The Ballet Academy in the News
November 23, 2008: The Ballet Academy is on TV as part of the Kalamazoo Lively Arts! program. October 27, 2008: The Ballet Academy is featured in the Kalamazoo Gazette, City Life section. After A listing from the Evangel, the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church’s newsletter: The Ballet Academy Dancers Enhance December 14 Worship Service: Katie C., Isabella C., and Morgan G. of The Ballet Academy enhanced the worship service on December 14 with a dance set to Hymn 65-“Prepare the Way, O Zion.” In balletic terms, the dance would be considered more of a ‘port de bras’ – French for carriage of the arms – although the piece also featured a small amount of adagio movement with emphasis on the legs. A bit about The Ballet Academy: located in downtown Kalamazoo at the State Theatre, 404 S. Burdick Street, the school is certified with the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) in London, England. The RAD was instituted in 1920 dedicated to training ballet teachers and examining their students, and has Queen Elizabeth II as patron. Arlene Larson, RAD RTS, owner and director of The Ballet Academy, is a registered and licensed instructor of the RAD and is one of only four such teachers in Michigan. The RAD syllabus assures correct technique and safety. Students gain strength and body control transferable to other athletic endeavors as well as self-discipline, confidence and working hard to reach goals. Students studying at The Ballet Academy may participate yearly with an Examiner sent by the RAD. Former examiners have come from Italy, England, New Zealand and South Africa to assess students using an unbiased world-wide standard and assuring a standard score for the student’s level in the world of ballet. If you are interested in more information about The Ballet Academy, you may contact Ms. Larson at (269) 382-0413 or visit the school website at www.balletacademy.biz What can you do with your RAD training? Ask Dusty Button! Where are they now? Breegan began dancing with RAD teacher, Arlene Larson, in 1996 when she was 5 years old. She continued her training with Ms. Larson for 8 years, taking RAD exams from Primary through Grade 4 and Elementary (now Intermediate), until her family moved from Kalamazoo, Michigan to Naperville, Illinois. In Illinios, Breegan continued her dance studies with Ricardo and Regina Helmer Moyano in DanceWest Ballet's Senior Company. After three years at DanceWest Ballet, Breegan was accepted, with scholarship, into the year-round dance program at Interlochen Arts Academy where she finished her high school education. After graduating from Interlochen, Breegan went on to study dance at State University of New York at Purchase College (SUNY Purchase), where she graduated with a BFA in performance from the Conservatory of Dance in the Spring of 2010. Breegan is currently residing in New York City and is performing for "NØA DANCE" for choreographer Nelly van Bommel. (Ms. van Bommel was recently featured in the January 2010 issue of Dance Magazine as one of the "Top 25 to Watch This Year"). Breegan will also be performing for Ms. van Bommel at Jacob's Pillow on August 26, 2010. During the first week of October, 2010, Breegan will perform in the Reverb Choreographic Project 2010 at the Ailey Citigroup Theatre for Annie Rigney, another budding choreographer who is joining the Batsheva Ensemble in the fall, 2010. Breegan is also a founding member of a collaborative interdisciplinary arts collective called "The Hoover Dam Collective" (HDC), a group of artists comprised of musicians, composers, dancers, choreographers, visual artists and film artists, a true artistic collaborative! HDC performs in Brooklyn, Purchase, Nyack, and upstate New York. Breegan writes the blog for HDC and so keeps up her writing skills as well as her dancing! Check out HDC on-line at <hdcollective.blogspot.com>. And, as if all this work in dance wasn't enough, Breegan also manages a dance photography business. Check her out on Facebook at "Breegan Kearney Dance Photography". It's great to see Breegan using her dance training in so many ways! Genee London 2010 Competition Results : View results and information from the RAD’s flagship competition. Medal winners in the Genee competition have gone on to dance with the highest calibre ballet companies, such as the Royal Ballet, the Australian Ballet, and the English National Ballet, to name a few. Doors are open worldwide to the best companies. http://www.balletacademy.biz/http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=804fb05ffe40c1341a2e49cb6&id=5275860b8a&e=359424817fshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1