photo by Brooke Meyer

The 3D Project had their Spring Showcase and it was fun, diverse and HIGH ENERGY! The show opened with upsIDOwn, choreographed by Jazz Director Darra Gasper and it showed our dancers complicated partner work and contortions as the dancers really showed their athleticism to a driving bass track.

photo by Brooke Meyer

The 3D II company got to show how they are maturing with the piece, Beautiful.  We’re sure many parents in the audience were both proud and shocked at how their little girls are young ladies.

They also showed their spicier side in Forbidden Dance, a latin flavored piece choregraphed by Cary Ballet alum Alina Ramirez.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Alina also choreographed Pie and Pearls, a fun, sassy dance to Rumor Has It by Adele.  As well as the trio the way it isn’t- an engaging piece that really drew the audience in and made great use of empty spaces.  Click on the picture to see a youtube video of this piece.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Our younger dancers performed Dream choreographed by Beth Costigan.  This airy piece captured how precious childhood years are.
Dim the lights, keep moving let our dancers show their funny, quirky side with a perky fast-paced piece full of showmanship.  Speaking of showmanship, albeit a different kind, our dancers really enjoyed getting into character as deranged mental patients in the piece DiZturbed choreographed by Robb Beaman.

photo by Brooke Meyer

The Broadway inspired piece Revolt from American Idiot let the 3DII company show off their theatrical side.  Dancing in flannels, baseball caps and torn jeans, the dancers called the anger, unity and frustration that the piece called for.   Our younger dancers performed with energy and intensity in Little Monsters, a hip-hop piece.

photo by Brooke Meyer

Darion Flores performed his solo, Solitude.  His control, strength and artistry made the audience notice the slightest lean of his ribcage.  Stunning!

photo by Brooke Meyer

We had two pieces created through The 3D Project’s Young Choreographer’s Mentorship Program.  Not So Young was choreographed by senior Allysa Clagett and it was sweet, graceful and fluid.  Congratulations, Allysa! Visages was choreographed by Jonathan Milne and was inspired by Dorrell Martin and Sidra Bell.  Congratulations, Jonathan!

The last piece before intermission was Flight of the Fan, choreographed by Juliet Malit.

photo by Brooke Meyer

And after intermission, the audience was treated to Sing!Sing!SWING!, a large production tribute piece to the swing era.  High energy and full of sparkling costumes and featuring the 3D Divas, this piece was just plain fun!

photo by Brooke Meyer

On top of all of that, there was a Michael Jackson medley dance; Featherweight a contemporary piece like a bird in flight; and a solo by Jennifer Romano.  A packed show with something for everyone!

Our show started with Paquita (pictured above is Senior Katie Baker), its demanding choreography allowed our dancers to really showcase their strong technique.

We also had Air On the G String which showcased our younger dancers who are at the magical age where they are really developing their grace and discovering their artistry.

For our little audience members and featuring our Petite Company, we had The Twelve Dancing Princesses story ballet.  The cutest thing that audience does not get to see is all the little “shoes” waiting backstage for their cue!  Here they are onstage with big smiles.

The Journey, the piece that was performed at NCSA and as part of the Piedmont performance exchange, let our dancers explore their contemporary side.  The dramatic opening is amazing, watch the video below.

Cary Ballet Conservatory from Southern Video Design on Vimeo.

Our YAGP soloists have worked so hard and got another chance to perform their pieces.  This moment captured by Brooke Meyer Photography illustrates the mixture of strength and grace of Jennifer Romano.

The show closed with Act II of Giselle.   And to get that Giselle look just right, Ms. Seay was on hand backstage!

Onstage, there’s no more giggling as Giselle closes on its somber note.  It’s amazing how simple white costumes are achingly beautiful and otherworldly onstage.

This year’s Gala is our most ambitious yet.  If you have not done so, please RSVP on our facebook event page!  Our dancers have been working hard to perform a diverse range of classical, contemporary and storybook ballet!  We are presenting the story ballet: The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Act II of Giselle and Paquita!  The audience will also be treated to The Journey, Ms. Leah‘s piece which was performed at the Festival of NC Dance this year, as well as solos which were performed at YAGP!

Here is Southwest Wake’s newspaper clipping on our Gala.

The town of Cary is offering free shuttle service for our Gala to make parking easier and convenient!  Here is a shuttle map.

We hope to see you all there!

We are delighted to mention that our own ballet mistress Ms. Deanna Seay was asked to teach several classes at the festival.  Dancers from all around the state loved having master classes with her, although we are lucky enough to enjoy them every day here at the studio!

The weekend culminated Sunday evening in a showcase of adjudicated works where Cary Ballet Company performed The Journey, choreographed by Ms. Leah and The 3D Project performed St. Theresa by Susan Quinn Williams.  Above you can see our dancers and Ms. Leah backstage before the performance.

The Journey was specifically set for this festival and impressed the audience with our dancers’ skill and artistry!  What was striking was the choreography for this many dancers on stage.  The various groupings working off of each other and melting into the next pattern/section.  The Pas de Deux by Darion Flores and Stephanie Kim was amazing!!  The delicate manner of partnering with each other, then into the dynamic solos was breathtaking.  The entire piece was WOW through the end.

St. Theresa, performed by three HS Seniors: Katie Baker, Hannah Ehrenzeller and Tanya Haglund was so powerful.  It was one of THE BEST performances these girls have done.  The intensity lingered throughout the piece and up to the bow.  Here you can see the passion they dance with in a studio rehearsal.

Suzanne Laliberté Clark had this to say after the weekend, “Our CBC dancers rocked the house tonight! So beautiful, so elegant. All of us at CBC could not be more proud of our students! They are truly exceptional young artists in EVERY way!”

Congratulations to all that performed…….you were wonderful, beautiful and we are so proud of you all!!

For more information, contact the front office at 919.481.6509 or Ms. Leah!

Suzanne had a dream of having the ballet company travel to perform – and that came true this past weekend.  There was the group piece, titled The Journey choreographed by Ms. Leah and three YAGP solos performed by Darion, Stephanie and Jennifer.  There were many compliments heard from the audience about Cary Ballet students about their level of technique and from the PSMD director Rebecca Wiley, complimenting the behavior on and off the stage – was very professional and they danced beautifully.  Ms. Wiley talked about what great care she could see in our coaching and how wonderful each of our dancers were.  That is truly wonderful!!

Ms. Leah is very proud.  She thanks all the performers for dancing her piece with such commitment, energy, and intensity.  She said, “You have not an idea what pleasure I feel when I watch you dance.  I think of how incredibly unique and amazing each of you are and how hard we have all worked to bring this piece together.  I look forward to each of our performances this year and watching you grow in this piece as dancers and young artists.”

We are very proud to have Ms. Leah as part of our faculty.  Her knowledge base, passion for dance and her students is irreplaceable!  And a special thanks to all of the parents that helped to make this happen with their commitment to their children’s .  It truly is a team effort.

A large group of our dancers plus those in The Journey will travel again next weekend to Winston-Salem, Feb 25-26, to participate at the Festival of NC Dance.  The Festival is a weekend of master classes with guest teachers and ends with a free performance Sunday evening at the Stevens Center (downtown Winston-Salem) at 6:00pm.  Of the 25 plus studios invited, 16 companies including Cary Ballet (The Journey) & 3D Project (St. Theresa), were invited to perform at the end of the weekend.  That is great!!  Our dancers are truly amazing in their presentation.  Wish them well when you see them.

* thanks to Suzanne Murley & Leah Copley Summers for their help with this blog entry

The audition tour has been a great opportunity for our staff to see old friends, colleagues and make new ones across the country.  We love seeing the hopes and talents of young dancers everywhere we go!

Read the article on our auditions in West Virginia.

Thank you so much for all the studios that hosted us on our tour!  Your hospitality is so appreciated and we hope to host you in the future!  Here is a photo from the New Orleans Auditions at Schramel Conservatory of Dance.

Carolina Parent recently did an article with the above title.  It’s a sweet sentiment and one that means a lot to the faculty here at Cary Ballet.  Some children immediately know that dance is their passion while some take a little longer to realize it.  Some students really enjoy dance for a time and then move onto different activities and some return to us after a long break like a homecoming.  Our faculty opens their hearts and their wealth of knowledge to all of these students with one goal- to help the students learn and grow.

Read the Carolina Parent article which interviews our children’s ballet mistress Miss Anna and see what you think.

Before falling asleep, we had our expanded party scene featuring a very animated Drosselmeyer.  You can just glimpse him below carrying in one of our dolls Anna.  Look at the faces on the Party Scene guests!

Another new addition to our show was the battle between the Rats and the Soldiers.  Very fun change of pace and a bit of humor as the Rat King goes through his death throes!

Of course, the most magical moment is when it starts snowing during Snow!  Here is a view from the wings where you can see our Snow Queen Hannah shining in the spotlight.

A sweet little Polichinelle…

I wonder if she’ll grow up to be the Snow Queen someday?

And of course, the Land of Sweets is not complete without a pas de deux between the Sugarplum Fairy & her Cavalier, here danced by Stephanie & Darion).

After intermission the audience was treated to the Trans-Siberian orchestra’s version of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suites as The 3D Project performed their Straight Up Christmas- a high energy piece featuring some very crazy haired Divas.

The holiday season passes in a blur sometimes, so it’s nice to look back and be able to appreciate the wonderful show we had which was possible with the hard work of our dancers, faculty and parents!

Here is our Liturgical soloist, Erika Forslund- so exciting to have a new company!

And here is our Party Scene from Visions of Sugarplums.