New Home for Richmond Ballet.The creation of the Richmond Ballet's new home had a distinctly scientific ring to it: Take one sprawling industrial plant in a transitional neighborhood, add a generous helping of community spirit and local lucre LUCRE. Gain, profit. Cl. des Lois Rom. h.t. , mix with space-expanding and surface-softening elements (cranes to raise ceilings and 26,000 rubber cylinders to spring floors, in this case), and watch phase of dance professionalism and civic pride come to life. * Alchemy is an apt metaphor for the transformation of a 53,500-square-foot, one-time chemistry lab for aluminum giant Reynolds Metals Reynolds Metals Company (RMC) was the second largest aluminum company in the United States, and the third largest in the world. The company became well-known for the consumer product Reynolds Wrap as well as being a leader in developing and promoting new uses for aluminum; Company into studio and classroom spaces that occasional Richmond Ballet guest choreographer Kirk Peterson calls "of an international level." But in the end, it was the reality of the twenty-year-old company's seam-busting growth in its former quarters, coupled with a downtown renaissance in Virginia's capital city, that impelled im·pel tr.v. im·pelled, im·pel·ling, im·pels 1. To urge to action through moral pressure; drive: I was impelled by events to take a stand. 2. To drive forward; propel. Richmond Ballet's relocation late last year. * "The ballet has reached a point where the community understands and appreciates our work better," says the company's only-ever artistic director, Stoner ston·er n. 1. One that stones. 2. Slang a. One who is habitually intoxicated by alcohol or drugs. b. One who is a delinquent or failure. Winslett. "And once somebody gives you a gift like a $1 million building, people pay attention." The gift, which the ballet's board voted to accept in June 1997, actually comprised three interconnected East Canal Street Canal Street may refer to:
tr.v. en·sconced, en·sconc·ing, en·sconc·es 1. To settle (oneself) securely or comfortably: She ensconced herself in an armchair. 2. in their new quarters. Options for the rest of the adjacent property include selling, leasing, or demolishing it to create surface parking. Winslett and her team anticipate plenty of traffic to and from the building. For one thing, the four studios on the second floor attract hundreds of students weekly. For another, the two adjoining professional studios on the top floor open into a small theater, complete with rigging for sound and light, that can seat a chamber audience of nearly 300. In time, Winslett expects the company to host public performances there. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , used as a rehearsal studio, that space will likely attract many guest choreographers like Peterson. With its thirty windows, thirty-two-foot-high ceilings and state-of-the-art flooring, the professional studio has sparked new energy among the dancers. Says Winslett, "Morale is the best I've seen. People work better and happier in good working conditions." Certainly that has been Peterson's experience with the company. His first piece for Richmond Ballet, Vortex, was choreographed to Philip Glass's Violin Concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble, customarily orchestra. Such works have been written from the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day. in 1999 in the company's former cramped conditions. In January, he got together with the company in its new digs to choreograph The Howling Cat, premiering later this year. "There was a feeling of constraint in the other studios," he says. "Here, the dancers can work more expansively. They can really move from here to there more deeply. And they feel more secure on the floor. They've brought a sense of professionalism and collaboration to this new space, because physically they feel more comfortable." Peterson also praises the no-frills functionality of Richmond Ballet's new home, which, with its metal-gray interiors and smooth slate lines, makes frank reference to its earliest days as a manufacturing plant. And that's exactly the way Winslett planned it. "We wanted to win on design ...," she says. "Our business is not about bricks and mortar A store (shop, supermarket, department store, etc.) in the real world. Contrast with clicks and mortar. . The building must be a means to an end. It should be the Museum of Modern Art of ballet." RICHMOND BALLET AT A GLANCE Richmond Ballet 407 East Canal Street Richmond, VA 23219 804/344-0906 804/344-0901 fax www.richmondballet.com * 12 dancers (16 for full-length classical ballets), 8 apprentices, and 17 trainees * 36-week contract * Non-union company * Dancers are age 18 and up. The women range in height from 5' 3" to 5' 6"; men from 5' 9" to 6' 2". * Open auditions for the company, apprentices, trainees, and summer students run January/February in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. ; San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden ; Columbus, Ohio Columbus is the capital and the largest city of the American state of Ohio. Named for explorer Christopher Columbus, the city was founded in 1812 at the confluence of the Scioto and Olentangy rivers, and assumed the functions of state capital in 1816. ; and Richmond, Virginia Richmond IPA: [ɹɯʒmɐnɖ] is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. . * Official school: The School of Richmond Ballet also serves ages 4 to adult on pre-professional and recreational tracks. Program includes ballet, jazz, and modern. * Stoner Winslett Scholarship Endowment * The Richmond Symphony plays at all performances of The Nutcracker and Cinderella. Repertory performances are performed to taped music. * Venues: Carpenter Center for the Performing Arts (main stage for classical productions), Richmond Ballet Studio Theatre, and the University of Richmond's Modlin Center for the Arts, Jepson Theater * Touring: Throughout Virginia in the fall and spring. Tours include performances, lecture-demonstrations, and master classes. Artistic Director: Stoner Winslett Artistic Associate and Ballet Master bal´let` mas´ter n. 1. a man who trains ballet dancers. Noun 1. ballet master - a man who directs and teaches and rehearses dancers for a ballet company : Malcolm Burn Malcolm Burn (born ca. 1961) is a Canadian-born music producer, recording engineer and musician. Burn grew up in Deep River, Ontario and became lead singer/keyboardist for the 1980s Canadian band Boys Brigade. Ballet Mistress bal´let` mis´tress n. 1. a woman who trains ballet dancers. Noun 1. ballet mistress - a woman who directs and teaches and rehearses dancers for a ballet company : Dianna Cuatto Co-General Managers: Craig Margolis and Edward Tosh RICHMOND BALLET WAS FOUNDED IN 1957 as a civic company, and in 1984 it became Virginia's only professional ballet company. In 1990, it was designated the State Ballet of Virginia. Richmond was first settled in 1607, was designated the capital in 1779, and later played a pivotal role in the Civil War. While Richmond can provide history buffs with plenty to relish, it is a city moving forward. The summers can be as hot as the economic climate (and Southernly humid): averaging in the mid-70s F in the summer to the high 30s F in the winter. Artistic Director Stoner Winslett is the Richmond Ballet's driving force, guiding it from a civic troupe to a professional company and school. She is now in her twenty-second year with the company. The company's eclectic repertoire is a mix of classical and contemporary works, including many original commissions, by Balanchine, de Mille, Jooss, Limon, Tudor, and rising choreographers Val Caniparoli, Colin Connor, Kirk Peterson, and Mauricio Wainrot. A source of great pride is the Minds in Motion outreach program for 800 fourth graders each year. This educational initiative, currently in its sixth year, was modeled after Jacques d'Amboise's National Dance Institute. It instills in young dancers the values of self-discipline, dedication, and self-awareness. Cathryn Harding is a writer in Charlottesville, Virginia. |
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