San Francisco Ballet's Coppelia

This past weekend I had the pleasure of taking 22 of my students to see San Francisco Ballet's production of Coppelia.  Despite the few bathroom trips that proved to be the logistical equivalent to herding cats, I was one proud teacher parading my well dressed, adorable, and well behaved students through the San Francisco Opera House.  Their excitement and awe was gratifying, watching them literally hang on to the edges of their seats in order to get a better view was a very heartwarming thing to see.

Photo by: Eric Tommason

The story of Coppelia is a fun one, if you don't know the story, click here.  I'm not a huge fan of the Romantic brooding ballets such as Giselle and Swan Lake, I prefer more light hearted pieces, and Coppelia definitely fits the bill.

On Sunday's matinee Maria Kochetkova played Swanhilda (who is actually the main character of the ballet, despite the title of the ballet).  She was a lovely and playful Swanhilda, bringing vibrant jumps onstage, and a series of jumps en pointe in Act III that made me clap with appreciation halfway through her variation (one of my students whispered to me "You're not supposed to clap yet Miss Katrena".  I couldn't help myself, it was great!  Swanhilda's lover Franz was played by Gennadi Nedvigin, who was also playful in his demeanor, and played a perfect flirt.  He as well brought some soaring leaps, tours, and clean double and triple turns to the stage.  Together, they were a cute pair, their onstage chemistry was flirty and fun.  Dr. Coppelius was played by a grumpy but charming Damian Smith.  Smith did a great job of playing an old man obsessed by his habits and hobbies, yet still found a way into the audiences heart as a rather silly, but tender old man.  I always have a special admiration for dancers who can really inhabit their character and bring its personality to the stage.

Act I opened to gorgeous sets of Swanhilda's village.  The sets (and gorgeous costumes) were designed by Roberta Guidi di Bagno were richly colored and vibrant; a happy setting to match the plot of this ballet.  My favorite part of Act I was the character dancing.  (Think traditional folk dancing from areas such as Hungary, Poland and Russia).  Coincidentally enough, the RAD teacher training program I'm doing teaches character dances such as what was performed in Act I in its syllabus; 2 weeks ago when I was in Toronto for a training I studied these forms in great detail.  I'm happy to report that I was thoroughly impressed with the dancers representation of the style of dance.  If done properly, it's exciting, elegant and gives the entire ballet dimension.

Act II finds Swanhilda and her friends exploring Dr. Coppelius' house and all his dolls and toys.  Swanhilda's friends (made up mostly of dancers from the corps) were quite charming, again I was impressed with the characters each of them inhibited and brought to the stage.  There was a nice variety of the spunky and outgoing friends, to the shy and timid ones.  This individuality can often be lost in a group of dancers in the corps, it was refreshing to see it done so well.  As Act II closes the audience becomes aware that Coppelia is not a person at all, but a doll of Dr. Coppelius' making and imagination.

Act III is the wedding scene where Franz and Swanhilda come together with villagers to celebrate their union.  Again there was some fantastic character dancing, but I was a bit disappointed in the story telling (or lack thereof) in this final act.  Traditionally, Dr. Coppelius demands to be repaid for the damage that Swanhilda and her friends caused in his house and is devastated at loosing his favorite doll Coppelia.  Franz and Swanhilda give Dr. Coppelius their dowery money and Dr. Coppelius joins in the festivities and flirtations with Swanhilda's widowed mother.  This element of the story was not clear at all, Dr. Coppelius seemed to just rush onstage and shake hands with a few people before exiting for the rest of the Act.  That's my only one complaint about the third act, otherwise it featured some beautiful variations by soloists and a wonderful group piece by students of the San Francisco Ballet School, not to mention an impressive pas de deux beteween Franz and Swanhilda.

I highly recommend Coppelia, especially for kids.  It's one of the best children's ballets I think, and I can assure you that my students were thrilled to watch it and be a part of it, and I was so glad that I was able to experience it with them!  Want another opinion?  Here's a great review by Geri Jeter http://calitreview.com/14985

Light, Cameras... Beautiful Photography

Last week while attending my course in my Certificate in Ballet Teaching Studies with the Royal Academy of Dance in Toronto, Ontario, I spent my days in a beautiful ballet studio (London School of Dance).  It's always fun to visit new studios and see new spaces.  Dancers can be very particular about the spaces they dance in; it needs to be big enough for us to move and travel in grand allegro, and if at all possible, open and inspiring, just like our art is.  I was struck by the photography in the various rooms and studios at London School of Dance.  Take a look at just a few of them that I snapped some photos of.

Photography: Shannon Eckstein

Photography: Shannon Eckstein

Photography: Shannon Eckstein

All these photos were taken by Shannon Eckstein of SilverShadown Photographic Images, who takes light into account in her photos, and as you can see, has gorgeous results.  The top photo was in the studio that I spent my days in last week, and the little girl is just precious, and if you look closely, you'll see a bandage on her chin; the essence of youth right?  The middle photo reminds me of a favorite photo of myself and my good friend Janice, taken a few years ago.

Photography: Brooke Duthie

Admittedly, Janice said that the caption for this photo should be "not that I'm a slave to my phone or anything".  Not that any of us are, right?  This picture was taken in our home studio at Benicia Ballet School, a space where as a child, teen, and now as an adult, I continue to be inspired and feel at home.


It's amazing to me how photography can capture so much: light, inspiration, youth, friendship, and pure love... of dancing, or of the many other things that fill our world.  For more amazing and inspiring photography, check out my blog on The Ballerina Project.

Cute St. Patty's Day Munchkin

As promised, I made a St. Patty's Day tutu for my niece, and was thrilled to see that it fit and that she was all smiles in it!

Pretty Pointes

Part of the teacher training I'm attending this week in Toronto is teaching pointe work to dancers who have just gotten their first pair of pointe shoes.  The training of pointe work is extremely important as it takes a great amount of strength and can be damaging to a student's technique and body if done incorrectly.  We had a pointe shoe fitter from The DanceShoppe in Toronto visit our studio today and give us a presentation on all the new kinds of pointe shoes and new technologies that make pointe shoes today so much more comfortable and workable than shoes of old.  Here are some pictures I took; I know I'm a dancer and biased towards the beauty of classical dance, but aren't they so pretty?!

I used to fit pointe shoes at Contra Costa Dancewear in Walnut Creek, Ca, so I had a great appreciation for our presenter and all her knowledge.  The untrained eye may not know how much goes into both creating and wearing pointe shoes, but it is quite a process.  The shoes should fit like a glove, too much room lets feet slide in and out of the shoe, and shoes too tight can result in foot deformations.  Since no two people have the same shape or structure of foot, there need to be a variety of shoes with different features that will support and enhance a dancer's pointe work.  Today's dancer's are much more lucky in the variety of shoes, when pointe work first appeared on stage in the 1830's, dancers would mostly just tightly bind their feet with cardboard and bandages or darn their flat shoes!  You can see in some of these pictures below that today's shoes are made from a variety of cardboard, layers of glue, burlap and satin.  I'd never seen a shoe cut in half, so I was fascinated to see the "guts" of the shoe.  Pretty amazing right?

My favorite (looking anyways, I didn't get to try the shoe on to see how it actually fit my foot) was Principal Princess, a brand I'd never heard of before.  Check out the sole (shank) of the shoe and the inner lining.  Cute!  Interested in learning more about the pointe shoe?  Here's a great website:  http://www.the-perfect-pointe.com/PointeHistory.html

Dancing on pointe is every young dancer's dream, and all dancers have to work hard to become strong enough to get that first pair of shoes.  To me, pointe work can embody all that dance can be: ethereal yet strong, lyrical and grounded, light and graceful but also deep and profound.  In other words, just some of the qualities that make me love dance so much.

CYC Dance in Concord Patch!

Just a quick note to let you all know about the article on CYC (Community Youth Center) featured on Concord Patch.  Check it out and see if you can find the picture of my cute dancers in our studio!

http://concord-ca.patch.com/articles/youth-center-focuses-on-discipline-dedication

On another note, I'm in Toronto, Ontario this week for a teacher training and will have lots of fun and inspiring things to share soon, stay tuned!

Sweet Tart

I love a good treat, especially if it's a sweet treat.  My favorite new place to find fun confections is at Sweet Tart in Todos Santos Plaza in Downtown Concord.  Janice and I are now considered regulars to owner Mary Ann, and yesterday we chatted with her in her cute shop while munching on these cute mini cupcakes and savoring some frozen yogurt.

From upper left: Basil Lemon Blueberry, Strawberry, Thai Tea, Red Velvet and Tarot

I'm heading to Canada tomorrow for a Royal Academy of Dance teacher training, and I'm going to be missing my weekly (or bi, or sometimes tri weekly) trips to Sweet Tart!  Oh well, I'm sure it'll make me that much more appreciative of these sweet treats once I get back to the states.

Happy Birthday Tutu You!

My friend and co-worker Kristina's birthday was yesterday, and at her request, I made this purple tutu for her to wear around the office.  She's a beautiful model, and was tickled (I'd say pink, but it was really more purple) by the new addition to her wardrobe.

To see Kristina in all her birthday glory, check out www.janicejavier.com and her site, Pretty Ponderations.  Janice knows how to do a party up in style; my tutu was just one element to a fantastically purple and very sweet celebration.

This Little Light of Mine

One of the perks of being a teacher is all the wonderful goodies that parents and students shower me with around the holidays or after performances; I'm a very lucky teacher!  One bonus on top of that bonus is that they're often dance/ballet themed!  One of my advanced dancers and her family were thoughtful enough to have this adorable nightlight made for me last year after our Nutcracker season.

Not only is it super cute, it's personalized!  I'm a big fan of things that are personalized, and my student definitely knows I'm Katrena Ballerina through and through!

The Ballerina Project

There isn't a dancer I know (big or small) who isn't involved in their own "ballerina project".  The act of coming to class every day, or every week, is part of the discipline (and to me, beauty) of my chosen art.  I believe dancers, and what many people observe and admire about dancers is their very aware and present presence.  From a young age, dancers are taught to bring their entire being to their classes and their performances, to not leave part of you behind.  Dancing requires every essence of an individual's being, and like in many other sports and arts, dancers are demanded that they be respectful and committed; dancers take on these qualities in a special way.  It can be seen in their intense focus during class, and in their grace walking down the street.

Photo: Dane Shitagi

The Ballerina Project showcases some amazingly beautiful photography, and I think their projects capture the universal quiet poise that dancers are admired for radiating.  These photos make me thoughtful and very glad to be a dancer and to have dance's grace in my life.