Orlando Ballet School debuting for the Arts at the J

Theater, dance and music all are unique forms of art. They capture the imagination of performers and their directors. 

They make audiences feel something special. Viewers can be touched in their own unique way, and that’s what makes it so beautiful. 

Arts at the J is striving to connect people by sharing those artistic moments. It’s a new Rosen JCC initiative designed to showcase the best local and visiting talent to the wider West Orange and Southwest Orange communities. 

And to celebrate this new initiative, Arts at the J has chosen the Orlando Ballet School, based in downtown Orlando, to debut and break in the new stage. 

When the Orlando Ballet School takes the stage for the Arts at the J program Sunday, Nov. 23, it’s more than just another show for the esteemed ballet school. It’s the school’s chance to showcase their artistic expression in the heart of the arts community. 

A NEW STAGE 

As the Orlando Ballet School prepares for the debut, the opportunity to perform in such a community-focused venue is significant to the trainees and employees. The school’s students typically perform in their own school theater. 

“Having this opportunity to take our best performances or best pieces out somewhere other than our home theater is a huge opportunity for our students, our dancers,” Orlando Ballet School Educational Director Christopher Alloways-Ramsey said. 

He said it isn’t typical for students to explore different stages in the local community. Usually, they send out the second company, the Orlando Ballet, to do performances for anything beyond the walls of the company’s home.

The JCC performance will feature only trainees, who are fully on tuition scholarships based on their talent. It’s a highly competitive position, and 16 of the trainees have traveled from six different countries to come and learn at the school. 

“We’re the inaugural group for Arts at the J,” Alloways-Ramsey said. “Being invited to open their whole series of artists that are coming — that says a lot.” 

It’s special to not only have the invitation but also to be able to give back to the regulars who attend the Orlando Ballet School’s performances. The ballet dancers are able to provide potential new audiences with an “appetizer” of what they can expect if they attend the school’s shows. 

Everything began when Alloways-Ramsey had lunch with Ofira Bondorowsky, CEO of Rosen JCC, who invited the school to perform there. 

“It was such a wonderful conversation,” Alloways-Ramsey said. “We had a great time discussing possibilities. She is great and she has a wonderful imagination.” 

Once Alloways-Ramsey met Bondorowsky and saw the venue, he instantly felt inspired. She has a love for dance, so it was a perfect match.

PREPARATION 

During their lunch, they discussed a performance for children and a performance for adults. Alloways-Ramsey said he began determining what they would look like and realized they needed to cut it down to one because of the timing and for the school’s sake. 

Bondorowsky asked him to combine the elements into one, and that’s exactly what he did. 

Photo by Israel Zavaleta Escobedo Photography

Orlando Ballet School dancers will perform “Carnival of the Animals” to appeal to the children. Alloways-Ramsey described it as a sweet work for the kids to enjoy. Dancers will flash across the stage in different animal costumes and capture the chaos and beauty of a carnival. 

“(It) has 40 dancers from our school in it,” Alloways-Ramsey said. “That’s going to be kind of a huge, fun, over-the-top thing for the children, mostly the opening piece.”

To appeal to adults, Alloways-Ramsey picked standard repertoire pieces from around the world including “Flower Festival,” “Don Quixote pas de Deux” and excerpts from “Gaîté Parisienne.” These pieces are hardcore classical works and will teach the students how to perform romantic ballet. 

“Those are hard task masters for the dancers and a great opportunity for the audience at Rosen to be exposed to beautiful choreography that’s world famous, that’s done the same everywhere,” he said. 

As soon as the show program was determined and students returned from summer break, they went right to work in mid-September. Alloways-Ramsey said he’s been rehearsing with the trainees’ repertoire every day since. 

A typical day for the trainee dancers starts with a ballet class every morning for two hours and a point class for the women and a men’s class for the boys. Then they head into rehearsals for two hours before rehearsing with the professional company every day, as well. 

It is a busy schedule, but that is what it takes to prepare the trainees, ages 16 to 21, for the company’s professional life. 

The younger ballet dancers in the school are around 8 or 9 years old and they come twice per week, with special rehearsals on Saturdays for “Carnival of the Animals.”

MEANING TO STUDENTS

“I tend to be a proud ballet Papa,” Alloways-Ramsey said. 

He and the other choreographers become invested in developing the dancers. The dancers have made the commitment and have the drive to come from around the world and most of them are at the school by themselves. The students’ parents did not move with them. 

“When you’re working with a 16- or 17-year-old who is living away from home for the first time, they need that extra support in their coaching,” he said. 

None of the repertoire for international pieces is easy for the students to learn. Alloways-Ramsey said even professional companies will struggle with them. 

“To see our kids do this, it’s beautiful,” he said. “We’ve got an exceptionally talented bunch this year, and just to have that opportunity at Rosen JCC to show that off to the larger community is so exciting.” 

Every time Alloways-Ramsey watches the dancers on stage, he gets nervous for them. A few days before the performance is when his nerves calm down. He reminds himself the dancers are well prepared, they’ve been practicing for two months on the minute details. 

“We are educating 21st century artists,” Alloways-Ramsey said. 

Those artists are “psyched” to be able to perform at the inaugural opening of the Arts at the J. It’s truly an opportunity for them to go out in the community and share the beauty which they have been curating for months. 

Each and every ballet dancer in the school is filled with pure excitement about stepping up onto the stage, rather than jolts of nerves and pressure.