By leaping lightly and bounding gracefully across the stage, a good ballet dancer makes a story come to life through dance. Muscles flex and bodies stretch, making light of months of repetitious practice and extreme discipline. For ballet dancers, tying on toe shoes to perform muscle-burning movements is worth the reward of a perfectly executed production and an appreciative audience.
For the Santa Maria Civic Ballet, a dance company founded by Everybody CAN Dance ballet school, the reward will be performing The Sleeping Beauty, a difficult ballet to perform. It helps that they’ll get help and coaching from premier dancer Alexei Badrak, a former assistant director of the world-famous Bolshoi Ballet of Russia. Badrak will serve as guest director for the production and will assist the Santa Maria Civic Ballet in coaching soloists and children.
Badrak was referred to Diane Zink, founder and artistic director of Everybody CAN Dance, by Jordi Ribera, who helped found the Santa Maria Civic Ballet. Badrak said he was impressed with Zink’s enthusiasm for dance and for the school. They also had a common link in that both Zink and Badrak teach the world-renowned Vaganova method of ballet. Zink’s philosophy further encouraged Badrak to work with her on this production.
“I like people that want to do something nice for the community,” Badrak said.
Badrak said the upcoming production of The Sleeping Beauty is unbelievably difficult, but with the strong base of students and five months to prepare, he’s confident it will be a success.
“I saw the students’ excitement, and with the parents we have a good group of support,” Badrak said.
Zink said it’s the choreography that makes the production so difficult. With a lot of pointe work and athletic movement, the performance takes a lot of stamina. She said even the most experienced performers find it to be an exhausting production—but it’s rewarding for both the dancers and the audience.
“It’s also very delightful ballet with so many different characters and lots of fairy magic going on,” Zink said.
She noted that the wedding scene is especially fun because that’s when familiar storybook characters like Cinderella and Snow White show up, and experienced dancers join children on the stage.
Zink said Badrak’s rich experience and the passion he gives to dance will help broaden the performers’ experience. The guest director boasts more than 15 years of experience teaching, coaching, and serving as guest choreographer, artistic director, lecturer, and research academic in the United States. In addition to his work at the Bolshoi, Badrak was director of the touring superstar company Russian Chamber Ballet, and is co-founder and artistic director of IBTI, an elite institute for ballet education, training, and performance.
“[With Badrak’s coaching], they’ll get to do stronger work and accomplish more faster,” Zink said.
The company’s dance method will also help the dancers develop the endurance and talent necessary for professional-level careers. The Vaganova method, developed by Agrippina Vaganova, emphasizes a scientific approach to ballet and combines elements of classical ballet training, as well as French, Italian, and other methods. It focuses on strengthening a dancer’s lower back and arm plasticity.
With his stint at Santa Maria Civic Ballet, Badrak hopes to help jump-start the careers of even a few of the dancers beyond the production of The Sleeping Beauty.
“I’m trying to give them a little bit for future training, not only for today,” Badrak said “… and to also give them energy and hope.” m
With three kids at home, it’s unbelievably difficult for Arts Editor Shelly Cone to get enough beauty sleep. Give her some zzzzz’s at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Feb 5-12, 2009.
