 7.
 

School Friends is up and running for 2010, with the first viewing session to take place on Monday 15 March. The timetable of classes available for viewing will be forwarded to all 2010 members this week, together with their membership cards and an invitation to attend the School Friends event on Tuesday 20 April, during Parents Access Week.

We are delighted to inform you that viewing classes has been extended to all levels of training this year. Thank you to Marilyn Rowe and Leigh Rowles for opening this special opportunity to School Friends.

Tuesday 20 April is School Friends first social event for some time and I promise it will provide something for everyone. Activities include:

• An opportunity to take class with Miss Irina (who will gently take you through inspiring barre exercises suitable for beginners and past ballet students)
• The launch of a selection of photography by Sergey Konstantinov
• Presentation of the Level 7 Character Study
• The raffle draw of tickets to The Australian Ballet School’s Graduate Exhibition
• Light refreshments in The Dancers’ Deli

I am excited to prepare for this event and I am certainly looking forward to sharing it with you.

Christine Howard

In the Circle comprises two membership programmes that allow families, friends and dance industry professionals to observe The Australian Ballet School firsthand. Both programmes offer exclusive activities and a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the School at work.

School Friends

School Friends membership is perfect for those who want to interact with Australia’s young ballet stars of the future, whilst getting the most out of their ballet experience. This programme offers intimate morning teas with teachers and students, as well as exclusive access to classes and special events all year round. School Friends is open to everyone and benefits include:

• Class viewings (one per term)
• Morning/afternoon teas in the Dancers’ Deli after class viewing
• Priority booking period for School performances
• School Friends Lucky Membership Draw – chance to win 2 tickets to a performance by The Australian Ballet School
• Receipt of The School’s eNewsletter

Annual Membership Fee (Feb – Jan)
• Single $50
• Family $80

Colleagues Programme

The Colleagues Programme is a new initiative for 2010 and is a membership programme for dance industry professionals. The Colleagues Programme offers the opportunity to discover more about vocational dance training and to network with fellow dance industry colleagues. It is open to dance industry professionals including dancers, teachers, musicians and health professionals. Benefits include:

• 2 Colleagues days per year with class viewing, talks, morning tea and workshops
• Contribute to and receive Colleagues industry news email (2 - 4 per year)
• Discount for Skills Sharing programme
• Networking breakfast at Skills Sharing workshops
• Priority booking for School performances
• Receipt of the School’s eNewsletter

Annual Membership Fee (Feb – Jan)
• Single $50

Joint Annual Membership is available for both programmes.

Joint Annual Membership Fee – School Friends & Colleagues Programme (Feb – Jan)
• Single $80
• Family $120

For more information or to join, visit
www.australianballetschool.com.au or
call 03 9669 2807
Prices valid as at February 1 2010
 

What is your role with The Australian Ballet School?
I have just re-joined the Board after many years. I do not have a role yet, I am just learning about the organisation and its amazing programs, projects, policies, participation in world competitions, exchanges and visions.

What does the Board of Directors do for The School?
The Board of Directors is informed of all operational aspects of the School: financial, legal, educational and artistic. The various directors report to the Board. Members of the Board ask questions. The Board is ultimately responsible for The Australian Ballet School.

How did you first become involved in the arts?
I was a gymnast and also did ballet in my youth. I have always had an interest in ballet, music, theatre, the visual arts and cinema, and as a journalist /broadcaster I was able to indulge in promoting artists and directors and their creations.

What is it that you love about the ballet?
I have been passionate about ballet because it is about the body, the heart and the soul.
It requires discipline, grace, strength, musicality and other indefinables like emotions.
It is a constant quest for perfection. It is about Beauty in the fullest sense of the word. Performing means being on the razor’s edge and influenced by various factors; state of mind and body, partners, and the vibes from the public. Ballet dancers have very short careers and must accomplish a lot very early in their life, so it is also about maturity and poise.

What does the Board have planned for the School in 2010?
At this early stage (straight after my first meeting), I am learning and catching up on what the School has been doing. There are some exciting events coming up this year, some new initiatives, international exchanges, competitions, performances, projects. I am on the learning curve and loving it.
 

The Private Giving Programme of The Australian Ballet School is tailored specifically to support its students in their tuition through the disciplined and challenging levels of training from commencement to their graduation as professional dancers.

The Pearls are an integral part of the School’s financial support and form the mainstay of annual donations. Without their loyalty and commitment, the School would be less able to provide the necessary stages of development for its talented students to pursue their quest of becoming professional dancers.

The Pearls programme also supports the initiative for renowned international repetiteurs to visit the School in order to teach and rehearse the students in specific programmes ahead of the end of year performance. This gala occasion is the highlight of the year where the students find their feet and showcase their talent on the professional stage at The Playhouse Theatre in the Arts Centre.

Current Pearl contributors enjoy the friendship and camaraderie that emanates from their loyal commitment and association with the School. Through each term, small groups are invited to attend scheduled class viewings, followed by morning or afternoon tea in the Dancers’ Deli, as well as viewing working rehearsals for the various performances staged throughout the year. Term Two class viewings are currently being scheduled and will be advised shortly.

The programme is an all-embracing one and we encourage and welcome new supporters to join us in a spirit of appreciation and commitment to the work involved in training young students to become independent professional dancers in this exquisite, yet demanding, art-form.

Should you wish to become part of the School’s Private Giving Programme in this capacity, please contact Pamela Lombardo, Private Giving Co-ordinator, on 03 9669 2854, or via email plombardo@australianballetschool.com.au
 

Early last year the internationally renowned expert in abdominal and spinal health, Professor Paul Hodges, invited the School’s Kinetic Educator, Janet Karin OAM, to participate in a research study of the effect of her imagery training on dynamic abdominal stability. Janet’s approach aims to enhance the way the body responds to movement and changes in balance. Janet was awarded a Centre of Clinical Research Excellence Grant to work with Prof. Hodges at CCRE Spine, a department of the University of Queensland.

Early in January, the research team (Janet, Prof Hodges and Dr Andrew Claus) devised a series of tests for dynamic stability. A group of five professional dancers, two tertiary dance students and four professional circus performers were tested before undertaking training sessions with Janet. They were tested again at the end of the study and the results are being analysed by experts from the University. Although a full report is still being compiled, initial results show that the imagery training resulted in a markedly beneficial change in the participants who did seven or eight 20-minute sessions. Unfortunately, an all-night farewell party the night before the second tests had a detrimental effect on the results of two dancers who had been doing well beforehand – a complication the research team had not foreseen!

The paper will be submitted to the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, in the hope of it being accepted for presentation at their conference in Birmingham in October 2010. The paper will help further the School’s already strong international reputation as a progressive organisation at the forefront of dancers’ health and well-being.
 

The School’s Vocational Graduate Certificate in Elite Ballet Instruction (VGCEBI) was accredited in 2007. The course is available to professional dancers wishing to undertake teacher training and provides graduates with a comprehensive knowledge of the School’s eight level training programme. It also provides the opportunity to enhance existing technical expertise through the application of pedagogical skills appropriate to this high level of professional dance training. The course is only open to a small number of participants at any one time in order to provide a highly individualised programme. In 2009 the Vocational Graduate Certificate in Elite Ballet Instruction was modified to the Vocational Graduate Certificate in Elite Dance Instruction (VGCEDI) to include allied dance subjects such as Elite Folkloric Instruction and Elite Contemporary Instruction.

The Advanced Diploma of Dance has been successfully reaccredited for the period January 1 2010 to December 31 2014. The Diploma of Dance has also been created by the School and accredited for delivery in 2010. Primarily delivered in Levels 6 and 7, this course provides the opportunity for students to receive a dual qualification.

Sandra Ball, General Manager 
 

The School wishes to extend warmest recognition and thanks to the following staff, who are all celebrating more than a decade’s service at The Australian Ballet School.

Slava Zalomski 12 years
Sandra Ball 13 years
Dale Baker 13 years
Waldermar Lis 14 years
Lucinda Sharp 15 years
Mark Annear 18 years
Leigh Rowles 18 years
Maree Strachan 18 years
Michela Kirkaldie 18 years
Margaret Wilson 19 years
Paul Brickhill 25 years
Neil McNeill 25 years
Marilyn Rowe 26 years

And on February 4, Christine Howard celebrated 30 years of service to the School. Congratulations, Christine!