Montana Ballet Company Announces The Academy
May 24, 2010 – The Montana Ballet Company, bringing Bozeman audiences its beloved Nutcracker for over 25 years, is proud to announce the Grand Opening of The Academy, an educational facility offering the finest classical ballet instruction for students age 3 to pre-professional. With a humanistic approach, The Academy's professional faculty introduces children and adults alike to the art, discipline and beauty of classical ballet, enriching the minds and spirits of those who aspire to learn the art form and establish a profound and life-long relationship with dance. The Academy will specialize in classical ballet training, offering graded technique classes, a comprehensive Pre-Pointe Program for students age 11-13, as well as Pointe and Variations/Repertoire classes.
The Academy is now accepting enrollment applications for the Fall Semester, which begins on August 30th.
A special Grand Opening celebration at Montana Ballet's new facility will be announced. Visitors can tour the new facility, meet Academy Director Elizabeth DeFanti and her Co-Artistic director for the Company, Amy Lynn Stoddart. The Board of Directors, Academy and Company staff, and dancers from the Montana Ballet Company will also be in attendance to visit with prospective students and their families. To celebrate this momentous occasion, all visitors can enter to win tickets to the 27th annual Nutcracker performances and other prizes from local sponsors for the Company and Academy.
As with all Montana Ballet Company artistic endeavors, students will find instruction by professionals with national and international performing and teaching experience, who themselves have trained with master teachers in multiple idioms and genres of dance.
Elizabeth DeFanti, Co-Artistic Director of the Company and Academy Director, has a prestigious performing background, dancing professionally for the Cleveland/San Jose Ballet and Festival Ballet of Rhode Island, and as a guest artist around the country, notably at South Carolina's Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Receiving critical acclaim for her portrayal of numerous classical roles, such as "Cinderella" and "Maria" in The Nutcracker, Ms. DeFanti brings to the Academy a wealth of knowledge about training dancers in the classical style. Ms. DeFanti herself, began her classical dance training at Festival Ballet with her parents, Christine Hennessy and Winthrop Corey, and subsequently studied at the National Ballet School in Toronto and the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. Following her career as a dancer, Ms. DeFanti returned to Rhode Island and assumed the role of Artistic Director of Festival Ballet. She also assumed ownership of The Dance Center, School of Festival Ballet, taught extensively in the school and served as Adjunct Faculty for Rhode Island College's Dance Department. In addition to her artistic background, Ms. DeFanti has expertise in educating dancers about psychological aspects of dance and performing. She holds a degree in Psychology from Brown University, a Masters of Arts and Masters of Education in Psychological Counseling from Columbia University's Teachers College, and worked as a Primary Therapist in the Department of Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City.
Amy Lynn Stoddart, Co-Artistic Director of the Company and faculty member at the Academy also has a distinguished professional dance background, dancing with the Lake Erie Ballet, Empire State Ballet, Ballet Caravan, Opera Colorado, Boulder Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Oregon. Ms. Stoddart has trained at professional organizations such as Boston Ballet, Cincinnati Conservatory, and was a full-scholarship student at Tulsa Ballet Theatre and the David Howard Dance Center in New York City. Ms. Stoddart has actively choreographed for universities, professional organizations, and ballet companies throughout the United States, receiving choreographic accolades for both her classical and contemporary works. Ms. Stoddart holds an MFA in Dance from the University of Colorado, a BA in Dance from Mercyhurst College, and is a former Associate Professor University of Oregon, where she specialized in Ballet Technique and Ballet History. She also served as the School Director of Youth Ballet Colorado. In addition to her artistic background, Ms. Stoddart is STOTT Pilates Certified instructor and owner of Bridger Pilates, bringing a wealth of knowledge about the human body, proper body alignment and strengthening, and injury prevention to Academy students.
Katie O'Neill, Managing Director of Montana Ballet Company, as well as Administrator and faculty member of The Academy, has served as the dance choreographer and costume designer for the Douglas County Children's Theatre, was head instructor at The Dance Workshop Performing Arts Center, a guest artist at the Pinkerton Ballet Academy, and a teacher at Dance Spirit. She studied dance pedagogy at The University of Montana, Rhee Gold's Dance Teachers of America Intensive, New York Dance Alliance Programs in Sacramento, CA, and Dance Masters of America in North Carolina. Ms. O'Neill was awarded many scholarships as a student, including the MDAA scholarship to the Lou Conte School of Dance, home of the Hubbard Street Dance Company in Chicago, the Alvin Ailey School of Dance in New York, and the Dupree Dance Workshops "Dance Down Under" tour of Australia.
In addition to its resident faculty, The Academy will also bring to Bozeman guest teachers and choreographers from across the nation to supplement yearlong Academy training with master classes, workshops, and the staging of new ballets.
As the only dance school in Bozeman affiliated with a ballet company, Academy students will be exposed to numerous elements of professional ballet productions such as expert coaching, collaboration with fellow dancers, the artistry of stage, lighting and technical designers, live orchestra, professional costuming, guest artists, and master classes. Academy students will have the opportunity to participate in community performances, as well as to perform in Montana Ballet Company productions, including The Nutcracker.
For more information about Montana Ballet Company's new Academy,
please call 406.582.8702
or visit us online at: www.montanaballet.org