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Coverage: Dance/USA Conference 2017

October 4, 2017 by 4dancers

Dance USA, Kansas City
Dance/USA – Setup for the Opening Night Celebration at Union Station, Kansas City

by Catherine L. Tully

Each year dance professionals from all over the US (and beyond) gather to talk about subjects that are central to the field, and this year approximately 500 of them met up in Kansas City for Dance/USA’s 9th annual conference – and 35th anniversary. Held from June 7th to June 10th, this group came together to network, train, discuss issues, bond with one another, and watch dance.

Union Station KC Dance/USA
Dance/USA Opening Night

If you are not familiar with Dance/USA, they are a service organization that works to sustain and advance the world of professional dance at all levels – from executive directors and arts leaders, to working artists – and everyone in-between. The conference provides a forum for those involved in this arena to share best practices, talk about current events and attitudes, and examine and explore solutions to problems, as well as discuss new horizons in the field.

Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Kansas City
The Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts

Kansas City provided a lovely backdrop for this year’s conference, and it’s always amazing to get an up-close look at another city’s arts scene. With events taking place at venues such as the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, Union Station, and the National World War I Museum, there was certainly plenty to see. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Dance Conferences Tagged With: dance conferences, Dance/USA, Dance/USA 2017, kansas city ballet, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, National World War I Museum and Memorial

From The Barre To The Barn: A Ballet Dancer’s Career Transition To Farming

April 6, 2015 by Rachel Hellwig

Paris Wilcox
Paris Wilcox

by Catherine L. Tully

Dancers retire and do all sorts of interesting things. Sometimes the new job isn’t far from the studio–such as a teacher or a choreographer. Sometimes they go back to school and study something totally different.

Today we share one of those stories with you. Meet Paris Wilcox, formerly of Kansas City Ballet. Paris decided to return to his family roots and become a farmer when he stopped dancing full time. We hope you enjoy the story of how he decided on this direction, and what it has been like to switch careers…


1. When did you start thinking about a post-dance career?

I was born and raised on a Dairy in upstate NY, and learned all about responsibility, initiative, risk, and reward at a very early age. My father is a 4th-generation farmer, so I always knew that the “Farm life” was a chromosomal part of who I was, but didn’t think much about it…everything about my upbringing was normal to me, from drinking raw milk for twenty years to taking ballet class. I spent every summer at home, from kindergarten through my retirement from Kansas City Ballet, so I always knew that I wanted to return.

Even though my father sold the dairy herd and young stock in 1992…farmers call it “selling out”…my summers after 1998 were spent rebuilding the by-then-dissolved physical farm infrastructure, many miles of perimeter fence for cattle and sheep…by hand, managing the flock, making hay, and doing field work.

2. What drew you to organic farming?

Technically, we are “non-certified Organic,” which means that we are Organic, but don’t want to spend the money for constant Organic certifications. The farm had always been organic; my father never used chemical fertilizers or insect sprays. If he had a cow sick with mastitis or pneumonia, he gave her antibiotics, but those cases were few.

My father always managed the land in a way to maximize the growing seasons, and used natural fertilizers to great advantage. I remember a neighbor scoffing at my father’s talking about considering Organic milk production back in the late 80’s, the neighbor assured him that the Organic movement wouldn’t amount to anything, but it turns out Dad was right.

The way we are set up now, with beef cattle and sheep, makes chemicals irrelevant. The sheep especially like weeds and shrubs, and get fat on good grass. Ironically, they are the best weed killer out there; they eat so close to the ground that they kill broadleaf weeds. I have seen them literally turn a rough pasture of weeds and native grass into a pure stand of clover the following year. Our organic approach simply works well for us, and we don’t need to alter it. Besides, I don’t like chemicals around my food.

Paris Farm 5

3. What do you enjoy most about farming? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Career Tagged With: ballet career transition, career after ballet, career after dance, career transition, Colgate University Ballet Club, dance career transition, Hamilton College, kansas city ballet, Organic farming, Paris Wilcox, post ballet career, post dance career

Dance In The US…Kansas City Ballet School

August 27, 2010 by 4dancers

Today our series on “Dance In The US” takes a look at Kansas…

Name: Kansas City Ballet School

Location: This school has two locations

1. The Downtown Campus, 1616 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108

2. The Johnson County Campus, 5359 W. 94th Terr., Prairie Village, KS 66207  

 

Photo courtesy of Kansas City Ballet School

About: Students who attend the Kansas City Ballet School not only get top-notch training from experienced faculty–but they also receive some nice additional perks as well. Classes are taught with live piano accompaniment–something that I know from experience can give a dancer the opportunity to develop their musicality in depth.

In addition, the school provides a stepping stone for those who want to go on to a professional dance career–the Kansas City Youth Ballet. The dancers who perform with this company are between the ages of 13 and 18, and they study with the faculty of Kansas City Ballet, as well as the director of the Youth Ballet, Alecia Good.

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Filed Under: 4dancers, 4teachers, Dance In The US, Studios Tagged With: Alecia Good, kansas city ballet, kansas city ballet school, kansas city youth ballet

10 Questions With…Matthew Donnell

June 24, 2010 by 4dancers

This week we have Matthew Donnell on our 10 Question With… series…

1. Can you tell us a little bit about how you became involved in dance?

I credit my mother.  Many little boys begin ballet by getting dragged after school to the studio with their sisters.  Mine was my mother.  She picked ballet up in her thirties after a twenty year hiatus.  She began to have an interest in teaching, and my brother and I became a couple of her first students.  My brother discontinued training, but I stuck it out.  I wanted to pursue musical theatre, and I knew that being able to dance would help me in that dream.  I began attending the North Carolina School of the Arts (or slap a “University of” in front of that as it is now called,) shortly after I began working with Mom.  Ballet proved to be such a challenge to me that I fell in love with it and wanted to see how far I could go.  After spending a total of three years in the “Preparatory Program,” an after school program for local students, I enrolled in the eighth grade full time until I graduated from the high school program. (dance and academics.)  I then went on to study at what was then The Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet, and after a year there was hired by William Whitener as a dancer for the Kansas City Ballet.

 
Matthew Donnell

2. What has your dance career been like?

Now that I am looking back on my dance career with a professional ballet company, I can say that I have been completely blessed to have gotten to both start and finish with one company.  I had many opportunities that one wouldn’t necessarily be awarded in a larger company.  I suppose it’s a trade off in some ways.  In a smaller company, you don’t get to perform as much as you do in a larger one, but at the same time, you also don’t have to spend the first three years of your career holding a spear.  I performed principal roles within my first season.  I’d choose the same road again if I had the option.  

Another thing that was paramount for me were the people I worked for and with.  Overall, we were close and practically a family.  We supported one another in ways that are foreign to some other companies from what I have been told.  Of course at times there was drama within the “fam,” but we had a good time, and it is the people that I miss more than the actual career at this moment.

3. You studied under some impressive teachers such as Duncan Noble and Melissa Hayden…can you share a bit about what they were like?

Oh my what an experience!  The easiest way to speak of my reverence for Mr. Noble is this: ever since his death in 2002, I have dedicated my seasons to his memory.  He taught so many wonderful male dancers and gave us a solid technique.  He also trained many a wonderful partner.  Lifting was difficult for me, and my strength developed later than many of my peers.  It was frustrating for me, but he gave me such a solid foundation that once my strength did begin to improve (though high lifts I struggled with throughout,) I was a pretty solid partner-if I may say so myself!  He had a dry sense of humor and it took my entire first year to understand it, but once I did-man oh man did we have a great time!  He was always encouraging and supportive of his students.

Ms. Hayden was quite a character.  She was to many of the women what Mr. Noble was to the men.  To be honest, she scared the heck out of me.  Fortunately, I remained in her good graces throughout school.    

4. Can you share a particularly good moment from your career with readers?

My career was full of so many wonderful moments, but one I will share is the story of how I came to do my dream role of Herr Drosselmeyer in “The Nutcracker.”  

First, go back to when I was about twelve years old in my first production of the beloved holiday ballet.  I used to mimic Drosselmeyer and use my party-scene cape to fly around and “swoosh” as he did his.  It was an early sign that the character roles would be my favorite. 

Now, zoom forward to the third year of my career.  One of our main “Dross’s” decided upon coming back to work that his body was ready to stop and move onto another playing field.  This was the ONLY time in my career that I remember distinctly asking for an opportunity.  I went to our ballet master who is in charge of the Nutcracker and told him that although I knew that I was perhaps young for the part, I would love to learn it for the future.  

To my amazement, they gave it to me.  I had never poured myself into the creation of anything at that point my history as I did that role.  If I was at an elevator, I would sweep my hand and open it with “magic” as if “using the force” from “Star Wars.”  I blew on traffic signals to change them.  I had several quirky things I would do.

I went on to perform the role for the rest of my career, and I loved every moment and every evolution of the part, but I never felt as magical as I did the first season I performed my dream role.

5. What has it been like to dance with the Kansas City Ballet?

SO MUCH FUN!! NEXT QUESTION!!  

Seriously though, it has been the gift of a lifetime.  A phrase that I once stole and paraphrased from an actor goes as this, “I love my job.  I get paid to play!”  It’s true.  Although there were many times when I was frustrated or in pain (face it folks, it’s not always glamorous-I hate to break it to you,) the lure of the stage and the knowledge that I would be back up there to entertain audiences again and again kept me going.  I have a need to perform.  Being in the ballet helped to quench that thirst.  

6. What prompted your decision to retire from the company after the 2009-2010 season?

This was a hard decision to come by in many ways, and yet I came to it quite simply.  I had always known that I wanted to move to New York to pursue musical theatre, and I had always wanted to do it in my twenties.  Also, it was important for me to “retire” on my own terms.  I didn’t want to have anyone make that decision for me.  It would have been too big a blow on my ego.  I wanted to go out at the top of my game.  “I did it my way” as Sinatra said, and I can always have the satisfaction of knowing that.  

Now, that I am in New York and taking wonderful classes on my own schedule and out of the pure love of dance, I feel that I am still strong.  It’s hard to evaluate yourself against a company of your peers with whom you have worked with for so long.  Now that I am in the city comparing myself to other dancers, I can understand why I was able to have a career.  I’m certainly no Baryshnikov, but I don’t completely stink either!

7. What will you miss most about this part of your career?

I will miss performing.  However, in my next career, I’ll still be performing, so fortunately for me, I’ll still have that fix.  

That said, on the vain side of things, it’s been a bit of a blow to the ol’ ego to be in a city where no one knows me as a “Senior Member of the Kansas City Ballet.”  People used to come up to me in random places such as Target and thank me for my work.  I miss that.  I loved being recognized publicly because what it really meant was that my work had touched the lives of others.  It’s not just about my pride-I promise!

8. Is there anything you will be glad to leave behind in the world of dance?

Well, there are a couple of things, but I am learning that they just manifest themselves in other ways no matter what the field.  
People complain.  It’s life.  However, in ballet companies we sometimes complain a lot.  I was guilty of it, and I tried to keep it under wraps, but it still happened.  There can sometimes be a cattiness that goes along with it too, and I won’t miss that.  I must say though, it can be even cattier in musical theatre, so I’ve got my guard up against that.  I’m constantly trying to surround myself with people who will call me out when I’m becoming negative.  Actually, the first person who ever did that was the gentleman I inherited Drosselmeyer from, and I’ve been forever grateful.  

The other thing I won’t miss were the long rehearsal processes.  They were never my favorite.  

One of the luxuries about being in a small and financially stable company is that we were able to have a decent length of contract without having to have too many layoffs.  What I mean by this is that when in some companies, ballets have to be put together quickly because “time is money,” we were often able to take our time and really clean things.  That can be a luxury for both dancer and choreographer.  

What I wasn’t always so wild about was that sometimes I felt that I peaked to soon in the process, and then had to wait another three to four weeks sometimes for a weekend of shows that were over in a flash.  I believe I do some of my best work under pressure.  That’s why I like that musicals are often put up in under three weeks.

One thing that KC Ballet has to look forward to is the opening of the new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.  This will give the dancers opportunities to perform more often.  

9. What will you do in this new chapter of your life?

As I’ve touched on previously, I am now living in New York, and I am here to pursue my first love, theatre.  It’s a challenge to be thrown into auditions with many talented people for the first time in over a decade, but in a way, I’ve prepared for that with the ballet company life.  In a ballet company, you constantly are auditioning for roles.  The main and amazing difference is that you get paid regardless of the role you receive!  Lucky, lucky!

10. What is your best advice for performers of any kind? 
 
The first thing I’ll say is stolen from the actress Kathy Bates, who was my commencement speaker at UNCSA.  

“Get a life.”  Your art can be what you do, but it can’t be the sole thing that defines you.  In the end (especially as a dancer) it will end.  If the person you are is wrapped up in the art you create, you’re going to be in for a rude awakening.

Get out into your community.  Learn about other people outside of your field.  You will find that many “normal” people don’t understand what it is that you do.  Don’t give up on them, and they won’t give up on you.  Get to know as many different people as possible.  I believe we are all here to hold each other up.  Several of the friends that I have made and will have for life are not dancers.  I’m also not an architect, but I’ll be darned if I wasn’t going to try to understand the lives of those around me.  

Please, please, please try to keep the complaining to a minimum.  Here I will quote (what I believe is) myself, “Complaint without action is pointless.”  If your complaining can result in accomplishing something to better your life or the lives around you, then by all means, complain away, and then make a change.  However, if you’re simply fetching and moaning which comes from a false sense of entitlement, shut your mouth.  Someone else would love to have your job.  None of us are irreplaceable.  That said, we are unique and deserve to be treated as such.  

Enjoy your life.  There’s a fine line between being happy and being miserable.  One side of the can line lead to a great life, but once you begin complaining and being unhappy, it’s hard to climb out of that rut.  

Merde!

-I documented my last season in a blog at www.matthewdonnell.blogspot.com

I also have a website at www.matthewdonnell.com where I can be reached if anyone has any other questions.

Bio: Matthew Donnell, a native of Mt. Airy, North Carolina, began ballet training under his mother’s instruction.  He trained on full scholarship at the North Carolina School of the Arts and the Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet. He went on to dance for ten seasons with the Kansas City Ballet where he was seen in many principal roles. His most memorable roles are Merce Cunningham’s solo Totem Ancestor, Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker, Iago in The Moor’s Pavane, and the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy in Company B.  In addition to the Ballet, he has been seen at Piedmont Opera, The Lost Colony, and regularly at The New Theatre of Kansas City.  He doesn’t just limit himself to dancing, and his special skills include clowning, juggling and unicycling.  He now resides in New York where he is pursuing theatre.

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Filed Under: 10 Questions With..., 4dancers, 4teachers, Studios Tagged With: Duncan Noble, kansas city ballet, matthew donnell, Melissa Hayden, north carolina school of the arts, The Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet, William Whitener

10 Questions With…Danny Ryan

April 20, 2010 by 4dancers

Today for our 10 Questions With… feature we have Danny Ryan…

1. How did you get involved with ballet and what are you doing now?

From the time I started school I was exposed to the arts.  The elementary, middle and high schools I attended were all public arts schools, which covered all arts areas as well as dance.  However, I never liked dance, and I had a terrible fear of performing on stage.  Once I arrived in middle school you were allowed (in your second year) to choose two arts areas to focus on.  I started playing music in elementary school so band was a natural choice, but dance I only choose because my best friends father was the teacher.  That class consisted more of your creative movement, and introduction to very basic dance composition rather then any “real” technical training.  It wasn’t until my sophomore year in high school after almost dropping the dance program completely and having suffered a soccer injury, that a man named Rafael Delgado, a Master Ballet Teacher, took me under his wing and taught me as much as he could in four years.  

Now, after performing for the Louisville Ballet, and the Kansas City Ballet I am dancing for Ben Stevenson O.B.E. at the Texas Ballet Theatre in Dallas Fort Worth.

 
 

Danny Ryan

2. Do you have any advice for men who want to do this professionally?

First and foremost work your butt off!!!!  Closely followed by dance like a man, be strong on stage but also be beautiful. Performance quality, acting, line, and the ability to convey emotion on stage will always trump tricks.  Work on those things, get a very strong and clean technique.  You can always work on the tricks later.

3. What have you found to be the most amazing thing about ballet?

Here is a recent example of just one of the things that makes this art form so amazing.  At TBT we are in between performances of The Sleeping Beauty.  In a recent show I went from 18th century court man, to an evil monster, to a prince from the south, to a peasant, and then Puss n’ Boots.  That’s five completely different worlds, people and emotions in three hours.  Not many people will ever know what it might be like to portray a cat, or a prince etc. and that’s what is so amazing about ballet.

 4. Can you share an experience in dance that was particularly amazing for you?

As an apprentice for the Louisville Ballet, during my very first season in a professional company I was given the oppourtunity to perform Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs.  It was the second rep show of the season, and my first major role.  It was a Saturday night and the show was sold out, Wendy Whelan and Albert Evans were performing with the us as guests.  My partner and I were the first pas in the ballet and I will never forget how I felt once we made it through and the crowd broke out clapping. I thought that feeling couldn’t be topped and walking off the stage I was so high on dance. The first person to grab my arm and say “great job!” was Wendy.  I will never forget that.

5. Is there anything you don’t like about what you are doing?

I definitely don’t like when you go to the doctor to have them x-ray your foot to see if you’ve broken any bones, and as he’s looking says “well there is this” but continues on as if it doesn’t matter.  So then after he’s done you ask him what was that he saw but passed over, and his response is “well since you’re a dancer its normal, its not a big deal just some wear and tear that is common among those that dance, but if you weren’t a dancer it would be a concern.”  Yeah, its gonna hurt really bad later on!

6. Do you have any favorite dancers?

Nureyev is my number one, and when Yuri Possokhov was still dancing for San Francisco he was my hands down favorite of that time.  Currently I really like John Michael Schert of Trey McIntyre Project.  He has incredible lines, amazing articulation, control and musicality.  I will forever love Wendy Whelan, the master of Mr. B’s leotard ballets.  My two favorites however are Lucas Priolo and Carolyn Judson.  Lucas is the most handsome prince and partner, the emotion and power behind every performance is amazing and his Romeo will make the hardest of people cry.  Carolyn unleashes a magic on stage that Houdini himself would marvel at, pure classical lines and performance quality. 

7. What do you think that the most important thing is in terms of practicing ballet?

The most important thing is finding a teacher that believes in you, pushes you and gives you sound guidance.  Once you find that person the next thing is to work with them as often as you can.  If they do a summer program be sure to go, no matter your age. Find a way to make it happen and submerge yourself, turn off the cell phone for four weeks and work!

8. Do you think you have developed skills in dance that have transfered to the rest of your life? If so, what are they?

Absolutely, in dance if you want to be good or become better you have to work hard, and that applies to anything else you pursue outside of dance.  Also teamwork, problem solving, working under extreme pressure and with extremely sensitive and sometimes very difficult people.  All these skills will also benefit you outside of dance. 

9. What is the best piece of advice anyone has ever given you about dance?

First and foremost dance is a business.

10. What is next for you in your career?

Next on my plate is being at TBT and learning as much as I can from Ben and the artistic staff here.  I have found the place that works best for me.  This summer I will be enjoying home in Milwaukee to see my mom get married and then spending four or five weeks with my teacher John Magnus.  Also I’d like to continue developing my choreographic skills and start teaching more.  I’m trying to gather as much knowledge and information as I can, so down the road after my performing career I can stay in this field as teacher, ballet master, or director.  This is what I love and care about and I want to pass it on.

Danny Ryan began his professional training with Rafael Delgado in his hometown of Milwaukee. He then went on to further his studies with the Joffrey Ballet School before joining the Louisville Ballet in 2006. After spending two seasons with the Louisville Ballet, Mr. Ryan joined the Kansas City Ballet. Mr. Ryan’s repertoire includes works by Twyla Tharp, Trey McIntyre, Alun Jones, and Agnes De Mille as well as world premières by Graham Lustig, Adam Houghland, and Lauri Stallings. Mr. Ryan has appeared as a guest artist in England, Canada and throughout the United States and during the offseason trains extensively with teacher and mentor John Magnus. Currently Mr. Ryan is performing with the Texas Ballet Theater under the directorship of Ben Stevenson O.B.E.

 

 

Filed Under: 10 Questions With..., 4dancers, 4teachers Tagged With: ben stevensen, danny ryan, kansas city ballet, louisville ballet, rafael delgado, texas ballet theatre, twyla tharp

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