Westover is Venue for Bolshoi Ballet

04/18/2008

MIDDLEBURY, CT AND NEW YORK CITY - Westover School in Middlebury, Connecticut has been selected as one of two sites to host the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Summer Intensive, a 2008 summer residency for aspiring young American ballet dancers to study with teachers and dancers from the renowned Russian Academy.  The Bolshoi Ballet Academy of Moscow will have its first U.S. home in nine years when the Russian American Foundation presents "Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Summer Intensive," June 30 through August 1 in Connecticut and New York City. 

A second round of open auditions for the Bolshoi's ballet programs will be held from 4:30 to 5:30 pm on Wed. April 23 in Westover School's almost 2,000 square foot dance studio, one of its three dance studios. During the first auditions held on March 30, no less than Irina Syrova, renowned teacher and Deputy Chair with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, traveled from Moscow to conduct the auditions.

The Bolshoi Ballet Academy summer programs - the Academy's exclusive U.S. engagement - are presented by the Russian American Foundation, a cultural foundation based in New York City that promotes increased understanding of Russian heritage and culture through the presentation of Russian arts events in the U.S. as well as a month-long festival of Russian culture in New York each June.

Auditionees will be eligible to enroll in three-week or five-week intensive programs with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy at Westover School or at the Manhattan Movement and Arts Center: the three-week program begins June 30 and ends July 18, while the five-week program runs from June 30 through August 1. 

Throughout the Bolshoi summer sessions, American students will study with the Bolshoi Academy's top instructors, as well as with Marina Leonova, Dean of the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, who will preside over the first week of the sessions in Connecticut and Manhattan.  Summer course work will include classical ballet, pointe, variations, character dance, repertoire, partnering and folk dance. 

The five-week Summer Intensives will conclude with an invitation for one male student and one female student to travel to Moscow and join a host of young dancers of Russian ballet at a one-night only Gala at the iconic Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

According to Rina Kirshner, Vice President of the Russian American Foundation, the five-week sessions are, in effect, an exclusive opportunity for interested dancers to audition for the Bolshoi Ballet Academy.  Two students from last summer's initial partnership with RAF and the Bolshoi Academy were accepted to further their studies at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow.

The Bolshoi Ballet Academy's new alliance with RAF and Westover School brings the famed academy to the U.S. for intensive training for the first time since 1999 when the Bolshoi concluded its years-long affiliation with the Vail Valley Foundation in Colorado.

The Bolshoi Academy's Dean Marina Leonova notes that partnership between the Academy and RAF "works towards expanding the dialogue among professionals who are responsible for directing the development and preservation of ballet, and who are teaching the next generation of dancers. This will not only contribute to promoting methods of teaching of Russian classical dance, which helps mastering all styles of choreographic art, but will also foster cross-cultural understanding.  This will be an extremely important step in breaking down cultural biases and facilitating a meaningful exchange." Ms. Kirshner, states that "Russian history and culture have shaped the evolution of ballet on all levels, from choreography to music, to staging and, of course, the performers.  RAF believes that this cross-cultural initiative will benefit the present day artistic communities of both countries by allowing them a direct dialogue and to learn from each other's experiences."

For information about the auditions call Patti Buchanan, Westover dance instructor, at 203-577-4560 or "Bolshoi Ballet Academy: Summer Intensive" at 212-687-6118 ext. 207 or visit http://www.bolshoiballetacademy.com/ .