Orlando Molina
Orlando Molina taught during the 5th week of our Summer Intensive Program and he quickly became a favorite amongst our students. Mr. Molina is an ABT Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through level 7 and Partnering of the ABT National Training Curriculum. He also received the Outstanding Teacher Award at the 2009 YAGP semi-final in South Carolina.
Mr. Molina has been a guest teacher at different schools including Atlanta Ballet,TCU-Texas, Ohio Dance Theatre, St. Johns River University in Florida, Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, Kowa Ballet in Okayama-Japan, and recently he was invited to be a faculty member at the SERBA festival in High Point, NC. Presently, Mr. Molina is a freelance teacher in Atlanta, Georgia.
Mr. Molina would stop the music and make corrections immediately, making sure students could feel what muscles were being used and in what way. After watching students go into passe he had them lay on their stomachs and try stretching their turn out to improve their positions and allow them to feel how it should when standing.
Orlando Molina was born in Guane, Pinar del Rio-Cuba. He began his ballet training at the age of 10 at the Vocational School of Arts where he studied for five years. In 1987, he was accepted into the National Ballet School in Habana. After 3 years he received his Dancer & Teacher Certificate from the Cuban School of Ballet. In 1993, he joined the Ballet Clasico de la Habana (formerly Joven Guardia under the direction of Laura Alonzo).
Mr. Molina competed at the 1998 USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi where he was offered a contract from the renown choreographer and artistic director Denis Nahat to join the Cleveland San Jose Ballet. After two seasons with CSJB, Mr. Molina then joined the Orlando Ballet (formerly Southern Ballet Theatre) under the direction of Fernando Bujones for the 2002-2003 season. He was appointed by Mr. Bujones as Ballet Master of Orlando Ballet. In 2003 Orlando coached Joseph Gatti (Principal Dancer, Boston Ballet) for the YAGP were Mr. Gatti was awarded the Royal Ballet School Scholarship. In 2006 Mr. Orlando coached Joseph Gatti again for the IBC Jackson-MS where Mr. Gatti was awarded the Bronze Medal in the senior division.
In October 2007, Mr. Molina joined Focus Performing Arts Center and Pulse Performing Arts Studio in Orlando, FL as ballet master. He recently coached students to the 2010 NYC YAGP Finals.
Our upper level students enjoyed learning Adagio with Mr. Molina. Enjoy some photos from his classes below. *Click to enlarge
Mr. Molina’s sense of humor helped students remember how difficult a dancer can make it for their partner in adagio if they’re not in the right position.
Mr. Molina is being partnered here by one of his former students, Yosbel Delgado, who is also guest teaching during The Rock School’s summer intensive program.
