Summer Intensive Diary at American Ballet Theater
Summer Intensive Diary
By Nora McGinley-Hence
Week 1
Nora McGinley-Hence as the Pigtail Girl in Graduation Ball // Photo: Rosalie O'Connor, Courtesy of American Ballet Theatre
My parents and I rented an apartment in New York City so I could attend the Summer Intensive at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) School. It was so exciting to finally be moving in, even if it was only for the summer. We arrived by bus from our home in Philadelphia and took the subway to the Upper West Side. Once we got there we had plenty of time to unpack and settle in. All I had left to do was to get a good night’s rest for placement class the next day.
Day 1
Sadly I did not get the good night’s rest I was hoping for, however, when it was finally morning, I was definitely ready for my placement class. Once I arrived at the studios at 19 and Broadway, there was a line to get in winding around the block. There were so many dancers of different ages, all looking very happy and focused. Once inside we were split into age groups. My group was to have an orientation in the morning and placement class in the afternoon. After orientation, I warmed up for class. My placement class was taught by Franco DeVito, director of the ABT School. Even though the studio was chillingly silent during class, Mr. DeVito kept the mood positive with informative corrections, most of which made us smile. However, I had to wait until the next day to see what level I was in.
Day 2
This morning I arrived early for my first full day of classes. 8:15 found me doing splits with my iPod on. As I waited for my class to begin the room began to fill. Finally it was time for class. I had Leslie Brown (whom I already knew a lot about, but later “Googled” and watched her performance of “The Sleeping Beauty” on Youtube.). Ms. Brown’s class really focused on how you would perform. She encouraged us to make sure all of the movements we do look good on stage.
After ballet and pointe, we had modern and jazz classes. We had Jessica Lang for modern. She is very precise about the movements that you do. We had Cornelius Carter for jazz. As a teacher from the Alvin Ailey School, Mr. Carter’s class was technically demanding. However, the catch was that you not only had to perform the pieces technically well, but you also had to perform them like you were on stage.
Day 3
I had my first rehearsal for both of my pieces for the final show. First I had rehearsal for "Graduation Ball." As Ethan Brown assigned parts, he kept me and another student apart. After he had cast everyone else he told us we would be dancing the part of the Pigtail Girl! I was very excited to be given a solo role. Afterwards I had another great rehearsal with Leslie Brown, who was choreographing my group’s piece for the final performance. I loved the movements she was choreographing and the Philip Glass music she was using. I was very excited about my parts in both pieces!
Week 2 and Week 3
One of my favorite aspects about the summer intensive at ABT was that we learned all about ballet, not just how to dance. I started some mornings with Pilates classes, which I feel helped me to learn how my body works. I then took ballet from various great instructors such as Nancy Raffa, followed by a variations classes taught either by Gabriela Brown or Rosanna Seravalli. In variations we focused on assuming the character of the variation we were performing and we also had a character class with Olga Dvorenko and rehearsals for the final performance. In addition, there were classes in music and ballet history, all of which I really enjoyed. I also felt very privileged to have Cynthia Harvey, a former principal with ABT and also The Royal Ballet, for technique class. However, the highlight of my second week was seeing "Romeo and Juliet," performed by ABT with Irina Dvorenko as Juliet and José Manual Carreño as Romeo. Gennadi Saveliev performed Tybalt with Carlos Lopez as Mercutio, and Jared Mathews danced the part of Benvolio. As students of ABT we were offered discount tickets. The third week I saw "Swan Lake," with Marcelo Gomes as Siegfried and Diana Vishneva performing the duel roles of Odette/Odile. Both performances were breathtaking!
Week 4 and Week 5
Lots of rehearsals for our final performance, but also some outside fun with friends. The ABT dorms surround Union Square, a very fun and interesting place to hang out. I was happy to go out a couple of times and explore New York City. Even though we were tired from our days, New York in an energizing place, the city that never sleeps!
Week 6
Today was our dress rehearsal for the final performance. After warm-up class, my friends and I boarded the subway to Fiorella H. LaGuardia High School for the Arts, which is just behind Lincoln Center. We grabbed a quick lunch on the way. As we ate lunch we conversed about how excited we all were to finally be going onstage. Once we got to the theater the rehearsal went very quickly. I was very excited for the show.
Well, the day of the final performance had arrived. The audience for both shows was packed. I was very happy with my performance. Everything and everyone did very well. My friends got to dance excerpts from “Romeo and Juliet,” “Swan Lake,” “La Bayadere,” and “Don Quixote.” Afterwards we were all hugging, exchanging e-mails, snapping pictures and saying our good-byes.
I went home to Philadelphia and was sad about leaving New York and ABT’s summer intensive. Even with larger classes than what I was used to, I felt that I had learned a lot from my teachers, especially my repertoire teacher Ethan Brown and our choreographer Leslie Brown. I will miss my friends very much. This was a very memorable summer!