Katherine Kersten Leaves Vail International Dance Festival
Since 1992, the Vail International Dance Festival's Producing Artistic Director, Katherine Kersten, has guided the summer dance festivals at Vail, Colorado into an annual world-class performance event. A list of the artists and companies that have performed during her tenure at Vail's beautiful Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater
and near-by Vilar Center for the Arts in Beaver Creek, reads like a who's who in the current dance world. During the performance evenings each summer, more artists and companies have been presented than can be seen in a major dance city in a year. How Kersten has
pursued international stars from Asia, Europe and South America to perform a one-night or two-night stand in the
mountains of Colorado can only be because of the Festival's prestige, her enthusiasm and energetic organizing. She has developed admirable strategies to overcome delayed visas, lost costumes, altitude sickness, injuries necessitating program changes and comfort for an entire company on jet-lag. The basis for this has been consideration for the performers and her past experience as a dancer.
One of the subtleties of the Festival programming has been in Kersten's ability to balance several forms of dance on the same playbill. Its symmetry avoided pandering to popular entertainment by finding the highest level of performance from a spectrum of artists and companies that would delight, provide awe and admiration, give emotional sustenance, humor and even surprise for the audience. Many groups from major companies, not seen anywhere in America because of the high cost of travel, have made their concert-size appearance at the Festival. Artists, whose reputation
preceded them, have appeared in roles that expanded their repertoire at the out-door performances. Kersten has traveled extensively to find these groups and artists for the summer programs. They appeared in
sold-out programs that became one of the highlights of the Festival, known as International Evenings of Dance,
originated as early as 1993. The countries represented in these evenings included: Mainland China, Cuba, Russia, Canada, Great Britain, France, Monaco, Spain, and Germany. American artists appeared from American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. And remote companies, such as Kuban Cossack Dancers and Les Ballet Africains, added a touch of the exotic. Kersten remarks modestly about her tenure at Vail: "I am happy and proud to have seen my vision for
the Vail International Dance Festival become a reality."
Young choreographers gained commissions and a venue for new works through the Choreographers Collection, with new works premiered in Vail. Portending her post-Vail career, Kersten inaugurated the International Dance
Teachers Conference, an intensive educational program, World Masters at Vail and the Vail International Workshop. It seems inevitable that more projects for
education and scholarships would follow in her next career. She inherited the Bolshoi Ballet Academy at Vail, in 1992, where students of the world renown academy in Moscow, headed by Sophia Golovkina, studied, performed and enjoyed a respite from city life in beautiful surroundings. Several scholarships were given, among them to a young Californian, Sascha Radetsky, now a soloist in American Ballet Theatre, who was invited to study in Moscow.
American-born Kersten spent her childhood in Switzerland, studied ballet with Boris Kniasef in Geneva, and in Paris with Victor Gsovsky, one of the most internationally respected teachers of his generation, and Lucette Darsonval, an étoile of the Paris Opéra Ballet. By the age of sixteen, she was ready to begin her professional career. Back in the United States, she was a soloist with the Pacific Ballet in
San Francisco, the Milwaukee Ballet, performed in musical theater, classical productions and choreographed for opera. From1978 to 1992, she served as director
and chief teacher for the Milwaukee Ballet, where the school gained national recognition as one of the top ten ballet schools and where her origination of the nationally recognized "Identify Youth for Dance" scholarship program for young inner city youth, gained her a "State Senate Citation." Guest teaching in
schools and companies included Ballet du Nord in Roubaix, France and at Arizona State University.
It was inevitable that an overall picture of the teaching and scholarship needs of young American dancers should have re-emerged and gained her attention. In 2004, with Kee Juan Han (North Carolina School of the Arts) as cofounder, Kersten founded the American Ballet Competition for young dancers 11-19 years old. This yearly competition has its final trials in Miami, providing easy access for candidates from Southern countries. This 3rd year, 2006, ABC drew 80 contestants who came from France Mexico, Panama and Ecuador as well as the U.S.A.
An important component of competitions,
is the opportunity to take classes and be coached by world recognized teachers. Gilbert Mayer, former member
of the Paris Opéra Ballet, was Kersten's choice. He is meticulous in making corrections, respectful of the
contestants, full of old-world courtesy and charm. How could she resist the expansion of this teaching possibility? The year 2010 will find a new challenge
for this aspect of ABC.
While teaching dance in America requires no license or accreditation, as it should, there is a choice in ballet
methodologies. Unlike countries that have one over-all national methodology, American dance students may
choose to study in the Vaganova, Cecchetti, Royal Academy of Dancing or "another" system. The French
School, with its taste, elegance, and glorious legacy has been missing, but can be seen on the horizon.
Bonne chance to Kersten's future "French endeavor," and au revoir to Vail's most auspicious director.
Vail International Dance Festival 2006 International Evenings of Dance featured Anna Antonicheva and Vladimir
Neporozhiny (Bolshoi Ballet), Isabelle Ciaravola, Benjamin Peck (Paris Opera Ballet), Stephanie Dalphond, Alejandro Alvrez, Africa Guzmán (Compañia Nacional de Danza), Lorna Feijóo (Boston Ballet), Damian Woetzel (New York City Ballet), Paloma Herrera, David Hallberg (American Ballet Theatre), Eri Nakamura, Luca Vetere (Victor Ullate Ballet-Madrid). Ballroom dancers included: Hanna Kartunen, Victor Da Silva, Alison Epsom, Paul Killick, Anna Trebunskaya, Jonathan Roberts; Ana
Llorente, Brian Jolly, Eulia Baranovsky and Steven Dougherry.
Companies included Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble (Denver), ODC/Dance (San Francisco), Nevada Ballet Theatre, Ballet de Monterrey (Mexico), and the National Ballet of China.