Halloween Open House at the School of American Ballet

The School of American Ballet holds an open house for members of its Association (donors) every year on Halloween.  Most students in the Advanced Division (and a few faculty members and accompanists) dress in costume for the occasion.  Association members are invited to observe classes from 10:30am to 4pm.
  
I arrived around 11:15am and was able to look in on the three classes in progress:

• Suki Schorer was teaching the D women's class in Studio. Suki, of course, is a legend and always seems to inspire her students with her attention to detail and extensive knowledge of Balanchine technique.  She has been on the School's faculty since 1972, but was already a well-respected guest teacher at SAB by the mid-60's.

D Women's Class with Suki Schorer front and center,
 plus two Metrocards, a Sailor, a Greek Goddess and a Pig-in-a-Blanket in the front row.
Photo from SAB Facebook page

• Jonathan Stafford was teaching the C-2 girls in Studio 4.  Jon is a more recent addition to the SAB faculty (2007) and I had not seen him teaching a girls class before.  He offers lots of corrections and encouragement and knows the technique from many years of performing at NYCB and training at SAB and earlier at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under Marcia Dale Weary, a legendary teacher of students who have moved on to SAB and then to careers with New York City Ballet.

C2 Women including (seated) Glinda and Dorothy from Oz, 3 Pop Tarts (front row standing), 2 'Do Not Disturb' in nighties (center of second row standing), a Ladybug and a Captain Hook among others.
Photo from SAB Facebook page

  

• Darci Kistler was teaching the C-1 girls in Studio 5.  As Balanchine's last ballerina, Darci is also carrying on his tradition.  She was teaching the C-1 girls a very difficult section of the Dewdrop solo from Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker'.  Darci would stop after each student performed and make corrections.  You could see each of them improve as they repeated the passage incorporating Darci's suggestions.

C1 Girls Class with 2 Rabbits, 2 Cats, Wonder Woman, a Witch, and a Footballer in the crowd.
Photo from SAB Facebook page

All three are amazing teachers and I'm sorry that I couldn't see all of their classes from start to finish. 

At noon, I moved back to Studio 1 to watch Jock Soto teach the Advanced Men.  It was a smaller group than usual, and I learned later that several of these students were participating in the New York Choreographic Institute program up on the seventh floor.

Jock was in fine form, offering something for the students and something for the observers.  He gave the class a very fast combination at the barre that involved legs and arms moving on different beats two six-count phrases.  None of the students seemed to get it right, but Jock's point was that choreographers and composers can throw these things at dancers and expect them to learn them quickly.  On center combinations he urged them to use the whole space -- even chasing some across the floor.  In order to illustrate taking off from a tight fifth position on double tours he used four men to surround the 'victim' (my word not Jock's).  Jock's classes are never dull.

From the Advanced Men's Class -- Mr. B's Cat (Mourka), a Convict/Mummy and a Construction Worker.
Photo from SAB Facebook page

Following a half hour break for brownies in the Student Lounge (for the adults, not the students), we were treated to an Adagio Class taught by Darci Kistler and Jock Soto for the Advanced Men with D Women from 2pm to 3pm and with C2 Women from 3pm to 4pm.  They were teaching both groups the opening section of the Sugarplum's grand pas de deux from Balanchine's 'The Nutcracker'.  Last year at the 2013 Halloween Open House, I had watched Darci and Jock teach a different passage from the same pas de deux.  It's amazing how much insight these studio deconstructions provide when I see actual performances at NYC Ballet.

D Women and Advanced Men in Adagio Class with a couple of Top Guns on the left, a Baby in a diaper with a giant pacifier (right of center).  Photo from SAB Facebook page

More photos of the students in their Halloween costumes are on the SAB Facebook page:

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