Gala Edition!

As we are heating up with many exciting Spring events, I am happy to reconnect with American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School alumni. It was such a pleasure to see many of you during our various performances and at the Annual Nutcracker Alumni Gathering. I would also like to thank the many alumni who contributed to our Winter Appeal campaign as it was a huge success.  But in the theater world as soon as one curtain closes, we are preparing for the next one. It is gala time folks!

We are excited to honor Alma Concepción (who is also the mother of  PBS alumna Alicia Diaz, professor of  Dance at University of Richmond)  and Charles Metcalf at our 27th annual performance and gala on March 10, 2011. 

I would like to extend a special Young Alumni Rate for young alumni and a guest to attend the Olé! Gala . If you are a current university student, a young professional, or work in a nonprofit field, please see details below.

Do you have news or new contact information? Please send updates to lderavel@arballet.org.

Sincerely,
Lisa de Ravel
Alumni Relations Coordinator

 Please join us March 10, 2012

Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, Trenton , NJ

Performance 7:00 pm Gala immediately following

Honoring Alma Concepión, recipient of the 2012 Audrée Estey Award for Excellence in Dance Education, and Charles Metcalf for his Outstanding Contributions to the Organization

This is our signature fundraising effort of the year benefiting all three vital parts of our community; American Repertory Ballet, Princeton Ballet School and our Access & Enrichment programs including DANCE POWER. All three of these segments will grace the stage. A fun filled evening will follow with Spanish inspired food and a live flamenco guitarist and his band to dance the night away on the stage. For more information and to purchase tickets to the Gala, please click here.

A Young Alumni rate is available for our alumni under 25 and those still working in the arts and nonprofit fields.  The Young Alumni rate for you and one guest is available for $110.00  each. This includes the performance and Gala afterwards. Please indicate on your RSVP card ALUMNI. We understand that the full price may be prohibitive at this time in your lives and want to be able to welcome you back "home".

Invitations have been mailed. If you did not receive an invitation via mail, please  contact me to make sure we have your current contact information lderavel@arballet.org 

Danza Espanola de Princeton and Alma photo: unkown

...After starting a full time career in the medical device industry in 1985, I took a modern dance class at Princeton Ballet School and believed my path in dance was to take classes for exercise purposes.  I saw Alma's class in 1986 and decided to try it, as I enjoyed watching Flamenco and Spanish folkloric dances on TV.   From the first class, I was mesmerized by the intricacy of the dances and Alma's teaching methods, and decided to focus my training solely on this dance form.  Alma doesn't just teach steps, she teaches discipline, precision, expression and artistry through the footwork ("what are your feet saying?"), upper body carriage, arm movements, and the percussive rhythm of castanets.  It amazed me that after just over one year of classes, we were able to perform Jota (a folkloric dance from northern Spain) in an outdoor festival. 

We were fortunate to learn from Alma the rich diversity of Spain's dance forms - Flamenco, classical, escuela bolera and folkloric.  Dance education is very important to Alma and she always shared with us the history and cultural significance of these dances.  In 1988, Alma formed a performing group with her students, Danza Española de Princeton, and we've had the privilege of performing her beautiful choreographies at many venues - schools, senior centers, cultural festivals and with her Taller de Danza students in Trenton.  Alma's relationship with her students extends beyond the studio, and she has been a part of many of our important life events, including graduations, birthdays and weddings. 

I enjoyed Alma's classes at Princeton Ballet School for 18 years. When I had to go Madrid for a business trip in 1996, Alma helped me arrange private classes with her teacher Carmen Segura, so I could obtain training for dancing with the "bata de cola", the traditional flamenco dress having a long ruffled train.  Alma was also very generous with her teaching methods, and trained me to be an instructor.  Under Alma's tutelage, from 1999 to 2005 I was privileged to be an instructor at Princeton Ballet School for the beginner Spanish Dance class...