Roman Baca - Jury, Master Class, & Special Event

Ballet Beyond Borders welcomes Roman Baca, artistic director of Exit12 Dance Company! He will be on the jury, teach a master class and present a special event “War leaves Pieces”

Back in August, Exit12 had the opportunity to go to Sky Hill Farms in Upstate NY for a week-long artistic retreat. While there, we created War Leaves Pieces with poetry and stories from three war veterans and artists:  Omar Columbus, Jenny Pacanowski, and Everett Cox. Through their words, the dancers explore the impact of war on their close family and personal relationships. 

Healthy Dancer Series BBB International 2021

Championing the Competitive Dancer: A Virtual Community Outreach Event

Ballet Beyond Borders in collaboration with the International Association of Dance Medicine & Science (IADMS) and The Bridge Dance Project (BDP)

 

January 9, 2020  8.45am – 1.15pm

 

FREE - Registration Required (Coming Soon!) 

 

Recommended for all competitive dancers ages 11+, parents and teachers

 

Experts from IADMS, Ballet Beyond Borders, and The Bridge Dance Project (BDP) share their TOP 10's for developing strong competitive dancers in this co-hosted virtual, live community outreach event. This live-streamed, one-day event will provide positive healthy dance science tips and tools on how to be a “stronger” dancer/competitor/performer. 

 

Leading up to the one-day event, free on-demand sessions will be posted from January 6-8th! 

 

 

 

8.45am Welcome from BBB, IADMS and BDP Astrid Sherman

 

9.00 – 9.40am Top 10 exercises for competitive dancers from Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) 

The favourite exercises to strengthen technique and prevent injuries for ballet dancers

WITH Robyn Segel Shifren International Director and Master Teacher  PBT 

 

9.50 – 10.30am Top 10 exercises for competitive dancers from Sugarfoot Conditioning 

The favourite exercises to strengthen technique and prevent injuries for contemporary dancers

WITH Katie Schaar of Sugarfoot Therapy, Bridge Dance Project

 

10.40 – 11.20am Top 10 Nutritional tips for peak performance

The latest nutritional advice for dancing boosts and the competitive edge. Timing meals for optimal energy during performances, which food groups to include in timed meals, which nutrients aid faster healing, which nutrients give greater focus and energy.

WITH Yasi Ansari, MS, RDN, CSSD,  Bridge Dance Project 

 

11.30 – 12.10pm  

TOP 10 Mental Health “strength & conditioning” tips for competitive dancers 

Mental Health is pivotal for best performance, confidence, grit and quicker healing from injuries. Learn tools for how to be more tenacious and positive, and bounce back from injuries. 

WITH Dr Susan Tasker,  Professor Emeritus University of Victoria,  Bridge Dance Project 

 

12.20 – 1.00pm  Top dance injuries seen in competition dancers 

The strategies how to avoid these injuries and best practices 

WITH Erika Mayall , physiotherapist Allegro Performance + Wellness, IADMS, Bridge Dance Project 

 

1.oopm – 1.15pm  Closing Remarks & Question Astrid Sherman (IADMS Dance Educator’s Committee and Bridge Dance Project LA Chapter)

 

Master Class with Boysie Dikobe for BBB International

Boysie Dikobe started his ballet training in Cecchetti with Sue Le Cordeur and Fiona Brown later attending the National School of the Arts under Erick Bowen and the late Danelle Crous.

He then at age 16 joined what was South African Ballet Theatre dancing in Romeo and Juliet, Swan lake and The Nutcracker.

In 2008 Boysie was the youngest competitor in kyknets dans, dans, dans and also competed in The first South African International Ballet Competition winning him the Judges recommendation and a scholarship to The Washington School of Ballet where he trained with Kee Juan Han and Carlos Valcarcel and also danced with the second company and the main company performing at the Kennedy Center. He was finished in the Top 12 Men in the New York Finals of the Youth America Grand Prix 2009 and later moved to New York to join Les Ballet Grandiva later moving to Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and performing around the world Ireland and more.

In 2016 joined Youth America Grand Prix full time as a Social Media Associate and Development Associate ,later returning to Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo as one of the Senior dancers.


“Mr. Dikobe (now as Sonia Leftkova), precise and light, comes closer to pulling it off, and with panache” - New York Times

BBB to go entirely online for January 2021

Welcome to BBB International - January 6, 7 8 and 9th , 2021This winter BBB will truly be even more international because we will all be participating from our distant continents and meeting online for four jam packed days of competition, unique masterclasses and very special events with BBB VIPS and International Guest Stars . So, with an abundance of caution for our global community RMBT has decided to move BBB completely on line for this January only.
You will still compete in ballet, contemporary, open and young choreographer categories and you will be seen and coached by our internationally respected jury. The masterclasses, the healthy dancers series , the diplomacy discussions, the Gala and scholarship awards ceremonies will all be yours to view on demand.
Welcome to our inclusive Festival where conversations continue with your BBB family and your mentors understand the obstacles we have all experienced to continue dancing during the Pandemic. Please do not let those challenges stand in your way this January. : no studio space, unable to attend class or work with your coach or choreographer, not able to obtain a costume. Don't let any of these hurdles stop you from joining BBB International. I applaud each and everyone of you . Let’s move beyond the pandemic together . Show up, because we are waiting for you. Dont long for the past - yearn for the future because we will be together again soon . In the mean time , lets see the world through the people who surround us , during BBB International this January ! Charlene Campbell Carey
Ps - See you in PERSON in Montana, August 2021!

Master Class with Claudia Zaccari for BBB International

Claudia Zaccari

Claudia Zaccari is a former Prima Ballerina of the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome and Guest Prima Ballerina in famed theaters and opera houses including: Arena di Verona, Massimo di Palermo, Toulouse, Avignon, and London. She has danced alongside world-class dancers such as Maja Plisetskaia, Carla Fracci and Vladimir Vassiliev. Mrs. Zaccari has worked as a Consultant and Artistic Director of numerous dance schools, dance performances and events in Italy and abroad such as: the 'Cecilia Kerche Festival' in Belem (Brazil) and the 'Centro Teatral di Mazatlan' (Mexico). Currently, Mrs. Zaccari is the Director of Opus Ballet's Department of Classical Dance and a public relations representative for So Danca. Mrs. Zaccari's awards include the title of "Knight of the Republic" for having promoted artistic exchanges on the international level between Italy and countries worldwid

Master Class with Colleen O'Callaghan

Colleen O’Callaghan

Colleen O'Callaghan danced with American Ballet Theater under the direction of Lucia Chase and Mikhail Baryshnikov. She trained on scholarship with the schools of the Louisville Ballet, the Pennsylvania Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, and the American Ballet Theater. Before joining American Ballet Theater’s main company, she danced with ABT’s Ballet Repertory Company under the direction of Richard Englund and Gage Bush. Mrs. O’Callaghan received a Bachelor of University Studies degree from the University of Utah in the Physiology and Psychology of Dance She has been teaching ballet for over 33 years and has been a faculty member of the University of Utah, Ballet West, California State Long Beach, California Institute of the Arts, the Stanley Holden Dance Center, Westside School of Ballet, Louisville Ballet and many other nationally recognized schools. For over five years she was the classical dance director for the Orange County High School of the Arts (OCSA). For over 15 years Colleen has been a faculty member for American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive programs. She is certified through level 7 of ABT's National training curriculum. She is a certified Yoga instructor and is passionate about the powerful outcome for dancers finding strength and balance from the proper foundations from Yoga. In addition, she currently is pursuing the certification for The Zena Roomett Floor Barre series. Mrs. O’Callaghan is the founder and Artistic Director of O’Callaghan Moves, a company dedicated to providing pre- professional training to dance students in a positive and nurturing environment. She loves to travel and share her expertise with schools and company as a guest faculty member. Most recently, besides teaching for American Ballet Theatre’s 2017 intensive Orange County , Ca. She taught for The Chicago Dance Conservatory summer intensive program under the direction of Tressa Mohler. 

Master Class with Caridad Martinez for BBB International 2021

Caridad Martinez, a former principal dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba, has performed in many of the world's greatest theaters, including Scala de Milano, the Champs Elysses Theatre in Paris, the Metropolitan Opera House in New York, the Beaux Arts Theater in Mexico City, and the Bolshoi, Kirov Theater in Saint Petersburg. A graduate of Cuba’s National Ballet School, she also studied at the Superior Institute of Art in Cuba. While Ms. Martinez lived in Mexico, she spearheaded a 9-year campaign to bring Cuban-based training to Mexican youth. She succeeded in this by founding and serving as Artistic Director of the Cuban School of Ballet- Veracruz for 13 years. She continues to be an advisor for the School. Ms. Martinez has also served as the Artistic Director and choreographer of The Havana Ballet Theater Company, as guest teacher and choreographer for the Beau Art Schools in Mexico, and as Conservatory Director and teacher at Brooklyn Ballet. She has choreographed for movies, television, ballet and modern dance companies, and is currently working with the Escuela Cubana de Ballet in Veracruz, Danza Activa in Panama, the 92nd Street Y, Alberta Ballet School in Calgary, and the Bessie Awards. Ms. Martinez is happy to bring the Cuban methodology to the Ballet Hispánico School of Dance.

Master Class with Charla Genn for BBB International 2021

Charla Genn instructs professional ballet company classes in New York City at Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, The Metropolitan Opera, Les Ballets Trockaderos de Monte Carlo, Ballet Hispanico, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She coaches professional ballet dancers, which include dancers from the San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theater, The Norwegian Ballet, The Washington Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and Dance Theater of Harlem. Ms. Genn is also a Dance Rehabilitation Specialist who works one on one with professional ballet dancers recovering from injuries and surgery. Ms. Genn has appeared as a guest teacher at Vaganova School in St. Petersburg, Russia, The Washington Ballet, The Alberta Ballet, Les Ballet Jazz de Montreal, LA Dance Project, Body Traffic, South African Ballet Theatre, Cape Town City Ballet, Batsheva Dance Company, The Hong Kong Ballet Academy, The Japan Ballet Society, Jacob’s Pillow, Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre, and Royal Academy of Dancing Summer Schools.

Winners for Ballet Beyond Borders 2020 Missoula

OPEN CATEGORY AWARDS

Solo

Student Silver Chrome Louie Chrome Louie

Student Gold Sarie Stark Going Deeper

Junior Bronze Carolyn Van Mantgem – Paper Moon

Junior Silver Miles Schmidt – Ray

Junior Gold Ana Wu – Rosy Clouds hasing the moon

Senior Bronze Leneice Trahan – Old Style

Senior Silver Julia Luane-Duarte – Ago aos orias (Ago ows odeshoss)

Senior Gold Sreoshi Sarkar – Kathak: Dekho Kaisa Naach Banaya

Pro Bronze Nathaniel Puttonen – Spring Outing

Pro Silver Melissa Hinz – Come by Sunday

Pro Silver Khoniss Wuttunee – Jingle

Pro Gold Kasper the Saint – How Dare You

Duets

Gold Hayden Kiely and Olivia Farnes - Wasteland

Gold Kasper & Radu – Born to Be

Small Groups

Gold Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre – Ta reine

Gold Roots Acro – Mourning Light

Ensembles

Gold Roots Acro – Welcome to the Jungle

CONTEMPORARY CATEGORY AWARDS

Solo

Student Silver Adrienne Gonzalez – Only Love

Student Gold Manon Barry – Vincent Van Gogh

Junior Bronze Jenna Renfield - Anemone

Junior Silver Olivia Farnes – The Hill

Junior Gold Ana Wu – Forever Thinking, Simply Waiting

Junior Gold Dimitri Govertsen-Donaldson - Disruption

Senior Bronze Marie Keenan - Shift

Senior Silver Mable Lundie - Adrift

Senior Gold Ruby Jenni – Selah

Senior Gold Julia Luane-Duarte – As tres faces (as tres Fassees)

Pro Bronze Damon Berry – Hunger for Light

Pro Silver Marsha Kwan – House of Isabel

Pro Silver Maddie Sagar – An ending, a beginning

Pro Gold Domsa Radu – Prometheus Chained

Duets

Bronze Annabel Thomas & Dimitri Govertsen-Donaldson – Treaty

Silver Sora Seki & Audrey George – Last Days of Dancing

Silver Julia Carbajal & Ruby Gentzler – Human

Silver Maddie Sager & Molly Rowe – Dotted Lines

Gold Fairah Burruss & Peyton Holcomb – Medicine

Gold Walter Barrera & Manon Barry – The Waiting Room

Ensembles Gold Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre – Bluebird

BALLET CATEGORY AWARDS

Solo

Children Gold Ziva Jansen - Dawn

Student Bronze Sofia Jansen - Titanium 

Student Silver Jett Wu – Harlequinade Variation

Student Gold Rhys Howes – Giselle Peasant Pas

Junior Bronze Jenna Renfield – Swan Lake Pas de Trois

Junior Bronze Grace Biachin – Sleeping Beauty Fairy Variation

Junior Silver Mackenzie Noe – Drummer Boy from Graduation Ball

Junior Silver Ana Wu – Variation from La Corsaire

Junior Gold Nyah Penner – Swan Lake Pas de Trois Variation

Senior Bronze Eden Lemmons – Variation from Paquita

Senior Silver Marie Keenan – Variation from Don Quixote Dream Scene

Senior Gold Mabel Lundie – Raymonda Act 1

Pro Bronze Marsha Kwan – Gamzatti Variation

Pro Silver Victoria Jaenson – Pas d’Esclav variation from La Corsaire

Pro Gold Maddie Sager – Aurora Variation from Sleeping Beauty

Duets

Silver Redondo Ballet - Dream Maker

Gold Redondo Ballet – Spring

Small Groups 

Bronze Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre - Etude 

Silver Redondo Ballet – I Giorni

Gold Redondo Ballet - Pigs

Ensembles

Gold Redondo Ballet – Ground

YOUNG CHOREOGRAPHER CATEGORY AWARDS

STUDENT 

Silver Skye Kozlowitz – Love

Gold Manon Barry – Barbara

JUNIOR

Bronze Annabelle Thomas – Put your Hands Up

Silver Amare Swierc – Lost in You

Gold Dimitri Govertsen-Donaldson – Emotional Buttons

SENIOR

Bronze Naomi Byrne – Head Hunters

Bronze Julia Luane-Duarte – Lagrimas Amazionicas

Silver Hayden Kiely – Blooming Farewell

Gold Ruby Jenni – The Breath of Marat

PROFESSIONAL

Bronze Walter Barrera – Dance

Silver Giovanni Giordano – Passion

Gold Domsa Radu – Beyond Skin

Finalists for the Contemporary and Ballet Category

Congratulations to the competitors and groups going on in the Contemporary and Ballet Finals

Contemporary Solos
#42 Manon Barry
#5 Adrienne Gonzalez
#14 Dimitri Govertsen-Donaldson
#8 Ana Wu
#27 Jaden Mooney
#57 Sawyer Reed
#28 Jenna Renfield
#40 Mackenzie Noe
#22 Grace Bianchin
#52 Olivia Farnes
#9 Annabelle Thomas
#44 Marlie Lavine
#39 Mabel Lundie
#55 Ruby Jenni
#30 Julia Lauany Duarte
#43 Marie Keenan
#66 Grace Nolan
#49 Naomi Byrne
#26 Jackson Rankin
#15 Domsa Radu
#41 Maddie Sager
#45 Marsha Kwan
#13 Damon Berry
#64 Walter Barrera

Contemporary Duets, Small Groups and Ensembles
#126 Human
#125 Medicine
#107 Waiting Room
#109 Dotted Lines
#108 Last Days of Dancing
#111 Treaty
#127 Bluebird

Ballet Solos
#65 Ziva Jansen
#29 Jett Wu
#54 Rhys Howes
#60 Sofia Jansen
#10 Audrey Domingo
#36 Kingsley Aguillen
#28 Jenna Renfield
#51 Nyah Penner
#8 Ana Wu
#48 Moon Schulze
#22 Grace Bianchin
#44 Marlie Lavine
#40 Mackenzie Noe
#24 Helen Mihlar
#39 Mabel Lundie
#30 Julia Lauany Duarte
#16 Eden Lemmons
#43 Marie Keenan
#26 Jackson Rankin
#49 Naomi Byrne
#41 Maddie Sager
#45 Marsha Kwan
#63 Victoria Janson
#21 Giovanni Giordano

Ballet Duets, Small Groups, Ensembles
#103 Spring
#104 Dream Maker
#101 Pigs
#105 I Giorni
#128 Etude
#102 Alice Cooper’s Christmas Pudding
#123 Ground

Finalists for the Open & Young Choreographer Category

Congratulations to all dancers going onto the finals in Open and Young Choreographer!

Competitors & Groups going onto the finals in the Open Category! 

#58 Shona Jessop & Dreamy the Horse - Due to special circumstances with Dreamy the Horse, this piece only competed in a Final Round and will not compete again. Please come to the award ceremony!

Open Solos
#12 Chrome Louie
#56 Sarie Stark
#8 Ana Wu
#47 Miles Schmidt
#11 Carolyn van Mantgem
#62 Sreoshi Sarkar
#30 Julia Lauany Duarte
#37 Leniece Trahan
#34 Kasper the Saint
#35 Khoniss Wuttunee
#46 Melissa Hinz
#13 Damon Berry (the jury has decided that this piece should be in contemporary)
#50 Nathaniel Puttonen

Open Duets, Small Groups & Ensembles
#114 Born to Be
#119 Wasteland
#117 Mourning Light
#116 Ta reine
#115 Welcome to the Jungle

Competitors & Groups going onto the finals in Young Choreographer

#42 Manon Barry
#59 Sky Kozlowitz
#9 Annabelle Thomas
#14 Dimitri Govertsen-Donaldson
#7 Amare Sweirc
#55 Ruby Jenni
#23 Hayden Kiely (Blooming Farewell)
#30 Julia Lauany Duarte
#49 Naomi Byrne
#53 Piper Leistiko
#15 Domsa Radu
#21 Giovanni Giordano (Passion)
#64 Walter Barrera

Even if you did not make the finals, still come to the award ceremony on Saturday.

BALLET BEYOND BORDERS ANNOUNCES 5TH INTERNATIONAL DANCE CHALLENGE, DIPLOMACY CONFERENCE COMING TO MISSOULA JANUARY 2020

***For Immediate Release***

BALLET BEYOND BORDERS ANNOUNCES 5TH INTERNATIONAL DANCE CHALLENGE, DIPLOMACY CONFERENCE COMING TO MISSOULA JANUARY 2020

Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre to Host Global Cultural Exchange January 8 – 11, 2020 on UM Campus


(Missoula, Mont.) – The Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre announced Ballet Beyond Borders Grand Prix Dance Challenge and Global Diplomacy Conference is coming to Missoula January 8 – 11, 2020.


This marks the 5th global dance festival hosted by Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre and follows up on the heels of a highly successful premiere of Ballet Beyond Borders in Los Angeles and Westchester, California this past August.

“Ballet Beyond Borders has been such a success in Missoula that we were invited to bring the festival to Los Angeles and Westchester earlier this year. We’re thrilled to be back home, bringing the world to Missoula for five days of world-class dance competition and diplomatic exchanges is the heart of our mission and we are thrilled to be sharing this with the community,” said Rocky Mountain Ballet Theatre artistic director and Ballet Beyond Borders president, Charlene Campbell Carey. 

The five-day event kicks off January 8th with international and Montana dancers join the Missoula Writing Collaborative in visiting schools in Missoula and the Flathead Indian Reservation. The festival wraps up with a Gala Finale on January 11, 2020 at the Dennison Theatre. In addition to the dance challenge, Ballet Beyond Borders will feature substantive discussions on the role of dance in global diplomacy. Thanks to support from sponsors including the Drollinger Family Charitable Foundation, all events are free and open to the public with the exception of the Gala Finale. Tickets for the Gala are available at www.griztix.com.

Ballet Beyond Borders 2020 will feature four inspiring individuals who have overcome incredible challenges while pursuing excellence in the performing arts. Their stories are both uplifting and unifying and highlight how dance breaks down barriers and fosters cultural diplomacy.

Ballet Beyond Borders 2020: Featured Guest Stars

Roman Baca

Baca is a US Marine who served in Iraq in 2007 as a machine gunner and fire team leader.  While looking for insurgents and intelligence, Baca also became immersed in humanitarian work, bringing water and school supplies to those in need.   Home from Iraq in 2007, he found himself having a tough time transitioning to civilian life. "I remember a couple of instances where I was mean and angry and depressed," says Baca. "My wife sat me down and said, 'You are not the same guy I knew before.' "  She suggested Baca return to his roots in dance.  Baca had trained at The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory in Connecticut and spent a few years as a freelance dancer before feeling compelled, like his grandfather had, to serve his country. "I walked into the recruiter's office and said, 'I want to help people who can't help themselves.'  Ten years later, Baca is a Fulbright Fellow in London, working to educate audiences about the realities of war through dance.  Mr. Baca will speak at the BBB MT diplomacy conference, and to veterans and individuals at risk or identified and suffering from PTSD.   

Lizt Alfonso

Alfonso has earned multiple awards and recognition include the BBC’s list of the 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world in 2018; International Spotlight Award by the USA President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, granted at the White House, by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, in 2016; The National Culture Order of Cuba; Ambassador of the Cuban Artist Fund of New York.  At the age of 23, she founded Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba  that has become one of the most popular and prestigious in the dance and musical world for its novel style.  Lizt will teach, serve on the jury and will present her vision of her unique school during the Diplomacy Conference.  

Sophie Rebecca 

Rebecca is an English ballet dancer who was the first openly transgender person to train at the Royal Acadcemy of Dance’s courses for female dancers. The academy changed its policy in 2013 and no longer insists that students taking these courses must have been born female.  Sophie is an articulate representative of the transgender community and can share her journey to womanhood and how dance has played an important role.  She explains how dance saved her.  She will speak at the Diplomacy Conference, moderate a panel discussion at the film festival and perform.

Ahmad Joudeh 

Ahmad Joudeh is a ballet dancer and a choreographer from Syria. He moved to the Netherlands with help of the Dutch National Ballet Company. He is currently internationally active as an artist.   Joudeh grew up in Yarmouk, a Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus.   His mother is Syrian, his father Palestinian, and while his father did not approve of his interest in dance, Joudeh persisted.   From 2007 until 2016, he lived in Damascus, studying dance, and teaching ballet to support himself, and to orphaned and disabled children free of charge.  His mother still lives in Syria.  In 2016, a documentary about Ahmad called Dance or Die was made.  It depicts him dancing in the ruins of the camp where he had grown up, visiting his family's former home in Palmyra, which has been destroyed, and the ancient Roman theater of Palmyra.  Joudeh also takes the filmmakers to his dance studio in Damascus, where some of his young students talk about their lives, and what dance means to them. The ancient Roman Theater in Palmyra was subsequently destroyed by ISIS.

All four of these important artists along with a dozen other BBB leaders will be part of discussions and informal meetings with BBB attendees, will present their stories during the diplomacy conference, teach master classes and share their experiences with the BBB and Montana community. Their stories of hardship, war, alienation, loss of country and their stories of struggle and perseverance are vital inspiration to the global humanity we all share.  

Learn more about the Ballet Beyond Borders Experience here. 

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BALLET THEATRE CONTACT:

Charlene Campbell, BBB president and executive producer

rmbts@aol.com

406-549-5155

MEDIA RELATIONS CONTACT:

Kathy Weber

kathyweberbates@gmail.com

406-698-3150

 # # #