END OF YEAR REFLECTIONs
Hi everyone,
Remember me?
I know it has been so very long time since a new Ballet4Life Talks
Dance blog was created. Apologies if you felt abandoned- you were not! This
silence was not due to a cautionary forecast of fading trends nor wondering if people
read anymore, but simply due to life's fullness and waves of electric synergy
and movements.
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Ballet4life is nearing its 20th Anniversary, this milestone,
which I am deeply proud of, also comes with a certain amount of reflection,
reviewing, with long- and short-term projection & planning and wonderment
and curiosity. When I think back on the now thousands of people I have had the
privilege to meet, work with, teach, mentor, facilitate good quality dance
training for, befriend, support, help on their career paths, help through
grief/illness/loss, it is a bit mind blowing!?! I can embrace a beautiful and
poignant look back and also a disbelief that 20 years have flown by!
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My son was only two when I launched our first pioneering adult
Ballet class at the then Chiswick-based headquarters of Rambert Dance Co. He
is now at the last year of his Master’s Degree at Imperial College of London, passionately
and all-consuming doing his Mechanical Engineering studies, with hopes to be
working in world’s top rocketry projects after graduation…bang zoom to the
moon!! (and I love being able to say you do have to be a rocket scientist
to understand lol!)
Ah, life. So, in my ruminating, I think about the conflict
that the topic of Dance brings up and Dance studies and dance as a career and the
learning of it. I was saddened to read last week of the potential closure of Dance
Degrees in Higher Education here in the UK. In my mind this is a terrible mistake
and suffocation of a pathway of development and enrichment for young students (too much to say- saving it for another blog).
I never felt nor was taught to believe the Dance was for the
elite, the wealthy, the privileged- quite the contrary really. Nor was I told
that dance is superfluous, silly, insubstantial, not really something you
do in life as a profession…The visionary Enid Knapp Botsford-Orcutt, Founder
and Director, of the prestigious school where I received my formative training,
the Botsford School of Dance, was far too broad- minded, well-educated, intelligent,
aware, and curious to impart any kind of elitism upon us. We danced and trained
with the finest guest artists, teachers, Ballet Masters and Ballet Mistresses,
from all over the world, and from all different backgrounds. I grew up finding
that sort of environment quite normal. Fast forwarding decades later after a
full career as a professional dancer then shifting to roles of Rehearsal Director,
Assistant-to the Director, Company Teacher, Guest Teacher, Choreographer,
eventually wanting to finally become MY OWN BOSS- to digest and to decipher my
life- long Dance experiences and knowledge gained from such stars - artists
extraordinaire, the concept of Ballet4Life was born. The pathway and trajectory
all makes sense now -in hindsight!
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I love what I do – every day! I know that this is a real
blessing and gift and it is not taken for granted (nor for granite - which
is what I thought this adage was when I was a child). I do love this art form
of Dance; sharing it, giving it, teaching it, facilitating and providing it. I
love a sense of community, of helping all to feel welcome. The door is always
open. The comments and feedback are given with a positive approach, and nurturing and
encouragement is what we are rather good at, apparently!
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We happily facilitate change in people’s well-being. I have witnessed this gladly over the 20 years and I hope for many more opportunities to do this.
Thank you if you have been a small or large part of our
history and I hope that you can help to create the next dance epics with us.
Look back at this past year
Ioanna and Savvas had their beautiful baby boy Fievos and we had the joy to see them on Saturday 16 December at our Social for MiW
We had a delightful Studio Showing on 9 December and it was so inspiring to see everyone dancing so well and for cross connections and introductions to happen. Well done all! Well done teachers!
We welcomed Johanna Van Salmuth and Kristin Leal to our roster of fabulous teachers. We bid a fond farewell and bestowed Mark Kelly with gifts, our thanks, and best wishes for his future endeavours.
We had a really successful May fundraiser showcase at Watermans Art Centre- nearly sold out again and there was some stellar performing and dancing.
Additional strong performances were given at the June Bedford Park Festival. Random audience members came up to me to express their pleasure and joy at seeing some old favourite Classical Ballet pieces.
I was encouraged by some B4l friends to apply to Artists at Home, I did so with trepidation, I was accepted and had my first open studio weekend and will do so again this June! All are welcome to come and visit. https://www.artistsathome.co.uk/artist/266/donna-schoenherr
We are Finalists in the One Dance UK Awards 2023-People's Choice Award! ( thank you to you people!) The big Awards event is 10 February in Coventry.
I wrap up by wishing everyone a very Happy Festive Season and all good wishes for a Dance - filled
2024!!!
Donna x
To look forward to:
A Dance Celebration event - a loving salute to our dear friend Katharine
Ballet4lifer -of-the-month feature to return
Special 20th Anniversary offers and fun quizzes/competitions
Swap of Saturday Arts Ed classes over to the large airy at Studio St Peter's Hall
"Open Studio" Day
Spring term starts 8 January
Saturday 12.30pm Taster Classes in Jazz Dance, Contemporary
Dance, and Beginner Ballet
Thursday fortnightly Contemporary Dance class with Beatrice
12.15pm
Sunday Series- one special class each month at 11am at Arts Ed- Studio 212.First one: 21 January is Ukrainian Folk Dance with Alina Luts. Next up 25 Feb is a combo of Ballet, Contemporary Dance and Somatics with Kristin Leal
And, as always, there is more to come……
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