We will run our regular class schedule tomorrow, January 19, 2015.
Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) is the world’s largest international ballet competition. It offers scholarship auditions and master classes as well as performance, education, and networking opportunities, reaching over 7,000 dance students worldwide on a yearly basis. So naturally, we are very proud of our four Adagio Dance Company members who have been chosen to participate this year.
Katherine Newcomb and Valerie Biggs at an ADC performance last fall.
Erin Barth, Valerie Biggs, Katherine Newcomb, and Savanna Hunter will be competing at the regional semi-finals in Philadelphia this weekend. They have been working hard and rehearsing for the past few months in addition to their normal classes and ADC rehearsals. Erin and Katherine will be competing classical variations from Giselle and Diana and Actaeon, while Valerie and Savanna will be competing contemporary pieces.
Erin Barth and Savanna Hunter with Adagio’s director Ms. Svetlana at The Nutcracker in December.
We wish them luck on their performances this weekend and will catch up with them next week for pictures and an inside scoop!
We will open on time and run a regular class schedule today, Wednesday January 14. Looking forward to beginning our second week of the Winter Session!
There are a lot of exciting things happening in the area this year! As always, the Kennedy Center is bringing in world class companies for its winter season, and Misty Copeland is coming to D.C. in April for a performance as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake with the Washington Ballet.
The Mariisky Ballet in Paquita.
The Kennedy Center will kick off the season with the Mariinsky Ballet performing Le sacre du printemps, Le Spectre de la Rose, The Swan, and Petipa’s Paquita Grand Pas. American Ballet Theatre will be coming in March, performing Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, and a mixed repertoire featuring Theme and Variations, Pillar of Fire, and Rodeo. The famous New York City Ballet will be here in April performing two programs: 20th Century Classics, and all-Balanchine program, and 21st Century Choreographers, featuring works by Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Justin Peck, and artistic director Peter Martins.
ABT in Rodeo
The Scottish Ballet will be performing their take on Tennessee Williams’s A Streetcar Named Desire in their Kennedy Center debut in May, and the Royal Ballet will finish up the season, returning for the first time since 2009, to perform Carlos Acosta’s new full-length Don Quixote. For tickets or additional information, click here.
The Royal Ballet in Acosta’s DonQ.
The dance world is beyond excited to see Misty Copeland performing as Odette/Odile for the first time ever in the United States. She debuted the role last August in ABT’s tour of Australia, but will be performing again with the Washington Ballet in April. For information on her performances, click here.
Misty Copeland and Alexandre Hammoudi
Due to poor road conditions we are closing the school today. View our complete weather policy here. Stay safe out there, everyone!
Congratulations to all ADC and intensive students who performed in last weekend’s Nutcracker shows! The performances were a huge success!
Our Nutcracker just keeps growing each year; from excerpts in the Black Box Theater, to three full shows at Kenmore, it’s becoming a holiday tradition, and one that we love. So without further ado, here are the highlights.
The festivities: Dressed to the nines for a fabulous Christmas party, each attendant was delightfully entertaining. From exuberant party girls to mysterious godfathers, each character added depth to the holiday scene, and all three Claras were perfectly charming. With the addition of several life-like dolls and quite a few excited younger guests, it was definitely an evening to remember.
The Columbine dolls performing in the party scene.
The magic: Between the dancing dolls and the ethereal snow, there was no shortage of magic in this production. The adorable Harlequin and Columbine dolls contrasted beautifully with the charmingly sharp and stoic soldiers. Godfather Drosselmeyer’s Enchantment flitted around the stage while the Christmas tree doubled in size and Clara and the audience watched in awe. The snow scene was sharp and light, just like the real stuff, without being too chilly. And as the first act was winding down and Clara was escorted to the Land of Sweets, glittering white snowflakes fluttered down on to the stage.
Mikaley Bolden, as Clara, performing with the snow in show B.
The dancing: The moment they arrived in the Land of Sweets, the audience was entranced by adorable angels and butterflies, opening the second act and greeting Clara as the Sugar Plum Fairy welcomed her to the kingdom. From the opening notes of the Sugar Plum’s variation through the final waltz, the dancing almost never stopped. We met feisty Spanish dancers, sugary-sweet Marzipan candy, enigmatic Arabian acrobats, charming Chinese, high-energy Russians, loveable little Pollichinelles, and finished the show in a sea of beautiful pink flowers.
Adagio Dance Company members taking a break between shows on Sunday.
The finale: As Clara’s dream ended, the other characters began to say goodbye and exit the stage. The Sugar Plum Fairy gave one last wave before leaping off while the curtain closed, and when the spotlight came back up on Clara, we saw her awake with her precious nutcracker doll once again. Each show had a fabulous audience and all three casts received copious applause, which was of course, very well deserved.
The soloists of show C. Flora Hepp as the Columbine doll, Isabella Swigart as Clara, Katherine Newcomb as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Valerie Biggs as the mouse queen.
Of course, it doesn’t stop there. Our dancers are all still hard at work in their classes and looking forward to a relaxing winter break before coming back in January for the winter session.
The cast of Show A posing with assistant director Ms. Katherine, and Adagio Ballet Company director Ms. Evelina.
If you haven’t seen them yet, be sure to stop by the front desk and check out Adagio’s Nutcracker 2014 ornaments and t-shirt!
The last day of our Fall Session is December 21st and the first day of the Winter Session is January 5. Adagio Ballet and Dance School will be closed for Winter Break December 22-January 4.
Have a great break!
