Youth American Grand Prix 2016

Florida Ballet Newsletter

tunity to compete in the finals. These

take place in New York later in the

year, and only the best dancers are

sent.

For several years, the Florida Ballet

has sent several dancers to compete

and have returned with a range of

great success. A few years ago, a stu-

dent of the FLB Conservatory, David

Schrenk, was offered both scholarships

to a summer program and a job with

the Houston Ballet 2. Students have

received scholarships and other job

opportunities from this great experi-

ence.

This year the students had a great

learning experience as they each per-

formed variations which were chosen

Inside this issue:

continued…. YAGP 2016 2

Board of Directors: Suzanne Jenkins

3

Continued….. Suzanne Jenkins 4

Ballet Teacher Kate Levitz 5

Nutcracker 2015 in pictures 6

A Note About Auditions 7

Special points of interest:

A review of YAGP 2016

Includes a interview with Board

President, Suzanne Jenkins.

Features an article on Faculty Mem-

ber Kate Levitz.

An collage of Nutcracker 2015 pic-

tures.

Audition Reminder

January 29, 2016

Volume 3, Issue 4

Anne Marie Echols

The Student Run Monthly Newsletter

Over the past few months you may

have heard the music from various

ballets drifting from the studio. Or

perhaps you noticed the wide range of

costumes being fitted on several stu-

dents. Since the end of summer, there

has been a lot of extra work done by

both our wonderful teachers and the

great students here at The Florida Bal-

let in preparation for the YAGP ballet

competition.

Several of The Florida Ballet stu-

dents spent much of their time prepar-

ing for the Youth America Grand Prix.

This is a very competitive ballet com-

petition open to dancers 9 to 19 years

old, that aims to “support and develop

world class dancers”. Students go to

the preliminary competition in local

cities where they com-

pete with both a clas-

sical and contempo-

rary piece, and take

several master classes

taught by world-

renowned bal let

teachers and dancers.

If their scores are at a

qualifying minimum

of 95 points, then they

are given the oppor-

Page 2 Florida Ballet Newsletter

to fit their qualities and abilities. The students

sent were: Olivia Barcia, Samantha Barcia, Jules

Bouchard, Ashley Brandt, Clio Chazan-

Gabbard, Joseph Gerhardt, Catherine McGreg-

or, Miranda Mythen, Landry Ridener, and Hail-

ee Rodriguez. They all performed very well in

both their classical and contemporary pieces.

Landry Ridener placed second in the Senior

Men’s Classical category, and will advance to

the Finals Round in New York City in

April. Catherine McGregor and Hailee Rodri-

guez both were awarded full scholarships to

Harid Conservatory. Catie McGregor also

placed in the top 12 for Senior Women’s Classi-

cal.

We are extremely proud of our peers and

their accomplishments at this year’s YAGP. We

look forward to next year, when perhaps more

students will be sent and more awards granted.

Joseph Gerhardt Samantha Barcia

Ashley Brandt

Catie McGregor

Page 3 Volume 3, Issue 4

Board of Directors: Suzanne Jenkins Interviewed by Ryan Stroble

How did you become involved in the arts?

“I have always loved the arts. Growing up I loved to sing, dance and act. My father was in the Marine Corps and we moved around every two to four years so I never was able to train in any of the arts other than what schools or churches provided. When our children were going to school the magnet programs were just starting so we transferred to Pine Forest School of the Arts. It was the best thing we ever did for all three of our children, one excelled in voice, one in dance and one in theater. We all were exposed to professionals in all these areas and saw the time and dedication it takes in order to excel in their chosen art form. I came to respect the arts and determined then to support the arts in whatever ca-pacity I can, whenever I can. During my time as a City of Jackson-ville City Council woman I always made sure that our city sup-ported the arts and non-profits who support the arts community such as The Florida Ballet. Whether our dancers go onto a profes-sional career or onto college/career, we are preparing them to sup-port the arts whether it’s as a future audience member, board member or philanthropist. The arts are what defines us as a civili-zation and it is incumbent upon us to prepare the next generation to step up to fulfill their role in supporting the arts in any manner they are able to do. “

What made you want to join the Board of The Florida Ballet?

“Our son received training from Laurie Byrd during his formative years here in Jacksonville. Once he left to pursue his profes-

sional career in ballet in 2003, Laurie asked me to serve on the Board which I was more than happy to do.

The Ballet was in a capital campaign for their building on Forsyth Street across from The Florida Theatre and still had a small com-

pany and repertoire/season. I was able to take part in the planning process and capital campaign as well as marketing of the compa-

ny’s season. I learned a lot from that process and am so happy to have had this experience to now serve The Florida Ballet in its

current initiatives. I served my term and then helped out on an as needed bases.

Laurie contacted me when she was diagnosed with ALS and asked me to commit to serve on the board and be part of plan B if she

was unable to beat the diagnosis. Of course I agreed and have committed myself to see us through this time of transition and growth.

I am forever indebted to Laurie because of her love of dance, her commitment to countless students over the decades and how she

impacted our city in the world of dance. She was a wonderful mentor and a strong personality that moved our mission forward.

The programs that The Florida Ballet offers now with the Conservatory and Training Center are giving young people an opportunity

that I would have given my right arm for when our son was in his training and formative years. I want to make sure we grow these

programs so that anyone who is “ballet serious” has an opportunity right here in our city to cultivate their talent.

Suzanne Jenkins is an integral part of Creative Community Solutions, Inc., a firm that consults business and

government organizations in order to aid them in reaching certain objectives in both public and private

manners. Mrs. Jenkins is also a former City Council Member. She is currently the President of the Florida

Ballet’s Board of Directors.

Page 4

How long have you been on the Board/been an active supporter of the Florida Ballet? I have been involved with the Florida Ballet almost 16 years. I first came on the Board in 2003 where I served until 2007, after that when Lau-rie would contact me I would come and help on special projects and hard times when tough decisions had to be made. Laurie knew that she could call on me anytime for help on issues or special projects/programs. We had a good working relationship and our goal was to always keep The Florida Ballet in the forefront in this city and available to all young people who are interested in pursuing and fine tuning their talent.

Florida Ballet Newsletter

What are some goals you would like to see the Florida Ballet reach in the future? I would love to see the Con-

servatory Program really grow in size and class curriculum. I believe this is a real asset for the young people

in our city and the first coast area. I would love to see us add some additional dance offerings, theater classes

and musicality classes to the student’s training. I would like us to reach out for more opportunities to perform

and collaborate with other arts organizations in the city and first coast.

Our Board has had our retreat and want to focus on the following goals: Increase our fundraising and corpo-

rate sponsorships as well as grant writing; Develop a strategic plan that will lay out the pathway to achieve

these goals over the next 5 years; Build a core faculty to grow the Conservatory and Training Center; Grow

our Board in diversity and size; and finally The Florida Ballet to own our facility and work to put in place the

best Conservatory and Training Center on the first coast, north Florida and beyond.

We have a committed dance faculty, students, parents and board that are coming together to make us the best

we can be. The Florida Ballet has the unique opportunity to become a premier place to train, perform and

compete for students, faculty and parents alike. Make no mistake, this takes hard work and commitment by

all of us, that said, I am honored to be a part of the work during this time in the life of The Florida Ballet…..

Onward and Upward!

-How has the arts impacted you as a person? The arts have

enriched my life significantly. I have learned to appreciate

classical music, all forms of dance, visual arts and live thea-

ter. The friends I have made from my exposure to the arts

have added to the dimensions of my life. These forms

stretch my mind and spirit. I still have my favorites, but I

have come to respect the full spectrum of the arts and the

artists who perform or create them. It fills a spot in my

soul that makes me happy and energized to engage and

give back.

Upcoming Events:

February 7, FB Summer Programs Auditions

February 21, Joffrey Summer Auditions

February 27, Gwendolyn, the Graceful Pig

presentation for PrePrimary and Primary clas-

ses

February 28, Orlando Ballet Summer Auditions

Remember:

The dresscode is for everyone– wear your

level’s designated color(s)!

We are looking for host families for the Joffrey

Concert Group dancers, March 7-13. Please

contact Martha Lemire, info@floridaballet.org

if you are able to help.

Page 5 Florida Ballet Newsletter

Florida Ballet Faculty Member: Kate Levitz Anne Marie Echols

“I always wanted to dance,” says Florida

Ballet teacher, and Jacksonville native,

Katherine Levitz. In fact, she can’t re-

member a time when she didn’t. It is this

very same love of dance that Levitz

shows to, and is reflected in her students

at The Florida Ballet today.

Levitz had a very musical childhood. She

and her siblings were given music lessons

in piano and violin. Her family was quite

talented, while she claimed to be the

“worst musician” among them. Soon she

would find that her talents lie elsewhere.

She recalls dancing in her living room to

the stereo as it played the music of Tchai-

kovsky, and begging her parents to allow

her to take ballet lessons. When she final-

ly was able to, she took lessons from Thel-

ma Baggs, a dancer who had studied at

the Balanchine school, an influence we

can still see today.

Levitz’ ballet education continued when

she attended Mary Washington College,

majoring in dance. Here, she took many

different types of dance classes such as

dance composition, dance history, theatre,

music and choreography. “It was a great

education” she says, “and really influ-

enced me as a person.” Later she attended

Florida State University where she re-

ceived a Master's Degree in Dance. Under

the direction of Maria de Baroncelli, a for-

mer Ballet Russes dancer, she was able to

pick up a great repertoire consisting of

ballets such as Les Sylphides, Grand Pas

De Quatre, Swan Lake, and various varia-

tions such as those from the Peasant Pas

de Deux. One of her favorite ballet to per-

form was the waltz in Les Sylphides by

Fokine. Levitz expresses a great deal of

amazement for de Baroncelli, who

taught choreography completely

from memory. Among her many im-

pressive teachers is also Finis Jhung,

and at the American Ballet Theatre’s,

Maria Swoboda.

Because of the few ballet companies

of the time, and Levitz’ later start to

her career, she decided to look into

modern companies. Their preference

for older dancers who had gone to

college led her to take a job with

Joyce Tristler's Danscompany in New

York. For two years she performed

with the Horton-trained Tristler, en-

joying it greatly. Later on, Levitz

worked with the Contemporary

Dancers of Canada for two seasons in

Winnipeg, Canada. She was able to

dance repertory from choreographers

from London, NYC, and Canada. De-

spite her newfound financial stability,

she felt a calling back to her home

state of Florida.

Since her return to Florida she has

taught at Jacksonville University,

Huntingdon College, and Florida

State University, where she directed

the dance department’s touring com-

pany for three years and mentored

M.F.A. concerts. Levitz has also be-

come quite an accomplished choreog-

rapher. She has set her works on

many regional ballet companies and

has even won the award of Choreo-

graphic Fellowship from the State of

Florida to produce an evening of her

own works. With the Florida Ballet

students, she is known as having a

more lyrical and the most choreo-

graphically interesting class offered.

She has set two works on the stu-

dents here for the Dance Showcase

2015: Hayden 2 and Rhapsody. For

the upcoming showcase she will also

be choreographing pieces.

Levitz had known Ms. Laurie Byrd

for several years and describes her as

being “always gracious and enthusi-

astic whenever [she] met her.” After

inquiring about the ABT curriculum,

Levitz was invited to watch a class at

the Florida Ballet, and was encour-

aged to start the program. Now she is

ABT certified in levels pre-primary to

5. A few years later Ms. Byrd had an

opening for a teacher for the level 2A,

and since, she has become a part of

The Florida Ballet family.

Congratulations to a Successful Nutcracker 2015!

Volume 3, Issue 4 Page 7

Writers in this Issue

The Flo r ida Ball e t

Writers in this month’s issue:

Ryan Stroble

Anne Marie Echols

If you have any questions or want to

contribute to our next issue, contact

our co-editors, Ryan Stroble and

Anne Marie Echols.

300 East State Street

Suite E

Jacksonville, FL 32202

Phone: 904-353-7518

E-mail: info@floridaballet.org

Floridaballet.org

Watch The Body Talk.

A Note About Auditions

Up until students are entering the 11th grade, programs should be similar curriculum, ABT programs or affiliate programs.

Older dancers, juniors and seniors, are more secure in their training and better able to adapt to differ-ent styles without adverse results. Research should be done to see the repertory, the type of dancers and curriculum used. At this age choosing a program affiliated with a company is a good way to see if you are a good fit.

And of course we always would like The Florida Ballet students participating in our summer programs as well. Summer is wonderful time to make great strides in the student's ability. Please choose wisely.

From Artistic Director Linda Reifsnyder Jenkins

It is that time of the year when auditions for summer intensives are being scheduled. While The Florida Ballet supports our students attending other summer programs, choosing the right program at the right time is ex-tremely important. While some students come back much improved there are those who return with technical issues that take months to correct.

YAGP Pictures and Nutcracker Pictures

found in this Issue are provided by

Light Touch Studios.