SAB Summer Session Class Visit

Every summer, the School of American Ballet has a 'picnic' for the members of its Founders Society, a special group named for the School's founders, George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein.  Members of the Society have made planned gifts (often as part of their estate plans) to help ensure SAB's long-term financial viability.  Last month, we brought our friend, Bonnie, and niece, Julie, who were in town from Chicago, to the event.

In addition to the informal buffet lunch, attendees are invited to observe an SAB Summer Session class -- the only class visit by outsiders during the five-week summer program -- except for parents of the students who can observe classes during the final week.  

This summer, the School accepted students as young as 12 for the first time.  There were over 280 students attending this year's Summer Session -- the most ever.  They were selected from over 2,200 young dancers who auditioned during the School's National Audition Tour last winter or (for international students) through video auditions submitted to the School.  This summer there were nine girls divisions (Groups I thru IX) and two boys divisions (Intermediate Men and Advanced Men).  (The designation of 'girls' and 'men' comes from the School's website and from the common usage around the School.)
   
The class that we observed was an Adagio (partnering) Class taught by Jock Soto and Yvonne Borree for Intermediate Men and Girls IV.  This meant that boys as young as 12 were learning to partner girls who were most likely somewhat older and quite often taller (especially en pointe).  For many of the students, this was their first opportunity to partner or be partnered.  Certainly, it was their first chance to study Adagio with these two amazing teachers.

Jock Soto is a wonderful teacher.  The exceptional partnerships that he formed during his performing career -- first with Heather Watts, then after Heather retired in 1995, with Kyra Nichols, Miranda Weiss and penultimately Wendy Whelan -- are the foundation for his partnering classes.  Jock retired from the stage in 2005, but had become a full-time member of SAB's faculty in 1996. 

Jock Soto and Wendy Whelan in Christopher Wheeldon's 'Polyphonia'.
Photo by Paul Kolnik for NYC Ballet

Yvonne Borree also had a distinguished performing career -- super-charged when she was plucked from the corps in 1992 to dance with Mikhail Baryshnikov in Balanchine's 'Duo Concertant'.  Among her well-known partners were Nikolaj Hubbe and Jared Angle.  Though Yvonne and Jock were never a notable partnership, they did occasionally dance together at NYCB.  Yvonne retired from NYC Ballet in 2010, but had already begun teaching at SAB in 2008.

Yvonne Borree and Jared Angle in Balanchine's 'Duo Concertant'.  Photo by Erik Tomasson.

Jock teaches the men that the weight, height, and center of gravity of each partner must be understood and utilized in executing partnered moves.  Most importantly, both Yvonne and Jock know that great partnerships are based on mutual trust and rapport between the ballerina and her partner.  In teaching these concepts to their young students they are gentle, but firm.  Jock will often use humorous metaphors -- like 'chicken wings' (for bent elbows) -- to get the best results from the students.

Jock and Yvonne first demonstrated a combination.  Then the students tried those moves.  Jock stopped the class occasionally to demonstrate with a student, often exaggerating to make his point.  This might involve having the boy assume the female role so that he understood the impact he was having on his partner; or demonstrating with the girl what a partnered move should feel like to her.  In addition to demonstrating combinations with Jock, Yvonne helped the girls maintain elegant ballet positions even when they ceded a measure of control to their young partners.  Both teachers were constantly making sure that their young charges absorbed the finer points of Balanchine's adagio technique and engaged in appropriate stage decorum.

To avoid students becoming too comfortable with a single partner, Jock and Yvonne insisted that the male students worked with several different female students (there were about 7 or 8 more girls than boys in the class) on each repetition of the combinations.
   
After teaching several fairly rigorous adagio combinations, Jock and Yvonne let their charges loosen up with a waltz, although one with a tricky change in direction.  The waltz was followed by a grand polonaise around the studio.  The students had obviously already learned to organize themselves by height -- from shortest to tallest -- so the leaders of snaking line were the shortest boy partnering the two shortest girls.

About half way through the class Kay Mazzo, the co-chairman of SAB's faculty, appeared near the studio doorway with a student roster in hand.  She was joined a few minutes later by Amy Bordy, SAB's Director of Public Relations, Recruiting and Outreach.  They were watching the class -- and probably comparing notes on which ones to invite back for the Winter Term in September or possibly to consider for places in the 2015 Summer Session.  Since this was near the end of the fourth week of the five-week 2014 Summer Session, decisions had to be made so that invitations could be extended during the final week (when many of the student's families would be in town).

In addition to being a wonderful opportunity for students intent on professional ballet careers, SAB's Summer Sessions are also the primary chance for the SAB faculty to identify students to continue their training at SAB.  It's sad, but true, that less than 10% of the summer students will be asked to return in September.  While most of those invited will accept, there are always good reasons why they may not -- finances, emotions, maturity, dedication, proximity.

Bonnie, Julie and I each picked students that we hope will be invited back.  Who knows if we were selecting future ballet stars  -- or just students having a particularly good day in Adagio class.

Here are a couple of links to SAB's Facebook page which show the 2014 summer students enjoying some of the non-class events that they attended:
  
https://www.facebook.com/SABNYC/photos/a.10152266845303870.1073741845.36603863869/10152266845378870/?type=1&theater

https://www.facebook.com/SABNYC/photos/a.10152232440748870.1073741844.36603863869/10152232440963870/?type=1&theater

It looks like they had great fun -- but as we observed that day, they also worked very hard when they were in class.