photo by Brooke Meyer

Read about our show in The Cary Citizen!

This year’s Spring Gala was gorgeous and colorful as the company presented the story ballet Tales of an Athenian Forest (Based on A Midsummer Night’s Dream). A fantasy forest is filled with magical creatures in a mythical kingdom. A lovers twist among Athenian humans and Queen Fairy Titania are mysteriously influenced by mischievous Puck with his mishap spells.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Our faculty was beaming with pride after each performance.  Ms. Iler’s words…

I am so very proud of each and every dancer in our Spring Gala—you epitomized poise, beauty, technique, artistry, and grace this evening! A very special thank you to the fairies who were especially beautiful this evening—your hard work paid off! Bravo!!

photo by Brooke Meyer

and our Director Suzanne Laliberte Clark wrote

Glorious performances! Some things are just meant to be… Beautiful dancers, amazing teachers and choreographers, dedicated loving parents & families… Put them all together and it’s truly a magical thing!!!
I LOVE all of you and am so incredibly proud that Cary Ballet continues to grow and shine for doing everything the RIGHT way, with integrity, honor and love!
Andy took this photo with his cell phone from the back of the theatre during tonight’s final peformance.
Bravo EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!
XXXOOO

photo by Brooke Meyer

Opening the show was Tom Shoemaker‘s Caravan choreography presented at the Festival of NC Dance in Winston-Salem, NC. A contemporary piece with stellar movement, sometimes seemingly simple but yet riveting.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Special thanks to all the parents who help make this show happen, from volunteering time backstage to sewing costumes we are in your debt!  Also, special thanks to Brooke Meyer for capturing moments onstage and off.

photo by Brooke Meyer

And lastly, farewell to our graduating high school Seniors!  We will miss you!

Jimmy Locust

Miguel Perez

Cesar Rubio Degollado

CBC alumna Gretchen LaWall

and of course, our wonderful CBC faculty! 

jAZZfEST 2013 is June 24 – 29.  Registration is open now!

We start the evening with a little photo of our Daddy-Daughter couples.  We have had couples show up in limos and we have couples in dress up clothes – these dads are definitely wrapped around little fingers!  Our ballet company girls are in charge of entertainment for the evening.  They DJ and the lead dances while dads and little girls dance, chat and snack.

It’s a sweet night for all!  Special thanks to Michele Cadiz for the photos.

She has worked hard to become an incredible woman, Valedictorian with a Law Degree, a PHD in Anthropology, a published author and currently a Law Professor at Boston University – all the while maintaining a second career as a Professional Ballerina!

We couldn’t be happier for her and so incredibly proud!!  She is an inspiration to all our CBC dancers and friends!

http://www.bu.edu/bostonia/summer12/secret/

Khiara wrote to us via facebook.

Thank you for sharing this article with the CBC community! People always ask me how I manage to continue to dance professionally while pursuing a life as a legal academic. The truth is: I can’t imagine being a legal academic without having dance in my life! Dance keeps me sane, balanced. It’s my anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication. It has given me a community of amazingly talented friends. I am indebted to every single ballet teacher that I have had for sharing the gift of dance with me. But, I reserve a special place in my heart for my very first ballet teacher, Suzanne Laliberte-Clark. She introduced me to the love of my life. Thank you thank you thank you, Ms. Suzie. Words can not express my gratitude.

As usual pumpkin painting in the gazebo was another popular activity.  All of our pumpkins went to good homes this year.Our entertainment began with a ballet demonstration with Ms. Deanna Seay and six students.  Portable barres were set in the middle for the audience to have a closer view of what is looked for during barre exercises.  This demonstration was followed by a sneak peak at our Visions of Sugarplums pieces: Sugarplum Fairy Variation, Chinese and Spanish.  Here is our regal lead Spanish ballerina Sarah.Visions of Sugarplums will be December 14 – 16 at the Cary Arts Center.

Following the ballet, piano selections were played by Cary Ballet students.  We are proud to have multi-talented dancers at our conservatory!

We also hosted the Triangle Youth String Sinfonia performing selections from their Fall performance.

Next the audience was treated to dancers from the Scottish Cultural Organization of the Triangle.

Finally, Raleigh Youth Magic had two performers that were 9 and 12 years old.  The floor was packed with little children that were enthralled by their tricks. 

As our busy afternoon ended, we cleaned up the Conservatory and were so happy to host an event like this.  Hopefully, a few more children were inspired to take up the arts!

Special thanks to Suzanne Murley for organizing the event.  All photography by Brooke Meyer.

REMEMBERING THE CBC

I remember the first time I walked in to the Cary Ballet Conservatory – or the Cary School of Ballet as it was called then – and saw the lavender purple walls and immediately knew this was a place I could easily call home. Little did I know that at 16 years old, Suzanne and the faculty at CBC would impact my life as much as it did. Suzanne gave me my first job as a Teaching Assistant and now I am an Assistant Professor in Dance hoping to impact students lives as much as mine was. I fell in love with
the gratification that accompanies the chance to watch students grow as movers and thinkers.

The CBC faculty left me with the desire and confidence to pursue my dreams without hesitation. They opened up opportunities to experience several summer intensives all over the country as if to say “Go! Don’t hold back! Do what you want to do with your life!”   It’s actually funny to reminisce about those days and how I would become so terrified about going out onto stage to perform a solo. Suzanne was always in the curtains assuring me that everything would be great and to just have fun. I still perform a lot and do admit I still get nervous sometimes. But Suzanne was right – everything is always fine and I always have a blast. The worst thing that could happen is you’d fall which I have already done several times on stage. Once I sneezed on stage and then had to make it a part of the choreography.  That was interesting.

Suzanne, I adore you. I always have. Thanks for everything you did for me all those years ago. I think about you and CBC often. You’ve created an place where exceptional technique and performance is the norm – all in a safe, caring, and friendly environment. I’m living my dreams due to the strength and confidence you nurtured in me. And as I write this sitting in my room with my lavender purple blanket wrapped around me, I thank you.

We’ve been through some renovations since Renay’s time, but even if the walls are not lavender anymore, we hope all our students find comfort at Cary Ballet and know that they can always call it home!

We were touched by the kind words he wrote to us on facebook at the conclusion of jAZZfEST and would like to share them with you.

How can one put into words what started as a dance workshop and ended as an experience…

Personally, this dance workshop began as an opportunity to teach with a stellar dance faculty and share the beauty of humanity, through the art of dance. Instead, it became a journey into each and every dancer present. We discovered beauty, not only in dance and its future possibilities, but we also discovered the beauty of each student that stood in front of the mirror. In hoping to be the person who could lead you, the students on this journey, I found myself was riding beside you.

The individual wisdom and experience of the teachers who worked with you throughout the five days is invaluable. At the end, all of their lessons were brought together.

On the sixth day, most were sore, bruised, pained, and exhausted. Emotions were floating on the surface and the words of each teacher coupled with the talent of the others clarified a vision for the dancers. The growth of each student from the first day to the last was certainly something to be proud of.

You have learned now that your success and your future, is within your control. Life is about the opportunities you take and the fears you leave behind. You can decide to be good or you can be great.

All have left an impression with and will always be part of my family…

Thank You CBC staff, volunteers, and resident teachers for a great week. Thank You guest teachers (Jimmy and Annalisia) for sharing your knowledge and passion. Thank you to the dancers who chose to be there with us this past week. A special Thank You to Darra for the opportunity, you did an amazing job. And lastly, Thank You Susan Quinn because without her knowledge and her passion I wouldn’t be where I am today…

photo by Brooke Meyer

We were excited to see some old friends and make some new ones at jAZZfEST 2012 at Cary Ballet.  This year we welcomed back Susan Quinn (FL), Jimmy Locust (CT), and Annalisia Simone (LA).  We were delighted to friend César Rubio Degollado (AZ)!  And were proud to welcome to the faculty side CBC & The 3D Project alumna Gretchen LaWall who has recently added University of Arizona School of Dance graduate, certified Pilates instructor and River North Apprentice to her credits!

Here is a look into jAZZfEST from our Jazz Director Darra Gasper.

In studio A, Cesar Degollado gives a physically intense yet beautifully fluid contemporary combination to advanced dancers while in Studio D, Susan Quinn explains to the the 9-10 year old students the importance of proper technique for pirouettes. Over in the CBC Annex, Jimmy Locust is throwing down some hot commercial jazz on the 6-8 year old age group while Annalisia Simone is encouraging a young dancer to come out of her shell and strive for her dreams. This is just a typical hour in a day of the week that is jAZZfEST. During the festival master teachers from all over the country can be found at CBC changing dancers lives, encouraging them to go for their dreams and pushing them past every limit they can find.

photo by Brooke Meyer

The week culminated with the jAZZfEST informal showcase performance. In front of a packed audience the dancers show what they had learned throughout the festival.  Each group performed a combination, a hip hop routine and an original work choreographed by a jAZZfEST faculty member over the course of the week. Group A performed a beautiful contemporary work choreographed by Cesar. Group B’s had a hot jazz routine choreographed by Jimmy. Group C gave a touching rendition of Annalisia’s choreography.  Group D turned on the funk with a hip hop dance created by Ronnie West and Group E delighted the audience with an energetic and upbeat jazz dance choreographed by jAZZfEST director Darra Gasper.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Show stealers were the 6-8 year olds who came out and did a great number choreographed by CBC Alumna Tori Junell.  A highlight of the showcase were performances by members of the faculty- the heartwarming and uplifting solo danced by Jimmy Locust which brought the audience to tears; high energy hip hop by Ronnie; and a stunning duet between Cesar and Gretchen.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Over 110 dancers from around the country converged on CBC for this celebration of Jazz Dance. Every day they participated in classes ranging from contemporary and lyrical dance to commercial jazz and hip hop. Mix in a daily ballet class, add a little improv and some original choreography and the studio was awash in excitement from early morning until late afternoon.

photo by Brooke Meyer

photo by Brooke Meyer

Recital is a special time at any studio, but at Cary Ballet we really strive to make a magical experience for our audience with full storylines, production scenes and quality dancing.  Above you can see our beautiful opening to Rhythms of the Rainforest – backdrop, props, smoke effects, a decorated proscenium and our dancers all come together to wonderful effect.  From the opening curtain, the stage is colorful and mysterious.  And backstage, our younger dancers get to learn and be inspired by our senior dancers.  Here are our Rhythms leads backstage- Rayna, Victoria & Nibbles.To create these moments for the audience, the backstage side of things can be harried with sets, props, crew, dressing room chaperones, teachers, TAs and hundreds of dancers all working together.  Meanwhile, the dancers are getting irreplaceable performance experience learning about the process of putting on a show with costuming, the hustle of backstage and using your rehearsal time to help you adjust with performance surprises.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Rhythms of the Rainforest is especially close to our hearts because it is an original show created by the faculty of Cary Ballet.  It is a vibrant show full of catchy music and is a departure from the fairytale themes we often have.  We get to have our traditional beautiful ballet moments and dramatic contemporary pieces like the Spider Queen soloist Stephanie Kim.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Cary Ballet Spider Queen solo performed by Stephanie Kim, choreography by Darra Gasper. Photo by Brooke Meyer

Meanwhile, our Jazz dancers love to get into a character, as seen in the Tiki People dance.

photo by Brooke Meyer

and their leader the Witch Doctor, portrayed by Darien.

photo by Brooke Meyer

As usual with any recital, everyone is upstaged by our littlest dancers seen here in their Cricket lullaby dance.

photo by Brooke Meyer

The tap number near the close of the show is very cool as the dancers utilize flashlights and a scrim to look like headlights.  A great effect!

Cary Ballets Bulldozers, choreographed by Shannon Snover. Photo by Brooke Meyer

By the end of our dress rehearsals and performances, all of the work and fluster turns into a giddy release as the faculty and crew see the show come to life.  We are excited and proud to see our students finish another year of dance with stronger technique and smiles on the faces.  We can’t help it- we get a little goofy.

We hope our enthusiasm for our students and each other show through.  It’s what makes Cary Ballet such a special place!