Here’s a sneak peek of The Rock School’s 50th Anniversary Gala Benefit!
Pointe Magazine wrote a lovely blog post about three very talented Rock Alumni; Christine Shevchenko, Esteban Hernandez, and Beckanne Sisk. Make sure to catch them perform at The Rock School’s 50th Anniversary Gala this Friday!
Rock School alumna Beckanne Sisk and her co-star Katie Martin from the reality television show, “Breaking Pointe” paid a visit to The Rock School!
Rock School Ballet Mistress and Faculty Member, Mariaelena Ruiz, was the artistic director for Danzaira Escuela de Ballet’s, “Paquita Grand Pas” in Lima, Peru! Along with staging this special performance in Peru, Ruiz was also guest teaching and holding auditions for The Rock School’s 2013 Summer Ballet Intensive.
At the end of her trip, Ruiz fell and broke her ankle. She has had an operation and the prognosis is good. However, because the break was rather serious she will not be able to travel by plane for approximately 6 weeks.
Along with The School’s current faculty we will have some additional guest teachers to cover Ms. Ruiz’s classes.
The Rock School’s Directors Bo and Stephanie Spassoff and everyone here at The Rock look forward to having her back soon and wish Mariaelena the best health!
Our Rock Academics Seniors had a fun photo shoot this morning! Class of 2013!
CONGRATULATIONS!! Rock alumnus Taylor Stanley for your recent promotion to Soloist with New York City Ballet! Bravo!
Check out this Breathtaking behind the scenes video of DESPERTARES BALLET GALA 2012 held in Mexico City.
Rock School Directors Bo and Stephanie Spassoff were the Artistic Directors for this Stunning Gala hosted by Rock Alumnus Isaac Hernandez.
Rock Alumni Esteban Hernandez and Beckanne Sisk joined Isaac and ballet stars from Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The National Ballet Inglés, The Kirov Ballet in Russia, The Dutch National Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet, among others for this magnificent celebration!
The Company of The Rock School for Dance Education will be performing at the Gershman Y as part of the Philadelphia Jewish Film Festival! The Rock School will be performing in connection to the film, “My Dad is Baryshnikov (MOY PAPA BARYSHNIKOV).”
“The story of a ballet-obsessed Moscow adolescent boy growing up during the Perestroika era who pretends his father is really Mikhail Baryshnikov, writer-helmer Dmitry Povolotsky’s semi-autobiographical pic is an endearing crowdpleaser with plenty of fest export potential…” - Variety
Director: Dmitry Povolotsky
Russia, 2011, 105 minutes
In Russian w/ English subtitles
*ages 9 & up
It’s 1986 in the USSR: the rumblings of Perestroika have taken hold, borders are opening up, rock music is hitting the alleyways of Moscow, and black market jeans are all the rage. Enter gangly Borya Fishkin, the worst ballet student at the famous Bolshoi Theater Ballet Academy. Despite his diminutive size and the taunting jeers of his classmates, Borya is armed with confidence from his newfound belief that his father is Russia’s most famous ballet dancer, Mikhail Baryshnikov. Borya will stop at nothing to fit in and become a better dancer, all in the attempt to gain the attention of Marina, the school’s most beautiful star student, and secure a place in the Bolshoi company. Will Borya’s unconventionality pay off in a place where decorum and conformity rule. This hilarious comedy with a charming cast has delighted audiences worldwide.
Tickets and More Information found on The Gershman Y’s website.
The Rock School is Teaming up with the Philadelphia Museum of Art!
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM
Based off of the movie with Ben Stiller, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is holding this special fundraiser that will bring the Museum to life! Children are asked to come in their pajamas to “spend the night” at the Museum. The Rock School’s dancers will represent the Degas Dancers from the paintings and sculptures of Edgar Degas.
More Information & Ticket Information can be found on the PMA’s website.
Details from the Philadelphia Museum of Art:
Saturday, November 3, 2012
$30 for individual tickets
$25 per ticket with group discount
(6 or more purchased at the same time - enter GROUP in the Discount Code box during Checkout)
Kid-friendly family fundraiser for the Division of Education and Public Programs; art-making in the galleries, interpretive activities and performances, fun food, dancing, and more inspired by this year’s theme, Night at the Museum.
The 2012 Every Family Party is presented by PNC Arts Alive. All proceeds from the Every Family Party benefit the Museum’s innovative Education department.
Check out this teaser video of The Rock School! Register for 2012-2013 Classes by next week (Tuesday, July 31) and have your $50 registration fee waived!
The Rock School’s Summer Ballet Intensive is in full speed!
The students learned great technique from this week’s guest instructor, Robert Barnett. Barnett is pictured above instructing an adagio class. Robert Barnett is perhaps best remembered as the lead Candy Cane in George Balanchine’s Nutcracker. Balanchine also set several original roles for Barnett, including the lead in the men’s movement of Stars and Stripes and the third movement lead of Symphony in C. In 1958, Robert Barnett was a soloist with the New York City Ballet and received an invitation from Atlanta Ballet founder and Artistic Director Dorothy Alexander to join what was then called the Atlanta Civic Ballet as its principal dancer and associate artistic director. In 1962, Barnett became the Atlanta Ballet’s second artistic director, a position he held until 1994. The Rock School is honored to have Robert “Bobby” Barnett as a guest instructor for the Summer Ballet Intensive.
Jennifer Wheat, Ballet Mistress at both Rock Center & Rock West, is pictured above teaching the level 6 technique class. Jennifer Wheat trained with the Contemporary Civic Ballet of Michigan, and was a scholarship student with the schools of Pennsylvania Ballet, Boston Ballet, and The Royal Winnepeg Ballet School. In 1981, after a car accident ended her ballet career dancing, she switched to Jazz, and trained at the University of the Arts and the Lou Conte Dance School, where she was an apprentice with The Hubbard Street Dance Company. Ms. Wheat also danced professionally with Astral Theatrical Dance Company and Dance Fusion, and is the founding director of Fusion2 Dance Company. Ms. Wheat has been a faculty member with The Rock School since 1997 and generously offers her talents of choreography to both Rock Center and Rock West.
Master Pointe Workshop Week
Monday - Friday
June 18 - 22nd
10:30am - 3:00pm daily
Space will be limited
$400 for the week for all dance participants
Are you happy with the way your feet look in your pointe shoes? Are you sure that you are working in the pointe shoe that is best for you? Do you feel you are working on pointe correctly? As a parent, have you wondered about the technique and intricacies of pointe work?
Parents are invited and encouraged to observe the workshop.
This workshop is open to students preparing to start pointe work within the next year as well as the more advanced student seeking further refinement, proper placement and strength in their pointe work.
Taught by Stephanie Wolf Spassoff, Rock School Director, who has extensive experience and knowledge in pointe shoes and pointe work. Assisted by Bo Spassoff, Rock School President & Director. A pianist will provide the music accompanient for all classes.
Students not currently on pointe would be benefited by taking the first half hour of pointe class in ballet slippers and then staying for pointe shoe discussion, Demonstration and Q & A.
There will be special emphasis on releves, tendus and pointe enhancing work.
Gentlemen are invited for a registration fee of $50 for the week for the technique class that will have special emphasis on releves & tendus, which are extremely important for gentlemen’s foot, ankle and calf strength for jumps and turns.
CONGRATULATIONS 2012 ROCK ACADEMICS GRADUATES!
The Rock School’s Rock Academics 2012 Graduation Ceremony, 5pm in studio A. This year, six seniors will graduate: Lauren Carfolite, Andrew Czerkawski, Megan Dillon, Howard McKee, Elle Michelli and Renata Rocha Pastrana.
The 2012 Rock Academics Graduation Ceremony will include dance performances by our graduating seniors, a projected video slideshow and speeches from each graduate.
Rock Academics Head Master Nicole DiGironimo and Rock School Directors Bo & Stephanie Spassoff will present each graduate with a diploma and wish each dancer success in their futures.
A catered reception will follow in the R Café.
Congratulations 2012 Seniors & Merde for tonight’s in-studio performance!
The Rock School for Dance Education Is Holding 3rd Local Audition For Summer Ballet Intensive and/or Year-Round Programs
Due to popular demand, The Rock School for Dance Education is holding an unprecedented third local audition for The School’s summer and/or year-round program.
The internationally renowned Rock School has been attracting students worldwide since 1963. As one of the nation’s premiere institutions for classical ballet training, The Rock School maintains a year-round supervised residence program that appeals to dancers from around the world, provides a cutting-edge academic program for extremely focused dancers grades 7-12 and offers a variety of performance opportunities for all ages throughout the year.
The Rock School has placed dancers in every major ballet company in the United States. Rock School dancers have been recognized at a number of prestigious competitions including Youth America Grand Prix, the largest ballet competition in the world, where The School has won several Gold, Silver and Bronze medals as well as “Outstanding School” for a remarkable seven consecutive years!
The Rock School was recently featured in First Position, a new award-winning documentary in theaters May 2012 that follows young ballet dancers from all over the world as they compete for elite dance scholarships in Youth America Grand Prix. Two of the featured dancers were Rock School students- Michaela DePrince and Joan-Sebastian Zamora. Other (current) Rock School dancers appear in the film as well as the Directors, Bo and Stephanie Spassoff.
SUNDAY, JUNE 3, 2012
The Rock School for Dance Education
1101 South Broad Street at Washington Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
Free parking is available at the NW corner of Broad and Washington
1:00 - 2:45 PM ages 9-12 yrs
3:00 - 4:45 PM ages 13+
The Master/ Audition Class will include pointe work for those on pointe.
The fee is $30 and students will be notified immediately of acceptance.
Directors will acknowledge talented dancers with possible scholarship opportunity.
Optional tour of the building will be available.
Call 215-551-7010 for more information.
