Summer Diary Series – Joel Woellner, Houston Ballet II Dancer

Ever wondered what our Houston Ballet II company dancers do over the summer? Well, we asked HB II dancer Joel Woellner what he did over the summer. Check out this week’s entry from Joel Woellner! Enjoy!

I have been reflecting on the wonderful time that I had, dancing at Jacob’s Pillow Dance in June this year.

Jacob’s Pillow is rich in dance history.

In 1930, modern dance pioneer, Ted Shawn, bought an old farm high in the Boston/Albany mountains as a retreat. At that time, Shawn and his wife, Ruth St. Denis were America’s leading couple in dance. Their Denishawn Company had popularized a revolutionary dance form rooted in theatrical and ethnic traditions rather than those of European ballet. Their trailblazing work and cross-country tours paved the way for the next generation of legendary modern dance pioneers such as Martha Graham, Charles Weidman, and Doris Humphrey.

Shawn’s was not only an inspiring dancer, but an inspiring director. He collaborated one of the first all male dance companies in the world! His aim was to educate and present the strength, technique and raw power of the male dancer. His aim was to take men from being “fork lifts” into soloist that would perform male roles along side women. He paved the way for modern day men and contemporary style.

With this heritage in mind it was going to be a great two weeks of dance.

Jacob’s Pillow – Week 1

I arrived at the Jacob’s Pillow on the 11th of June 2012. It is always difficult meeting new people and fitting in quickly. However when I arrived I was greeting with smiles and a lot of introductions!!! I instantly felt welcomed it was as if I were living back at Houston ballet! Before long we were a closely-knit group of friends sharing our passion for dance.

The grounds of Jacob’s Pillow are magnificent. Set in the high country of the Berkshire’s, New England. The facilities include two theatres, one dinning area, 3 studio spaces and about 7 housing accommodation and so much more, all made out of timber from local trees around the area. When Ted Shawn founded his company he and his male dancers built most of the main buildings, which still stand today. The studios having been made out of nothing but timber give morning classes a real edge. I felt so connected to nature, my body and ballet. Its like nothing else in the world. Each class in the mornings was absolutely fantastic. I learnt about how to be a better dancer, classmate, friend and artist.

Breakfast, lunch and dinners were all provided and cooked by the chiefs of Jacob’s Pillow. Each meal was nutritional, looked great and tasted even better. Jacob’s Pillow redefines the meaning of school camp!

In our first week we were all working hard for a performance at the 80th anniversary gala opening night. We were given 4 days to learn and clean an 8 minute ballet. This year Michael Corder choreographed a new piece. It was an orchestral piece that has a great sense of joy and happiness.

Each day would be a grueling 6 hours of rehearsals. We would finish at 9 in the night for the first week working on Michael Corder’s dance. But the walk back to our accommodation in the evening through the forests made the hard work worthwhile. Through both student and choreographers hard work we finished the piece in three days. Well before we were scheduled to finish it.

It was two days before the opening gala for Jacob’s Pillow and I was very confident that the dance would go well. We then had spacing on The Ted Shawn theatre stage. It was so different performing this dance in such a different setting and sized stage but after a few runs and spacing the dance became better and better.

The day of the performance I was so excited. I knew that both myself and my class mates had worked their hardest and that the piece was ready. It was such a great experience to perform at the opening of the gala. It was incredible that a group of teenagers got to perform amongst stars of today’s ballet word. David Hallberg principal of ABT, Circa an Australian company that specialized in acrobatics and Mimulus, a Brazilian contemporary company. Each performance was exquisite and a true inspiration to watch. This performance was the highlight of my Pillow experience.

The performance went so well, all our hard work and effort had paid off. It was great to be on stage and entertaining audiences. It’s the thing I love most about ballet.

Jacob’s Pillow – Week 2

We embarked on a new adventure. The second week proved to be hugely beneficial. It mainly focused on the development of the individual dancer in the context of a group performance. We were so fortunate to have such a wonderful teaching faculty during this week. Cynthia Harvey, taught us three classical ballet repertoires. We performed Le Corsaire pas de deux, Pas and coda of la bayadere and present pa from Giselle on the “inside out theatre”. This is a unique stage as it sits out doors in and around the forest.

As well as learning these pieces we were fortunate to take classes with Jose Manuel Carreno, Anna-Marie Holmes, Larissa Ponomarenko and Alonzo King, Director of Lines Ballet Company. It was such a fantastic week of dance, artistry and friendship.

I could go on and on…

For me this was a once in a lifetime experience. I loved the history. I have come away from Jacob’s Pillow inspired to dance. I have made new friends from around the world and seen and experienced a rich diversity of the dance community. For this I am very grateful to Houston Ballet for giving me such a wonderful opportunity.

-Joel Woellner, Houston Ballet II dancer

Houston Ballet II is Houston Ballet’s second company and part of Houston Ballet Academy. To learn more about Houston Ballet II  visit our webpage here.

Fun Fact: Jacob’s Pillow runs June 16-August 26, they are closing the 80th Anniversary season with a world premiere called Son of Chamber Symphony by Houston Ballet’s Artistic Director Stanton Welch and The Joffrey Ballet.

For more information on Jacob’s Pillow visit: http://www.jacobspillow.org/

Summer Intensive: Our Favorite Things

Guest Writer: Ellie Weeks, Academy Intern

Welcome back to our 2012 Summer Intensive video blog! The last week of Houston Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program is coming to a close, and the students are busy performing in the Summer Showcase. In this video, students weigh in on what their favorite parts of the summer were. Teachers, friends, dancing, and more!

Thanks for keeping up with us this summer. We’ll see you next year!

A Word with Caue: Looking Back and What’s Next

Guest Writer: Ellie Weeks, Academy Intern

Welcome back to our 2012 Summer Intensive video blog! The fifth week of Houston Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program is finishing up. The Summer Showcase is next week, and dancers are busy rehearsing for the final performance. In this week’s video, Caue, a level 8 student from Brazil, looks back on the past five weeks at Houston Ballet’s Summer Intensive. He discusses his preparations for the Summer Showcase and what’s next for him!

Come back next week for a final video blog — featuring Andrea, Caue, and other Summer Intensive dancers!

-Ellie

Young Choreographers and Composers Show Their Stuff in Free Performance

2012 marks the 15th year that American Festival for the Arts composers have collaborated with student choreographers and dancers from Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy Summer Intensive Program to create new, world premiere ballets.

A free performance of the works will be held at 7:00 pm on Friday, July 20 at the Houston Ballet Center for Dance, 601 Preston Street in downtown Houston.  Seating is limited, so please plan to arrive early.

Watch this video featuring the 2011 choreographers to learn more about the program and its challenges and opportunities for young composers and dancemakers.

Video: Andrea Preps for the 2012 Summer Showcase

Guest Writer: Ellie Weeks, Academy Intern

The fourth week of Houston Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program is coming to a close. The Summer Showcase is just two weeks away, and dancers are busy rehearsing for the final performance! In this week’s video, Andrea, a Level 6 student from California, discusses her preparations for the 2012 Summer Showcase. She tells us about the dances she is cast in and why she loves being on stage.

Stay tuned to hear from Caue next week!

-Ellie

A Day in the Life: Meet Caue

Guest Writer: Ellie Weeks, Academy Intern

Welcome back to our Summer Intensive video blog! In this week’s video, Caue, a Level 8 Summer Intensive student from Brazil, discusses his first three weeks at Houston Ballet and describes a day in the life of a Level 8 dancer. He shares with us his favorite classes and what he’s most looking forward to this summer.

Stay tuned to hear from Andrea next week, and then from Caue again in Week 5.

-Ellie

Getting to Know our Summer Video Bloggers: Meet Andrea

Guest Writer: Ellie Weeks, Academy Intern

In addition to regular updates from the Summer Intensive Program, we’ll be bringing you a series of video interviews with two of our Summer Intensive dancers.

In weeks 2 and 4, you will hear from Andrea, a 13-year-old Level 6 student from California. In weeks 3 and 5, you will hear from Caue, an 18-year-old Level 8 student from Brazil. And during week 6, you’ll find a video montage of students’ favorite aspects of the Summer Intensive Program and what they learned during their time here at Houston Ballet.

This week, Andrea discusses what she likes most about dancing and personal goals she has set for her Summer Intensive experience.

Stay tuned!

-Ellie

Developing a Dancer’s Toolbox: Setting the Stage

Guest writer: Jaclyn Youngblood, Academy intern

Arts and crafts aren’t just for elementary school children. Half of the Level 8 students, the highest level at Houston Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program, are taking Set Design for their career studies class. Like its partner course, Costume Design, the Set Design class aims to introduce students to other aspects—beyond exceptional dancing—of producing a world-class ballet.

Thomas Boyd, Director of Production and former dancer with Houston Ballet, teaches 21 students about the use of space, imagery, color, and the relationship between performer and environment—all essential elements of set design. In this case, that means enabling students to use the knowledge they’ve gained to create a 3D scale model of a set for a scene from a ballet, either Giselle or A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

As with the Costume Design class, students are designing through the lens of John Neumeier, renowned American choreographer and Artistic Director of the Hamburg Ballet.  Boyd said he guided the students through research of Neumeier’s style and had them brainstorm a few themes they saw in his set designs. “They noticed he is an unconventional designer, and he tries to represent the unexpected,” Boyd said.  Students incorporated nuances of Neumeier’s style into their designs by playing with elements out of scale, surrealism, and surprise.

In this model of a Giselle scene, the student team explores proportions relative to the figure of the dancer.

Boyd said the first few classes are designed to equip students with the “tools of the trade,” so by the third and fourth classes the students are already working on their models.  The students cut, glue, paint and design their models, paying attention to things like prop placement, the proportion of set elements relative to the dancers, and coloring as one moves upstage; that is, that elements get cooler as they recede from the front of the stage.

Ellen (VA) and Shelby (NC), teammates who are designing Act I from Giselle, love the creative aspects of the class. “I like that the class is hands-on,” Ellen said. “It’s not like we’re just hanging out in chairs getting lectured.” Shelby has enjoyed using a different part of her brain during the Set Design class. “It’s nice to have a change of pace from the intensely physical routine of our classes,” she said.

Students use watercolors and markers to create the standing set elements for their models.

The students will present their work to one another during tomorrow’s last Set Design class. Just like the Costume Design class, the top teams will then present their models at the beginning of the Lower School performance at 12 p.m. on July 29.

Jessica (CA) echoed Ellen’s and Shelby’s sentiments, adding that the opportunity to try something new, apart from physical dancing, was terrific. “It’s fun to explore the visual and creative side of producing a ballet,” she said. “I’ve never done anything like this.”

Getting to Know You: Our Summer Bloggers

Guest writer: Jaclyn Youngblood, Academy intern

In addition to a weekly update about the extracurricular offerings of the Summer Intensive Program, we’re bringing you a series of video interviews with some of our dancers. In Weeks 1, 3, and 5, you’ll hear from our dedicated video bloggers, Allie and Lauren. In Weeks 2, 4, and 6, you’ll find montages of dance-related videos, like “What’s In Your Dance Bag?” (Week 2) and “Keeping Your Balance: How Dancers Stay En Pointe” (Week 4).

Allie is a Level 6 student from Arizona. This week, she explains what écarté is and why she loves wearing pointe shoes.

Lauren is a Level 7 student from Iowa. In her interview, she talks about the unique experience of “being the art” and how proud practicing a difficult role makes her feel.

Stay tuned!

-Jaclyn

Just Add Pilates: Developing a Dancer’s Toolbox

Guest writer: Jaclyn Youngblood, Houston Ballet Academy Intern

Dancing isn’t the only intensive aspect of the 2011 Summer Intensive Program. One of the goals of the program, especially under Academy Associate Director Shelly Power, is to offer students a comprehensive variety of classes and tools that will enhance their life experiences, even if they don’t pursue careers as professional dancers.

One way the program seeks to provide that balance is through the Pilates program. Students can sign up for five half-hour appointments throughout the course of the summer with one of four Pilates teachers. I spent a few minutes with one of the teachers, Jo Yost Ulrich, a former Houston Ballet company member, to find out more about the Pilates program and what makes it so successful.

Ulrich said the classes are kept small—no more than 3 students are scheduled at a time—on purpose; each student receives meaningful attention and an opportunity to work one-on-one with the instructor. This summer, 75 students are taking advantage of the Pilates program.

Body Conditioning Room at Houston Ballet Center for Dance

As with all cross-training programs, Ulrich said the Pilates training enables students to strengthen already developed muscles while targeting harder-to-reach muscles, too. It also balances out the muscle-work they do in the studio to prevent over-training and injury.

The students are shown some basic Pilates exercises, a sort of “highlights reel” of tools they can use on their own.  It is helpful for the dancers to see they don’t need to have expensive equipment to take care of their muscles and bodies.

 “The ability to do self-maintenance and have these tools to take home is invaluable,” Ulrich said.

It’s clear the dancers appreciate the opportunity to have small-group appointments. I intercepted three dancers, each of whom participated in the Pilates program last summer, on their way out of their appointments. Charlotte (TX) said having an instructor coach her through the exercises helps her understand how each muscle works. Erica (TX) looks forward to her Pilates appointments because she knows they will be tailored to the needs of her body and muscles. Alana (TX) said she likes that the training in her Pilates appointments translates to the work she does in class.

“This year, we have a packet with explanations and pictures of the exercises so we can work on things on our own, too,” Charlotte added.

Ulrich said the Pilates training in its current form has been part of the Summer Intensive Program for about 10 years. She has been a Pilates instructor for seven summers and has enjoyed seeing the extracurricular offerings grow during that time. She mentioned one newcomer to the alternative class list this summer: Dance Fitness with Sarah Irvine. The class is a way to develop strength, flexibility and cardiovascular health. Ulrich said the goal is to create a stronger base so dancers can focus on what’s most important: for example, focusing on technique in technique class instead of working on baseline breath capacity.

“The more we give them new knowledge, the better they can take care of themselves,” Ulrich said.

Championing health and wellness is the best way to prepare dancers for the future, whether that future is on or off the stage.

-Jaclyn

Ms. Youngblood is interning with the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy for the summer. She is currently a senior at Rice University, studying history and political science. She will be posting blogs about the 2011 Summer Intensive Program twice a week on a range of topics, like career studies and nutrition classes. You can also look forward to a video interview series with some of the dancers participating in this summer’s intensive. You can stay updated via our “Meet the Dancers” series on Twitter at www.twitter.com/houstonballet.