*Merry Christmas* and Happy Holidays - from the Dancers of The Sacramento Ballet!

At the Barre...with Isha! New Video Sac Ballet Secret Service Snow 2009!

A warm and merry, holiday Hello!

View a new video, or rather a blast from the past to get ready for this holiday season's production of Ron Cunningham's "The Nutcracker"! (You can also view this and all other videos associated with The Sacramento Ballet Dancer Effort on the right hand-side column of this page, on Facebook, or on YouTube.)

This is last year's most productive and exciting Sacramento Ballet Snow rehearsal...

Don't forget to see us this year at the Community Center Theatre in Sacramento, CA.

Come see new dancers, new choreography never seen before by the SacTown audience from Ron Cunningham, new costumes, and come just for some good old traditions! 

The dancers of the Sacramento Ballet are sharing "the Magic" - be there to join us!

Happy Holidays

 ~Isha

Welcome back to At the Barre... with Isha! a dancer's blog

The Sacramento Ballet Dancers 2010-2011

 

 

Coming to you from inside the Sacramento Ballet studios on this sunny and positive Monday afternoon, I am happy to say the dancers here have made it through two weeks of Nutcracker rehearsals! Woot! Beginning our third week of intense rehearsals, I personally see how much more graceful, dynamic, and smooth all the dancers’ movements have become. The choreography is settling in as muscle memory (hopefully!) and we can begin to work on our performance quality, attitude and character. Though, we still have much to learn in terms of piecing the whole shebang of “the Nutcracker” together. 

Throughout the weeks of rehearsals, we first learn and rehearse the actual dances for each divertissement such as Spanish, Arabian, Trepak, Chinese, and Candy Cane; we then learn a mini version of each divert in the finale’ as an overview of what was shown in Act II; and finally we move on to the entrances, exits, Opening and Finale’ group sections, Prologue and other acting moments to round off each piece. For example, some dancers learned how to “drink the coffee and admire the ring” at the end of Arabian, or some men learned how to ride or steer the dragon for the beginning of Chinese. While, Candy Cane women and men are working with the hula-hoop from day one, and Spanish women get used to flipping open and closed the overly large performance fan from day one. NOTE: it seems All the fans, big or normal sized, are broken in some way. Our Spanish ladies are quite serious about hitting the accents very strongly with those feeble fans… The sharpness from both the men and women make this divert an incredible beginning to the Act II characters.

Also this week Ron and Carinne and the dancers have been working very hard on the Waltz of the Flowers. As a Flower, a Demi, or a Rose, the end of our rehearsal days have been concluded with many runs of this beautiful and magnificent scene. Well, with that said I can tell you, the audience can only imagine the hard work and sweat put into organizing all those bodies on stage – coordination, spacing, formations, partnering and Rose lifts between numerous different groups of dancers. It looks quite amazing.

Heartbreakingly silly event of the week- the kitchen coffee pot was broken and we ran out of coffee. Know that the dancers this season have been known to brew around 3 or 4 full pots of coffee to make it through each day. The mood was slightly off for a few hours. Thankfully there was a spare coffee machine available and an incredible Folgers coffee donor! There are quite a few of us that can admit we are addicts…

Twice so far, we have had the pleasure of performing bits of the Nutcracker for elementary schools at the studios.This week, Washington Elementary was with us thanks to Vanessa Bautista, one of SacBallet School's teachers and Outreach Coordinator. It is so great to do some of our first small showings to a group of children that may become the next generation of professional dancers! 
Take a look - see Chris in the photo by Vanessa Bautista below?

It warms my heart and I'm sure my fellow dancers' as well, to see these children thoroughly enjoying the little bit we presented to them! Take a look at the rough video taken that day...

On a hilarious note, Daniel, our director of production, brought in our Chinese dragon this week as I mentioned before. Besides seeing the exciting Chinese men atop their “high horse” waving jovially to the audience in rehearsals we have the ridiculous looking face of the dragon with floppy ears and tail parked in the back of the studio all day! The silliness somehow brightens the start of my rehearsal day and makes me smile…
SNEAK PEAK~ Look at the Chinese Dragon and then John Whisler performing the opening of the Chinese Dance!

This busy day at the studio has ended and I am more than ready to head home…

Signing off until next week! Keep checking up on us as we cruise our way through the next two months of rehearsals and shows, to present to you the magic of the Nutcracker 2010!!

*do you have your tickets yet?

The third edition of Chris' Corner!

Dear Readers:

     Hello everyone and welcome to the third edition of Chris’ Corner.  Today I am writing to you all from the SacBallet rehearsal studios as a group of the company girls are rehearsing the Rose Variation in Waltz of the Flowers.  And if you haven’t already guessed the SacBallet Dancers are now in full “Nutcracker” mode.  For the dancers this is a very busy time of the year and we can be seen racing from one rehearsal to another, having to change our focus every fifteen minutes from being a doll, to a snowflake, a creepy mouse and then perhaps a Spanish or Arabian Divertissement … it can be nuts (pun intended).

     Since my last update: we have finished our run of the “CCC” and both of our Family Fun shows at the Crest.  The Family Fun shows were such a great experience and allowed the company dancers to explore many different genres of dance: from classical to carefree and from dramatic to comedic.  We also had the opportunity to mingle with our young audience members in the Crest lobby through some fun interactive stations.  Shows like these are so important for our company and for the community.  As the professional ballet company of the beautiful Capital of California it is partly our duty to educate and foster a love of dancing and the arts throughout the youth and I know for a fact that we were able to do just that.  How do I know? ....Let me share a great story with you all.

     Last night a couple of dancers, included myself, celebrated Halloween (and our day off) relaxing together and enjoying the festivities of the night.  While enjoying the sight of spooky trick or treaters I along with fellow company dancer Roberto Cisneros was approached by a young Spiderman who was making his evening rounds in the midtown area with a group of other costumed children.  The eager boy ran directly up to us and said, “ I know you both!  You were the Bunny…and you were the guys that spoke to us at the show!!”  The boy was referring to Roberto’s role as the White Rabbit in the excerpt from the “Alice in Wonderland” segment from the Family Fun Day, and to myself as the narrator.  The boy continued to excitedly tell us how much he enjoyed the show and tried to get his shyer friends (who he had explained had also seen the performance) to speak with us.  Even as the young Spiderman was heading around the corner I could still hear him excitedly talking about his encounter with the professional ballet guys.  I know that it will be a long time before I forget that special Halloween treat that I received from a young Spiderman and the pride that I felt because I may have affected a single child so that he may see dance as something that could be apart of his life.

     Well folks that is just about all for now…but before I sign off I’d like to give you a little review of the annual Halloween party that our company directors Ron & Carrine host for us every year.  The party was absolutely amazing and featured some of the usual festivities including: bobbing for apples, amazing food, millions of laughs, twister, and some awesome costumes.  I myself came to the party as a human crossword puzzle (complete with clues that could be answered) and some other costumes included Dorothy, a Ring Master, a Rockstar, 2 Audrey Hepburns and the Pope!  But the winner of the costume contest was company dancer Richie Smith, one of our resident Australians, who trumped everyone as a native Australian Aborigine – hilarious!!!! 

     Hope everyone out there also had a wonderfully spoooOOoOoooOky Halloween and please check back for more updates, as the dancers continue to prepare for our performances of Ron Cunningham’s “The Nutcracker”.

Second Edition of Chris' Corner

Dear Readers:

     Hello everyone!  Well since the last update of Chris’ Corner a lot has happened at the Sac Ballet.  We finished our first round of the Capitol Choreographic Competition and it was a huge success.  In the days leading up to the premier of the new ballets, created for the CCC, the dancers worked diligently with all the choreographers in order to make sure that each piece had the right motivation and intention that would help in the development of each work’s specific tone and aesthetic. 

     One of the choreographers: Melissa Barak often reminded us that for several of the sections, in her piece, we should appear “lost in space” within the confines of our movements.  In personal analysis of the piece I understood that this concept was very important.  The piece begins with a group of dancers huddled together creating the shape of an “amoeba” or that of an organism made up of many different parts, working as a single unit.  It is from here that we become “lost in space” from our original unified group and branch out away from one another, only to eventually be drawn back into the patterned group one by one.  I feel that Ms. Barak’s piece may be interpreted as an exploration in the idea that although we may yearn to break free from our “program” and the synonymous nature of the community, many times we are inevitably drawn back into the comfort of what we are most familiar with.

     Yannis Adoniou also had many different images and ideas he tried to convey to the dancers in the last days leading up to the premier of his piece.  He explained that he had wanted the dancers to establish a community setting within the ballet, forcing the dancers to become personally involved in the choreography and the art that we were creating.  I feel as though it is only fair for me to admit that I had the most trouble connecting with Mr. Adoniou’s piece, when we first began to work with him several weeks ago – however upon his return to the company and through our spacing rehearsals on stage I was finally able to understand the beauty behind his vision.  I think his ballet works extremely well in the Crest Theatre space and am excited for another audience to experience his aesthetically beautiful work of art.

    The third choreographer, Darrell Grand Moultrie was such a pleasure to work with in the studios and during our time at the Crest Theater.  He was very adamant in creating a ballet that would emphasize the joy of dancing that we all had felt as younger, less experienced dancers.  He wanted us to return to a place in our dancing when we were completely fearless to try anything and anticipated the challenges presented to us.  Darrell was also a great motivational force for many of the dancers and although I cannot speak for all the Sac Ballet Dancers, I know it was very easy for me to lose any inhibitions during his rehearsals – because he did not allow us to feel self conscious. He was very interested in pushing individual dancers to their maximum potential by reminding us of the pure happiness that can be expressed through our artistry.

     I hope hat if you were unable to see the CCC last week that you will join us at the Crest Theatre tomorrow…when we perform the pieces again.  Remember this week is a new competition and new winners have to be picked – we need your help!  Visit the www.sacballet.oorg for more info on the show.

     Although it may seem like the Sac Ballet dancers might have been taking it easy this week, in between our CCC shows – you’d be wrong!

      This past Saturday we were lucky to be apart of the huge gala event hosted in celebration of the new and improved Crocker Art Museum…. we performed living sculptures as guests entered the gala, performed on the main stage to kick off the festivities and worked with company photographer Keith Sutter - allowing guests an up-close and personal look at a dancer photo shoot!  It was an awesome event that we were all so proud to take part in.  And then we had a much-deserved two days off! Halleluiah!!!!

     After those two relaxing days off we were back in the studios with full force making sure that all was in shape for the second CCC and working diligently on this Saturday’s performances of Discover Dance, A Family Fun Day at The Crest Theater!  Preparing for the Family Fun day has been a lot of fun and I think everything is looking great.  I am especially excited for this show because I will be working double duty as a dancer (of course) and also as the show’s narrator!  I have to admit that it has been a little hard mustering the courage to actual open my mouth and speak on stage, rather than simply being a mute dancer – but it has been a great experience and I think I finally have all my lines memorized!!

    Well I think that is about it for now…hope to see you all at The Crest Theater this weekend, and keep an eye open for my mom (my biggest fan) who’ll be cheering along all the dancers from the audience!

At the Barre...with Isha. NEW Video up!

Hi All!

Thanks for joining us here At the Barre... the dancers' blog. My name is Isha Lloyd and I will be putting in my two-cents as co-writer next to fellow company dancer, Christopher. 

Chris did a great job with the introduction; if you haven't read the blog below make sure to do so! - it explains what the dancers of SacBallet are trying to accomplish this season, as well as providing You, our incredible audience and supporters, a different view into our lives working as your Sacramento Ballet. 

The third and final choreographer for our 2nd Annual Capital Choreography Competition finished this week, and after an intense dress rehearsal last night, we are ready to open the show TONIGHT Oct. 15th at the Crest Theatre! Tickets are still available at the Crest Theatre 1013 K St. You will be glad you joined us for this high-energy evening!

Although this amazing production debuts TONIGHT my 3/3 videos of "raw working rehearsal footage" with the third choreographer, Melissa Barak, is up. Please take a look at all three videos (linked on the right column on this page) plus my Com-bust-a-dance! compilation and share, link, or repost them to help us promote interest for the Ballet!

 

Can I tell you... the choreographers this year and the dancers of this unique company continue to amaze and surprise me! If I need an energy booster, some inspiration, or even just a hug without a doubt, I can find it at the studio or at the theatre with these incredible artists. I work with amazing people and this blog is here for you to share some of our experiences. Enjoy!

Cheers!

The first edition of Chris' Corner

Dear Readers:

     Hello everyone and welcome to the first edition of Chris’ corner.  My name is Chris Nachtrab and I am a company dancer with the Sacramento Ballet and I, along with my good friend and fellow company dancer Isha, have decided to write this blog in hopes of generating interest for our Sac ballet; by offering weekly/ bi-weekly updates about what the dancers are doing behind the scenes as we prepare for our upcoming performances.  We realize that we have many loyal patrons who only get to see us onstage or new fans that are interested in getting to know more about the dancers and may wonder about the processes we go through during our dance season… And so we hope to invite you to keep up to date with our blog that will showcase an insider’s view into our daily rehearsals and our thoughts and feelings, as we struggle through learning various ballets, work with very different choreographers, cope with pains and injuries and how we manage to test our physical and mental strengths daily… all while trying to remain somewhat graceful. 

     I suppose there is no better place for me to begin than with a brief recap of our season so far.  Although our company has only been back in the studios for five weeks, after our summer hiatus, we have all accomplished so much and are now preparing for our first billed performance of the season this Friday, “The Capital Choreographic Competition” – or as we refer to it in the studios, “The CCC”.  Just yesterday we finished our allotted time period with Melissa Barak – our third and final choreographer to come and set a brand new piece for us.  Before her time with us we had spent a week working with Yannis Adinou and prior to that we had spent a week working with Darrell Grand Moultrie.  Each choreographer had very different personalities and each showcased very different styles of dance...pushing us to quickly adapt and develop to the varied aesthetics they each hoped to convey for the competition.  You can check out some footage of rehearsals by clicking on a link in this blog's video tab.

      As if preparing for the CCC doesn’t sound like enough work we have also been getting ready for our Family Fun Day event, “Discovery Dance”, which will be presented at the Crest Theater for two showings on October 22.  The selections for the Family Fun show covers a very wide range: from the silly Tweedle Dee & Dum dance from “Alice in Wonderland” to the classical and very challenging White Swan Pas from “Swan Lake”.  Rehearsals for this show have been fun and sparked more than a few fits of laughter through the halls at the Sac Ballet – whether it be watching Brik brush up on her tap dance or watching the antics that take place during rehearsals for artistic director Ron Cunningham's newly choreographed  “Hoedown”.

   Along with Family Fun, we also had a chance to work with last year’s winner of the CCC – Matthew Neenan, who created a hip contemporary ballet using modern alternative music combined with some classical tunes.  The piece was scheduled to premier at a special event celebrating the new and improved Crocker Art Museum, on October 16 – but because of a dancer injury we think our audiences may have to wait to see it during our Modern Masters series. The wait will definitely be worth it!  But not to worry we have already come up with an exciting performance for the presentation… more info about that coming soon.

     This season the Sac Ballet is truly following our seasonal theme “Coloring Outside the Lines” by breaking out of the conventional and bursting into the streets in a celebratory new explosion of dance around Sacramento called Combustadance!  If you haven’t yet seen these unexpected dance performances, as seen in Ceaser Chavez park or around midtown during Second Saturday than check out the video and look for future hints – perhaps posted on this blog – as to when the Sac ballet dancers may break out into dance again!

     So I guess that is a good recap of the season as thus far.  It has been a lot of fun these past few weeks and the morale of the company is in a great place.  We have welcomed some new dancers into the company along with several apprentices and trainees.  It has been great reconnecting with friends from last season, while beginning new and fun relationships with the new dancers.  If I can make a single claim about the dancers of the Sac ballet it is that we all enjoy a good laugh and often have trouble containing ourselves during rehearsals, because of some ridiculousness that is always happening.  t seems that even on days when we are tired and beat up from long rehearsals or an extra hard class, we can always count on one another for a knowing smile and few good laughs to help carry you through the day.   I suppose, however it is easy to grow so comfortable and close with this group of dancers, because we are together for so many hours a day, and for so many days a week that somewhere along the way we become more like a family.  

    I hope that during the week you can check back to Chris’ Corner as I hope to continue updated what goes on in the studio in the few days leading up to the CCC.  So long for now!

You know when you're a Professional Dancer when...

1...you bend over to pick up something and your leg shoots up to a 180*-plus angle
2...you laugh at a non-dancer when they say their feet hurt
3...you have more pointe shoes than street shoes 

4...you suddenly can't count past 8 

5...you worry about arthritis in high school - and it doesn't even run in the family
6...dance is life and the rest is spare time 

7...you do grande jetes in the parking lot and down the hallway 

8...you are well coordinated in dance rehearsals but trip over your own feet just walking
9...a new leotard makes your whole day  

10...you don't think it's weird that boys wear tights

11...you tell the hairstylist that your Directors are only allowing you to cut your hair 3 inches

12...you use more rosin than soap 

13...you pointed your toes during pull-ups for gym class 

14...you knew more french terms than the kids in french class.

  

WHAT DO YOU SAY?

I've been a professional dancer 4 years but I'm realizing these are facts and habits of mine since middle school!

# 1 -  True story - I bent over to pick up something, my leg grandbattements out to 180* plus, and I kick someone right in the face. How much do you want to bet, that was the last thing they were worrying about...

# 3 - under my bed is FULL of random street shoes but I still think the combined number of new and dead pointe shoes I have would outrun that...

# 7 - how many dancers out there have been so overjoyed by the huge amount of space you have when you're walking into a big park, or empty parking lot, and just start doing split leaps for no good reason? If you have, you know the crazy, awkward looks we get from random bystanders...

# 8 - I can do triple pirouettes but I've failed the balance portion of my yearly physical two years running..

 

# 9 - New Yumiko leotard anybody? My last order made my whole week.

# 10 - I respect more gay and straight men, that I've danced with, that wear tights than ones that have never worn a pair of tights and felt comfortable in them... 

#s 11, 13, 14 - embarrassing but all true. No wonder dancers are considered "abnormal"

Anything to share 'my fellow SacB dancers'? :)