[NEohioPAL] PRESS RELEASE: Verb Ballets offers summer classes DANCE FOR EVERYONE

[Dan Kilbane]

For Immediate Release

Contacts:

For Verb Ballets classes:                             For Media: 

Katie Gnagy                                                   Dan Kilbane

216.397.3757                                                  216.513.3654

kgnagy at verbballets.org                                kilbanedan at yahoo.com

www.verbballets.org


Dance For Everyone

Verb Ballets

Community Classes at the New Studio

Summer 2011

May 26, 2011 -- Cleveland, OH -- Verb Ballets, a contemporary dance company located in Northeast Ohio, is pleased to announce the company’s summer session of dance classes in their new home in Shaker Heights.  Two four week sessions in June and July for adults, teens, and children will cover ballet, contemporary dance, and hip hop, taught by Verb’s top notch dance teachers and dancers.  There is something for everyone interested in dance and physical fitness.
 
The first of the two summer sessions will begin June 13, 2011 (except for the Children’s Ballet class, which begins July 16, 2011).  Classes will be held in two four-week sessions.

Summer 2011 sessions:
Session I: June 13 - July 11, 2011 (No class July 4th)

Session II: July 12 - Aug 8, 2011

Children’s Ballet:  July 16 – August 6

Dance For Everyone
 
A four-week session costs $48 (discount for Shaker Heights residents).  A Class card can be purchased for $120 (ten drop-in classes).  Single class: $15.
Please contact Education/Outreach Director Katie Gnagy at 216.397.3757, or visit www.verbballets.org for a class registration form.

You must register by June 8, 2011 to secure your placement in class.
 
Katie Gnagy
Education/Outreach Director
Verb Ballets
3445 Warrensville Center Rd.
Shaker Heights, OH  44122
216-397-3757, ext. 2
kgnagy at verbballets.org
Class Schedule

Mondays

Beginning Ballet (Teen/Adult), Mondays, 5:30 - 6:45 p.m.
Taught by Verb Ballets Rehearsal Director Richard Dickinson
 
This class is appropriate for students with little or no ballet training.  Following a traditional ballet class format, students will begin developing alignment and articulation at the barre, and then move to the center of the room for more strength training exercises. This class is perfect for actors, social dancers, singers, and people who just love to move.
 
Richard Dickinson is the Rehearsal Director for Verb Ballets and an adjunct professor at Youngstown State University.  He has an MFA in contemporary dance from Case Western Reserve University and is a classically trained ballet dancer. Mr. Dickinson is the former artistic associate for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago; ballet master and principal dancer for Ohio Ballet; director of the Boston Ballet II and a soloist with Boston Ballet.
Tuesdays

Hip Hop (Teen/Adult), Tuesdays, 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Taught by Verb Ballets Dancer Jason Wang
 
Hip hop, easily one of the most popular dance styles of today, is filled with raw energy and movement.  The class is based on the style of break dancing, to develop certain skills that define b-boys and b-girls, such as freezes, foot work and spins. Break dance is a great way to work all the muscles in one’s body, while also strengthening core muscles and sense of balance. Classes include a brief warm up, skills of the day, and a short routine.  Dress comfortable in non-restrictive clothing.

Jason Wang began his journey through dance as a self-taught break-dancer, performing and battling with B.w.B (Breakers without Borders) and Floor Spiders Crew.  Falling in love with the concept of dance, Mr. Wang began studying dance at the Robert Thomas Dancenter.  After completing his college BA in Ballet and Modern at the University of Iowa, he went on to perform with Cincinnati Ballet, and most recently, Louisville Ballet.
Wednesdays

Intermediate/Advanced Ballet (Teen/Adult), Wednesdays, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Taught by Verb Ballets Teacher Troy McCarty

The class will work on grace, precision of movement, and elaborate formal gestures, steps and poses. Coordination, strength, flexibility, rhythm and musicality are all emphasized. Anyone who wants a ballet class that leaves one refreshed and stimulated--both physically and artistically—this is for you.  Ballet shoes required.

Troy McCarty is an internationally recognized ballet master. He has worked for Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Hong Kong Ballet, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Ballet British Columbia, Calgary City Ballet, and was the director of the Vancouver City Ballet School and Company.  He owns White Cloud Studios in Cleveland.

Thursdays

Contemporary Modern (Teen/Adult), Thursdays, 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Taught by Verb Ballets Teacher Michael Medcalf

This class covers the elements of classical distortion, counter balance of weight distribution, asymmetrical shapes and design in conjunction with irregular meter and rhythms.

Michael Medcalf is a Cleveland native and Cleveland School of the Arts graduate.  Mr. Medcalf’s work as a choreographer and modern dance instructor has received numerous commissions, awards and fellowships from the Ohio Arts Council and various dance companies, colleges and universities throughout North America. In 1998, Michael Medcalf established Cleveland Contemporary Dance Theatre (CCDT) in Cleveland, Ohio.  Mr. Medcalf currently co-directs and performs with the Greene/Medcalf Movement Project, serves as an Artist-in-Residence at the Cleveland School of the Arts, consultants for Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and teaches modern dance at the Cleveland School of Dance.

Saturdays

Children’s Ballet (Ages 5 - 7), Saturdays, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m.
Taught by Verb Dancer Kara Madden

Children will focus on developing motor skills, basic ballet, rhythm and confidence, so that they feel comfortable in their surroundings and with their own natural ability.  Taught by Verb Ballets’ dancer Kara Madden, they will also learn basic principles and social skills, which will enhance their learning in school.
 
Kara Madden performed in many professional productions, including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Can-Can as a trainee with Grand Rapids Ballet Company (GRBC). She also toured Italy and Croatia with students and professional dancers from GRBC.  Ms. Madden graduated from Aquinas College with a double major in English and Biology. Ms. Madden also performed with the Chicago Civic Ballet in its production of The Nutcracker, and is a founding member of the Grand Rapids Dance Project. Kara is finishing her first season with Verb Ballets.

The company has moved to the bustling Warrensville-Van Aken neighborhood.  Verb Ballets’ new address is as follows:
3445 Warrensville Center Rd.

Shaker Heights, OH 44122-5206

Phone numbers remain the same:

216-397-3757 Office

216-397-7872 Fax
(Use the north entrance of Christ Episcopal Church)
 
About Verb Ballets
The Verb Ballets organization has established itself as Northeast Ohio’s contemporary dance company.  The Plain Dealer recently hailed Verb Ballets as “vibrant…bold…poetic…” Coolcleveland.com stated “Verb Ballets has a way of upping the ante and hitting the jackpot…every time they perform.”  The Shaker Heights, Ohio, based dance non-profit was named one of “25 to Watch in 2004” by Dance Magazine, the country’s leading news magazine covering dance, and recently the magazine bestowed more kudos on the company by naming Verb Ballets one of 5 “Great Tiny Troupes” in America.  The company discovers, collects, interprets and stages choreography that matters to the region and to the world of dance.  As a curator of expressive movement that is globally connected and nationally respected, Verb Ballets has a mandate to support and foster emerging talent, present excellence in contemporary choreographers and revive and honor modern
 dance classics.  The company is now in its ninth season.  The tenth season begins July 2011.
 
The Verb Ballets company includes Danielle Brickman, Ashley Cohen, Erin Conway Lewis*, Katie Gnagy, Stephanie Krise, Kara Madden, Rebecca Nicklos, Garrett McCann, Brian Murphy, Jarrod Sickles and Jason Wang.  The Director is Dr. Margaret Carlson, and the Rehearsal Director is Richard Dickinson.  Summer 2011 apprentices include Lloyd Boyd II, Ryan De Alexandro, Kathryn Edmonds, and Arthur Prettyman. *on leave of absence
 
The company’s new home would not have been possible without the generous support of the City of Shaker Heights, The Cleveland Foundation, The Gund Foundation, and the contributions of individual supporters.

Major sponsors of Verb Ballets include AHS Foundation, The Bascom Little Fund, Millie L. Carlson, Change For Charity, the City of Shaker Heights, Cuyahoga Arts and Culture, The Cleveland Foundation, Ralph S. Graham, The George Gund Foundation, Kulas Foundation, The Laub Foundation, Lubrizol Foundation, The McGregor Foundation, Kenneth Milder, John P. Murphy Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Ohio Arts Council, and Shah Capital Management.  Additional individual sponsors include Chuck and Ann Ennis, David R. Pierce, Alan Miles Ruben, and Robert M. Shwab.
Additional sponsors include Baumgarten & Company, LLP; Cedar Hill Communications; FITWORKS; WCLV; and WCPN/Ideastream.

The Ohio Arts Council helped fund this organization with state tax dollars to encourage economic growth, educational excellence and cultural enrichment for all Ohioans.

Verb Ballets is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.

Dr. Margaret Carlson (Director, Verb Ballets) has international expertise in performing, teaching, choreographing, and working in a variety of settings. Dr. Carlson was an original member of the Cleveland Ballet, serving as a Principal dancer from 1972-1983. Also a member of Actors Equity, she performed in numerous musical theatre tours throughout the 1970's, including Sweet Charity, Ballroom, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Brigadoon, Mame, Hello Dolly! and The Merry Widow. For many years, she choreographed for the Cleveland Opera.  Dr. Carlson served as Director of the School of Dance at the University of Akron from 1985-1993. In 1993, she became Dean of the School of Dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, until she returned to Cleveland in 1999. She then served as the Development and Education Director for the Cleveland San Jose Ballet. She consulted both nationally and locally through her company, Carlson Consulting
 Group, Inc., with groups that have included The American Dance Guild, Chinese Performing Artists of America, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Ohio Ballet, Dancing Wheels, Ohio Youth Ballet, Ohio Conservatory of Dance, Tom and Susana Evert Dance Theatre, and White Cloud Studios. Dr. Carlson founded the American Alliance of Dance Artists and served as its first President. She has served as a Board member and officer for Kids on Broadway, DANCECleveland, the Cleveland Ballet Council, the American Dance Guild, the Council of Dance Administrators, the Hong Kong Ballet, the Hong Kong Dance Company and The Hong Kong Jockey Club Music and Dance Fund. She served as the secretary of the International Organization for Transition for Professional Dancers, a sub-committee of UNESCO, based in Switzerland from 1998-2006, and was Treasurer and Board Member of the American Dance Guild in NYC and was its vice-president for 10 years.  She is known for her work as
 the regisseur for the works of Ian (Ernie) Horvath. She received her doctorate from Durham University in the United Kingdom.
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