Lake Charles Civic Ballet

LCCB Profiles: Elizabeth Gates

2012-02-22T15:49:00.000-06:00

Choreographer

Photo by Cameron Durham / Elizabeth Lauren Gates

LCCB PROFILES -- Elizabeth Lauren Gates from Lake Charles Civic Ballet on Vimeo.

Elizabeth 'Lizy' Gates trained with Lady Leah Lafargue School of the Dance just prior to attending the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. Since school Lizy has been a guest performer with many professional companies and worked as a ballet instructor and choreographer for studios in Louisiana and Texas. Beyond her classical ballet education, Lizy has studied the modern techniques of Martha Graham, Lester Horton, and Merce Cunningham. Her inspiration for her choreography comes from many sources, but she says her main inspiration is the music itself.

This season Lake Charles Civic Ballet is fortunate to have Lake Charles native Elizabeth Gates in the studio working with dancers and participating in our season. During a sneak preview in November, a trio of principal dancers performed Psalm of Spring which was choreographed by Ms. Gates especially for the event. Elizabeth Gates' Psalm of Spring will be featured at the LCCB Spring Performance later this season.

LCCB Profiles: Katelyn Chargois

2012-02-12T19:38:00.000-06:00

LCCB Principal

Photo by Cameron Durham / Katelyn Chargois

LCCB PROFILES -- Katelyn Chargois from Lake Charles Civic Ballet on Vimeo.

In the studiowith Katelyn Chargois and Elizabeth Gates.

Lake Charles Civic Ballet’s founder, Lady Leah LafargueHathaway revealed her creative brilliance and artistic vision through dance andthe stage. Lady Leah’s genius is found in the company’s extensive repertoirewhich features numerous ballets created or set by her. She provided a place forartistic talent to develop and for professionals to work. Over the years many artistsand guests have shared our studios and worked behind the scenes with photography,lighting, sets, costumes, and choreography.

While our foundation was laid byLady Leah the next generation continues her legacy and promises to entertainour audiences with the beauty of dance and the stage. Today, the position ofartistic director has been passed to Lady Holly Hathaway Kaough.She works her magic with the company, but she honors her mother’s vision—aplace where artists can work and collaborate with others. The original works ofLady Leah fit seamlessly with exciting new works created by Lady Holly andguest choreographers such as Elizabeth Gates.

In this third video of KarenWink’s interview series, Karen features LCCB Principal Katelyn Chargois in astudio rehearsal for Elizabeth Gates’ Psalmof Spring. This original piece by Elizabethwill be performed at LCCB's 2012 Spring Performance in May.

LCCB Profiles: Adelaide Saucier

2012-02-02T20:31:00.000-06:00

LCCB Principal Dancer

Photo by Cameron Durham / Adelaide Saucier

LCCB PROFILES -- Adelaide Saucier from Lake Charles Civic Ballet on Vimeo.

In the studio with Adelaide Saucier and Elizabeth Gates.

Elizabeth 'Lizy' Gates, a former student of Lady Leah Lafargue School of the Dance the official school of LCCB, is not a stranger to our studios—she's part of our history. Lake Charles Civic Ballet has collaborated with artists and arts organizations since its beginning. Talented artists such as Lizy are always welcomed and appreciated. This is not the first time Lizy has worked with LCCB dancers as a choreographer. For the 2008 Spring Performance, Lizy created Nocturne in memory of her father, Keith Gates.

LCCB's 2012 Spring Performance will again feature a work by Elizabeth Gates entitled Psalm of Spring. In this second interview in her series, Karen Wink features LCCB Principal Adelaide Saucier during one of Lizy's rehearsals for Psalm of Spring.

LCCB Profiles: Ashley Eaves

2012-01-24T13:31:00.000-06:00

LCCB Principal

Photo by Cameron Durham / Ashley Eaves

LCCB PROFILES -- Ashley Eaves from Lake Charles Civic Ballet on Vimeo.

In the studio with Ashley Eaves and Elizabeth Gates.

Karen Wink caught up with choreographer Elizabeth Gates and three LCCB princpal dancers in the studio. Karen interviewed each of the members during a rehearsal for “Psalm of Spring” created for LCCB by choreographer Elizabeth Gates for our "Season Sneak Preview & Behind the Scenes with LCCB." The complete piece was performed on Sunday, November 13, 2011. The evening was presented by L'Auberge Lake Charles and hosted by Heather Ieyoub of KVHP Fox29.

The first interview features Principal Ashley Eaves. LCCB looks forward to performing “Psalm of Spring” at our 2012 Spring Performance in May.

A Rudolph Review

2011-12-15T20:09:00.000-06:00

Photo by Cameron Durham

Guest Writer: Angie Dilmore

It’s crunch time at the North Pole. Santa and his elvesscurry to finish making toys and load the sleigh before their Christmas Evedeadline.

So begins the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, LakeCharles Civic Ballet’s thoroughly delightful production last weekend. I’ve been to several of this company’sperformances, and this show was my favorite so far. The elaborate sets andcolorful lavish costumes make the stage pop, but it’s the talented dancers whoentertain, amuse, and bring the show to life. LCCB performs only originalproductions. No stale nuts at our Rosa Hart Theater. The company has beenthrilling audiences with the Rudolph production every few years since the late1960s.

The opening scene pays homage to the true nature of theChristmas season with a beautiful dance of Mary, with the Christ child in themanger. Then ballet director Lady Holly introduces Santa Claus. Santa and Mrs.Claus guide the elves through a fun frolicking scene at the North Pole. Theseyoung performers enthusiastically dance around the stage with wrapped presentsand a myriad of toys. Humor is at the forefront here. The elves then takeSanta’s list around the world and we see dancers, veiled in gauzy shadowsbehind a screen, represent exotic places such as Russia, Hawaii, Scotland,Switzerland, Mexico, Arabia, Holland, and Japan.

We finally have the pleasure of meeting Rudolph when Santachecks to see if the reindeer are ready for their annual trip. He discoversRudolph feeling sad and alone. The other reindeer shove, snub, or completelyignore Rudolph and her blinking bright red nose. They believably paw at theground, strut, swagger, and point their noses haughtily in the air. Rudolphtries so hard to make friends with the other reindeer, to no avail. Santabrushes off Rudolph’s woes. Despondent, the little reindeer runs off into theforest. Magical pine trees comfort Rudolph and Eskimo children encourage andlift her spirits.

Then it’s Christmas Eve and we all know the story. Snow andfog threaten Santa’s trek ‘round the world. Here we meet the exquisite SnowQueen, shimmering in a sparkling blue tutu, accompanied by a flurry of gracefulsnowflakes.

Back at the reindeer stable, Santa realizes Rudolph’s shinynose can save Christmas. Through the magic of theatrics, the audience sees onlythe beacon and imagines Santa and his sleigh passing through the rows of seats,up into the balcony, and back towards the stage. The grand finale brings theentire jubilant cast out on stage for bows and a much deserved standingovation.

Photo by Cameron Durham

Congratulations to the LCCB on an awesome performance! Ican’t wait to see Sleeping Beauty in March 2012!

Lake Charles Civic Ballet Takes Rudolph Around the World: A total educational experience

2011-12-07T08:33:00.001-06:00

Photo by Cameron Durham

Guest Writer: Erica Guillory

As I watched my son practice for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Ballet, I was drawn to the educational experience it provides forchildren of all ages. I am a teacher whothrives on creative opportunities that will broaden the minds of my studentsbeyond the realm of the everyday learning routine.

The history of Christmas as it relates tomany cultures, countries, and traditions are embedded within the amazing balletpieces presented. Santa discusses the rituals of countries such as Russia,China, and Switzerland. This ballet experience can provide many avenues forculture awareness development. Also, it can provide a plethora of in depthresearch that will challenge the mind of students across the parish. Teacherscould use this opportunity for writing, comparing and contrasting the Americanculture to those of the countries discussed in the Ballet. State benchmarks and GLE’s definitely can bemet on a higher level, which is the goal of all teachers. Students will also be able to develop a lovefor ballet, theatre, and telling a story through the art of dance.

Opportunities like this are those in which education should thrive upon. This total experience could cover a multitudeof subject areas and student work. It isa great learning opportunity presented in a creative way. As educators andparents we must take advantage of those opportunities that will broaden theminds of our children. The Lake Charles Civic Ballet can provide thatopportunity. Take advantage.

Pictured in photo from "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer' Around the World, Russian dance:

Adrian Durham; Julia Basone

Dance, Conversation, and a Party with Friends

2011-11-19T11:12:00.001-06:00

Photo by Romero & Romero Photography

Guest Writer: Kelley Saucier, LCCB President

Lake Charles Civic Ballet took the opportunity to say thank you to sponsors, arts organization leaders, city officials, and special guests on Sunday, November 13, 2011 at Central School Theatre. The event, Sneak Preview & Behind the Scenes with LCCB, hosted by Heather Ieyoub of KVHP Fox29, gave the audience an inside look at the coming season and an opportunity to get to know the choreographers and principal dancers of LCCB as Ms. Ieyoub put them all in the "hot seat" on stage. Lady Holly Hathaway Kaough stated that LCCB's ambitious season, which includes the Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in December 2011 as well as The Sleeping Beauty in March 2012 with the Lake Charles Symphony, would not be possible without the continued support from the community. It was a wonderfully intimate gathering of special friends of LCCB who where treated to pre and post performance fare. We all had so much fun and look forward to our next opportunity to interact with our supporters: our Costume Preview Party for Patron Sponsors on March 2, 2012 at L'Auberge Lake Charles. If you aren't a sponsor yet, it's not too late to join and be a part of all the fun!

Pictured in photo: Adelaide Saucier, Drew Anderson

PASA's Backstage Pass

2011-10-13T13:25:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, with the generosityof Capital One and Chevron, presented a daytime performance of Complexions Contemporary Ballet atAngelle Hall UL Lafayette. Louisiana students were entertained and educated duringthe hour long look into the life of this company and its dancers.

Students were shown a condensed version of a professionaldancer’s day—from morning until night on the day of a performance. The glimpselasting 60 minutes carried our students through morning warm up—consisting ofbarre and center work, on to the daytime rehearsals, and ending with the nighttimeshow. Complexions male dancers were greeted with hoots and snickers by ouraudience of middle school and high school students, but were soon awarded cheersand applause. The young audience quickly gained an appreciation for the skillsand talents of these artistic athletes. The PASA daytime performance ended aftera Q & A session between the Complexions dancers and the students.

“to dance is to moveon a level far beyond athleticism. Yes, there are speed, power, balance, andendurance—all the things that define athlete. But then there are grace, beauty,form, emotion, and the power of communication. There is art.” __DanceMagazine, February 2002

Later that evening, UL Lafayette provided the location for aComplexions Dance master class taught by Assistant Ballet Mistress Sabra Perry.A master class provides ballet students with the opportunity to build theirdance knowledge.

The class of approximately 50 dancers was given a brief introductionof the company and its artistic staff then went straight into a barre warm up.Sabra was very personable and gave great analogies to help the dancers learnsome of the movements from two of the company’s ballets. All the movements wereballet based, with the upper-body lines lengthened to create the contemporarystyle. After the class, Ms. Perry answered questions and visited with the dancers.Lake Charles Civic Ballet members in attendance included Elizabeth Gates, DrewAnderson, Ashley Eaves, and Katelyn Chargois.

Complexions Contemporary Ballet will be performing tonight at HeymannPerforming Arts Center in Lafayetteat 7:30PM. From New York City, Complexions Contemporary Ballet is anartistic treat everyone must see.

Pictured in bottom photo left to right:

Katelyn Chargois, Sabra Perry, Ashley Eaves, Drew Anderson, Elizabeth Gates

Frozen Talents

2011-10-06T13:47:00.000-05:00

Photo from Lois Greenfield website

Photography and ballet are both skilled arts that take yearsof training to develop. If you ask a ballerina when she mastered her skill ofballet, she will tell you that a dancer is alwaysworking to master the art of ballet. Photography is the same. Combining theseart forms can be challenging, but truly exciting.

The relationship of photographer and artistic director is notunlike the relationship of the choreographer and the dancer. Lake Charles Civic Ballet has had the privilege of collaborating with severalphotographers—professional and amateur.

For a photographer’s camera to successfully capture adancer’s motion, the dancer must possess the physique and technique to displaythe movements and shapes selected by the artistic director, and the photographermust possess the talent and timing to capture the precise moment of the movement.The resulting photograph represents many layers of talent. Years of training,dedication, and skill—for everyone involved—frozen for all time.

LCCB is a pre-professional ballet company. On opening night ofResonating Fields at Historic City Hall, LCCB dancers, choreographers,photographer, and artistic director viewed the exhibit as guests, as well asteachers and students of the art of ballet. Thank you to Lois Greenfield for sharing hertalent with the city of Lake Charles. 'Like' Lois Greenfield on Facebook at Lois Greenfield Dance Photography Workshops.

"Resonating Fields" -- Lois Greenfield's Dance Photography Exhibit

2011-10-04T11:17:00.001-05:00

Guest Writer: Angie Dilmore

Photo by Cameron Durham

The City of Lake Charles and 1911 Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center are currently hosting a traveling exhibit called “Resonating Fields,” by photographer Lois Greenfield. Since 1973, Greenfield has been photographing dancers in action. Her work celebrates the art of movement, capturing the grace and beauty of dance in its many forms.

Members of the Lake Charles Civic Ballet are particularly excited about this show. Greenfield’s work inspires and impresses them. They know well the difficulty of the portrayed movements. Photographer Cameron Durham practices his craft all around town, including the ballet studio.

Photo by Cameron Durham

This seventeen-year-old home-schooled senior volunteers as a photographer for the Lake Charles Civic Ballet. Cameron has been studying photography and taking pictures for about four years. Many of his photographs can be found here on the ballet blog.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Cameron at the reception for Greenfield’s exhibit. He appreciates movement in photography and admired Greenfield’s talent for freeze-framing motion. We discussed the challenges of photographing dance. Lighting is important, as well as timing. “The right moment only exists for one thousandth of a second. It’s very hard to catch,” says Cameron. But he says his greatest challenge in dance photography is “getting the right angle so that it looks like it does on stage.”

Photo by Danley Romero

Cameron aspires to be a professional photographer. “I’ve devoted too much time to photography for it to only be a hobby,” he says. “My dream is to be an editorial photographer.”

Expect more of Cameron’s photography here as he hangs out with the LCCB dancers while they diligently prepare for their ambitious March 2012 production of The Sleeping Beauty.

Lois Greenfield’s show, “Resonating Fields,” can be seen at 1911 Historic City Hall through November 12.

Pictured in photos:
top-Lady Holly Hathaway Kaough, Mayor Randy Roach
middle-Lady Holly, Adrian Durham, Addie Saucier, Elizabeth Gates
bottom-Cameron Durham

Elastic and Tulle

2011-09-15T11:59:00.000-05:00

Photos by Cameron Durham

LCCB performed The Sleeping Beauty ballet in 1995 with new costumes and sets. The costume creator for the performance was Costume Designer Ray Delle Robbins. Recently our company returned to Houston—back to Ray Delle so she could revive her creations to their beautiful beginnings. With help from Bobbie Grizzle who has labored beside Ray Delle for over 20 years, the women silently measured and pinned and wrote notes on small tan cards. Many alterations will be needed for over fifty costumes worn by the lead characters in the ballet.

Ray Delle recalled our original order for The Sleeping Beauty ballet as clearly asif it were yesterday. During her inspection of the costumes on this visit, shefound the fabrics and designs still fresh and beautiful, but the tulle skirtsand the elastic shows were in need of repair. While she worked with each dancershe answered our questions about her career and her job at Houston’sTheatre Under the Stars.

She began her education as an art and drama major, butquickly realized she liked to eat more than she liked to perform so she earnedher teaching certificate. After teaching school for seven years, she worked for17 years with Houston Ballet in the wardrobe department. For the last 25 years,Ray Delle has been the Costume Shop Manager at TUTS; although her title maychange from show to show. Ray Delle manages three shows for TUTS theatre each season.Traveling shows featured at TUTS and her own contract work, fill in her freetime. During our fittings, Ray Delle received a visit from her prop man and setman. It was quickly apparent they are a close theatre family as they greetedeach other with bright smiles and hugs.

Ray Delle spoke of her ‘spells’ with certain colors and explainedhow her costumes show her love for a color during certain periods in her career.She easily recognizes her creations by the fabrics and her stitching. Ray DelleRobbins will be adding to LCCB’s TheSleeping Beauty extensive costume collection with new costumes for KingFlorestan XXIV and the Queen, Prince Désiré, Bluebird and many, many more. Weare now accepting Sponsor memberships, and individual ticket sales will beginlater in the year. Visit our website at www.lakecharlescivicballet.com to reserveyour seat at the ballet and witness the splendor of Ray Delle’s work up closeand personal.

50 is the New 30

2011-09-09T00:15:00.001-05:00

by Rhonda K. Chargois

Southwest Louisiana doesn't have a professional balletcompany to claim as their own. The closest thing we have is a visit from theMoscow Ballet and their Nutcracker sponsored by a local ballet studio. We are fortunate to have our owncivic ballet—Lake Charles Civic Ballet. LCCB dancers are students. For the mostpart, they are middle school and high school students, with a few collegestudents and professional dancers that participate regularly in class and inperformances.

Our company dancers are connected. Not that they come to classevery afternoon and visit with everyone face to face. They’re connectedonline. They interact with friends, family, teachers and brands throughFacebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube; they read and create blogs likeTumblr, Blogger, or WordPress. Smart businesses will meet these youngerconsumers where they hang out if they expect to be noticed by them and have animpact. Most ballet companies are smart. LCCB wants to connect.We may be over 40, but we're acting much younger. I guess you could saywe're fighting our age.

In our efforts to stay young and connect with new ballet fans, wehave become much more social. No, we don't visit in class, but we are connectedwith people and businesses through social media outlets. We are a nonprofitarts organization which means we are supported by a limited budget. We dependon the support of grants, sponsors, and volunteers. And just in case you didn'tnotice—social media is cheap, but it isn't easy.

Facebook should be fairly easy, right? Twitter is different andmay take more time to understand if you've never tweeted. Blogging moves intomore work. Flickr, YouTube, Foursquare, they all have something fun to offer toa company looking to 'get social' on a budget. It's like an addiction. You addone social account, and the next thing you know you're adding another andanother. But remember, every account has to be updated, monitored,and actively used, or you may as well remove the word 'social'.

I'll admit. When my own children were younger I was against socialmedia, but once my children were old enough to become 'social' it became my jobas a parent to monitor their activity. As I monitored, we learned together thebest ways to connect with the good and stay away from the bad content online.Now that I'm 50 which we all know is the new 30, I can connect with the younger generation. Connecting for LCCB means sharingwhat's happening inside TheBallet and what's happeningin ballet outside our community. The Nutcracker is great Christmas fun, butballet is so much more.

Our Social Media Team has a mission to track down the most currentonline ballet information and discussions. We want to share that informationwith our dancers and anyone else who may be interested. We want to share thelinks to our favorite blogs and Facebook Pages on The Ballet blog soon (just as soon as I learn howto do that—Jjk). Some ballet companies have beautiful websites, informativeblogs loaded with eye catching photos, and they're connected with social mediain every way imaginable. Other companies are stuck back in a time warp beforethere was social media.

Last week I heard a mature woman exclaim she would be coloring herhair until the age of 100. Lake Charles Civic Ballet has a group of volunteerswho believe our company is a valuable addition to our community and the worldof ballet. Connect with us, and let's be social. We'll be the elderly women withcolored hair staring at our smart phones and clicking away on our laptops.

Inside the Wardrobe: Part II

2011-08-22T02:02:00.001-05:00

The Houston Ballet Wardrobe Department occupies a good portion of the second floor in the new downtown Center for Dance. Bolts of fabric, costume accessories, and racks of ballet costumes are just a few of the staging areas inside the wardrobe. Wardrobe Manager Laura Lynch moved our small group of visiting moms past the ballet bibles to an office space reserved for guest designers and local artisans. This area provides their guests with ample office space complete with desks, work surfaces, and plenty of storage space to work side by side with HB wardrobe staff.

Just past the guest office space in the northeast corner of the wardrobe is the Spray Room and the Dye Room. Where some tutus are designed to be spray painted to give them a distinctive color and shape many times the fabrics are dyed. The Dye Room houses several washer/dryer sets with one set reserved just for dying fabrics. In the corner of the room stands a restaurant grade food vat used to heat the dyes to a higher temperature for those hard to dye fabrics. There is a separate hot water tank to serve the high demands of this room. Laura explained the multiple techniques used to clean ballet costumes. The techniques include hand wash, machine wash, dry clean, and ozone treatment. Dry cleaning is the hardest on costumes because the chemicals break down the structure of a costume and the fabric. Ozone treatment is more costume friendly. Houston Ballet has plans to install an ozone facility on the premises. Costumes are routinely spot cleaned with a fine mist of straight vodka. Most of the moms had never heard of this technique.

the thread wall in 'notions central'

Anyone in Houston would love to have the views designed into this building. Walls of windows surround this end of the department. One of the most colorful spots in the costume area is called ‘notions central.’ Here you will find trimmings, buttons, beads, and spools of thread in every color imaginable. ‘Onie’ White, wardrobe volunteer, shared her bead story with our group. During a rehearsal for Marie one small area of beading broke loose from one of the costumes scattering the beads across the stage floor—a potential safety hazard for the dancers. Onie was given the job of removing all the beading from the costume so the beads could be reattached in a more secure manner. By the time she finished her job, the beads filled a large hat box. Everything on stage is larger than life.

Cutting and sewing requires light and power. The wardrobe department has power brought into the room from the floor and the ceiling. Several outlet locations are necessary to run the commercial sewing machines and irons. Here is where Laura says the design could have been improved. If the electrical outlets in the ceiling had been installed on tracks, the space would be more versatile. I don’t think anyone is complaining about that one small error in design. Scraps of thread and run away pins are always a safety concern so no slippery floor tiles in the wardrobe—concrete floors throughout. AFA Code requires one dressing room be handicap accessible, and fatigue mats are standard equipment in every dressing room since dancers can’t stand still for

longer than 15 minutes per fitting. That must be a union rule.

theatrical wardrobe cabinet

Only costumes for the current jobs are housed inside the wardrobe and the Academy Summer Showcase was on the books the day of our visit. The wardrobe department has moved three times over the years, but the bulk of the costume and prop inventory remains at HB’s warehouse location. The warehouse offers some climate controlled space and houses costumes, props and scenery for the company’s extensive repertoire.

One table in the wardrobe held two partially constructed costumes for Cincinnati Ballet’s all new Nutcracker. Laura’s department is one of only a few professional ballet companies that ‘job out’ work in the off season. This generates income for their department and work for local artisans. Laura shared her complex system for scheduling contract workers around a ballet season. It is extremely important to stay on budget, but also to provide enough work to attract the local artisans. Laura answered all our questions and shared many helpful tips such as where to buy practice tutus, how to clean and care for our purchases, and career opportunities in the arts.

Just a few days later Laura Lynch was seen entering the dance lab to attend one of the performances of the Academy Summer Showcase. She was just another guest—to most, but a few of us seated in the audience knew differently. Our small group of moms will forever remember the day we were invited inside the wardrobe.

Many thanks to Houston Ballet, Laura Lynch, Onie White, and Debby Brown for inviting us inside their new home at the Center for Dance in downtown Houston, Texas.

The Dancers and the Maestro Meet

2011-08-20T19:50:00.000-05:00

Photo by Cameron Durham

It’s not easy to enter the Rosa Hart Theatre via the loading dock door during a July deluge, but somehow, photography equipment, costumes, dancers, Lady Holly and Bohuslav Rattay, the charming new conductor of the Lake Charles Symphony, made it. The purpose? A publicity photo shoot for the March 2012 production of The Sleeping Beauty. Maestro Rattay kindly took time out of his busy Summer Pops schedule do the shoot with LCCB principal dancers. Bohuslav (Bo Hu slav, dancers discovered it is pronounced with the accent on the second syllable) is, as Katelyn Chargois put it, “cool.” He is at ease in front of the camera and jokes around on the set. The dancers enjoyed getting to know our new conductor.

And what about those yellow sneakers? To honor Bohuslav, the girls showed up in colored Converse All Stars, only to discover that the Maestro’s famous footwear is actually a brand called Diesel. He says they are very comfortable.

Photo by Cameron Durham

While on set, Maestro Rattay told me that he is excited about conducting the Tchaikovsky score. Although he has worked with ballet companies in the past, this will be his first time conducting The Sleeping Beauty.

Talk about a busy schedule! Conducting the Lake Charles Symphony is not the Maestro’s only job. He is currently the music director of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra, Ball State University and has a busy guest conducting schedule. Rattay is originally from Prague, Czech Republic, so he also spends time in Europe. Bohuslav has said many times that he loves the people and the culture of Southwest Louisiana, and is most happy to be here. In a recent email conversation he shares, “I am eagerly looking forward to working with the young dance talents of Southwest Louisiana and foreseeing that this production of The Sleeping Beauty will awaken the Lake Charles arts community..... “ All involved believe that when combined, the talents of these two distinct organizations create an electrifying synergy greater than the sum of its parts and will add to an already lively arts season in Southwest Louisiana.

LCCB can’t wait to meet with Bohuslav and the rest of the Lake Charles Symphony orchestra in March. Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 17, 2012 at 7:00 PM. You won’t be disappointed!

Kelley Saucier
2011-2012 LCCB Board President

LCCB Season Sponsorships are available now, and include tickets to The Sleeping Beauty. Call Kelley Saucier at 337-513-5808 for more information. You may also visit the website at www.lakecharlescivicballet.com.

Lake Charles Symphony Season Memberships are also available now. For more information call their ticket hotline at 337-433-1611 or visit their website at www.lcsymphony.org.

Summer Intensive Is Over: Interview with Three LCCB Dancers

2011-08-14T00:45:00.003-05:00

Photo by Cameron Durham / Studio Two

Three Lake Charles Civic Ballet (LCCB) company dancers Marietta Campagna, Adrian Durham, and Katelyn Chargois had 'intense' summers. All three dancers participated in a classical ballet summer intensive workshop. Marietta has been a Lady Leah Lafargue School of the Dance (LLL) student for almost 10 years. This is her second year as a LCCB dancer, and her second Summer Intensive (SI) with LCCB.

Adrian started his dance career five years ago with LLL and has been a LCCB company dancer for three years. This year Adrian auditioned and was accepted to Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy 2011 SI. Therefore, three weeks of Adrian's summer was spent with LCCB and three weeks with HB in their new Center for Dance. Adrian has now completed five SI’s.

Katelyn recently received her ten year certificate with LLL. She has been a LCCB company dancer for five years and has just completed her seventh SI. Katelyn auditioned this year for Joffrey Ballet in New York and Houston Ballet. She was accepted to both programs, but chose to attend Houston's SI. Katelyn attended all six weeks at HB's Center for Dance. This was Katelyn's second visit to HB for summer training.

Photo by Cameron Durham / Center for Dance

LCCB caught up with the three dancers to ask them some questions about their SI experiences. A simple interview sounds like it should be easy enough, but these dancers have been busy all summer, and with their upcoming season, it doesn't look as though it will slow down anytime soon. Below is our question and answer session with the dancers.

LCCB: It's customary for students to record all corrections given by instructors. What corrections during your SI did you find most beneficial?

Marietta: The corrections most helpful for me were to pull up and to stretch my foot instead of just pointing it.

Adrian: I received two important corrections this summer—while at the barre I have to adjust my core to keep my balance instead of using the barre to keep the balance for me; and there are times when a dancer doesn't know a step so you need to rely on yourself instead of just following someone else.

Katelyn: I found the corrections on turns to be the most beneficial. We really worked on our body positioning this summer. When you turn you have to hold your core muscles and breathe. One of the main corrections that helped me with my turning was to think of having a short stomach and a long back.

LCCB: Our company ballet class includes barre exercises and center work to develop proper technique. Tell us how summer intensive was able to develop your ballet class experience and dance training.

Marietta: During the summer intensive classes we learned new and different combinations which helped me to improve a lot.

Adrian: My studio in Lake Charles has only a few male dancers. In Houston, I had the opportunity to work with a large group of guys. With the larger group, there was a healthy competition between us, and I was able to let my personality come out working with a group of guys.

Katelyn: During regular season your class time is shared—learning technique and choreography. You have more time during summer intensive to break things down and work on the details of your technique. Since there is more class time each dancer gets more individual corrections, too.

LCCB: What were your favorite classes taken this summer?

Marietta: It's really fun to learn something new so my favorite classes this summer were musical theatre and jazz. I had a lot of fun in those classes.

Adrian: (without hesitation) Weight training—I learned the proper technique for a male dancer. I have used weights in the past, but this summer I realized I wasn't really working correctly.

Partnering—this class helped me to understand each partner's responsibility. We are a team, and we have to work together.

Katelyn: My favorite class this summer was Composition Class—we called it comp. I loved this class because you use your ballet training, but comp is an improvisation class. As an assignment, we had to choreograph our own dances using improvisation. Improvisation gives you freedom. In ballet, you're trained to do steps a certain way—holding your core and pointing your toes. In comp class, you use your ballet training, but you change the order of the steps to make them your own. It really helps dancers to step outside the box and have a little freedom with their dancing. Dancers need this freedom in order to be less tense and more fluid with their movement.

LCCB: How did you feel about the class offerings and instruction by multiple teachers?

Marietta: Multiple teachers really helped me a lot in learning to focus. The instructors all had different personalities, but they were all really fun to work with so I liked the variety of dance and instruction.

Adrian: With a group of guys, we had classes that were focused for the male dancers. My view of barre has new meaning. Before this summer, I felt it was just something we had to do, but now I understand the need to warm up properly and to prepare properly for center.

Katelyn: Having a variety of dance classes helps me be more relaxed in ballet, and learning different dance styles makes you better prepared for a dance career.

One of the best things for me was working with the different teachers—you don't have the repetition of having the same teacher every day. Every teacher sees different corrections to give a dancer. Sometimes they even have a different terminology for the steps. It's good to learn from a variety of teachers so you can learn to take instruction from anyone.

Photo by Cameron Durham / Studio 540

LCCB: What would you say was the most interesting class instruction you received during your SI training? Explain.

Marietta: I really liked jazz class becausemy teacher taught us the

differences.Things like instead of turning out, you turn in and you stay

in plié for yourturns—really good technique in jazz.

Adrian: My family eats healthy, and Iknow about eating a balanced

diet. Nutrition class was creepy for me because ofthe photographs of

people with eating disorders.

Katelyn: Iwould have to choose Pas de Deux Class—which is

partnering. At my studio, wedon't have a lot of partners to work with

in class, and it's good to have the experience working with different

partners. Your partners can be all different sizes and strengths and

you have tobe able to work with all of them. This summer ourpas

teacher emphasized expression in our dancing. That's always

embarrassing when you're working with a guy that you don't really

know, in a roomfull of students watching you dance, and you have to

give expression toyour partner and to the music. It really has to flow

and look like a pas de deux. That's one of the hardestthings to

do—to make it look beautiful.

This year Lake Charles Civic Ballet has put together an exciting season. During December, they will perform Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer for school groups as well as a matinee and a gala performance for the community. In March 2012, Lake Charles Civic Ballet will perform a full-length ballet The Sleeping Beauty accompanied by the Lake Charles Symphony in the Rosa Hart Theatre. The training that Marietta, Adrian, and Katelyn gained this summer plays a big part in their preparation for such a daring season.

Pictured in photos from top to bottom:

past and present LCCB company members - Megan Richard, AddieSaucier, Katelyn Chargois, Adrian Durham, Gabby Saucier, and Marietta Campagna

Adrian Durham and Katelyn Chargois

Adrian Durham w/ other HB SI students

Inside the Wardrobe: Part I

2011-08-07T11:48:00.000-05:00

Photo by Katelyn Chargois / fabric bins in Houston Ballet Wardrobe Department

During the last week of Ben Stevenson Academy 2011 Summer Intensive, a select group of moms were given the opportunity to peer inside the wardrobe department of Houston Ballet. Located on the second floor of their new home downtown in Houston Ballet Center for Dance, the Wardrobe Department is expertly managed by Laura Lynch. Laura provided our small group of visiting moms with an insider’s view of ballet wardrobe and costumes. She shared information on the department's organization, their attention to detail, and the reasons for the bare beauty of their new space. Many thanks to Debby Brown, 'Onie' White, and Laura Lynch for sharing their ballet home with us, and this rarely seen view of a professional ballet company.

In a smaller market, a wardrobe department runs with mostly volunteer labor, but a professional company “must” depend on a hired work force. Laura's team consists of only one volunteer, Hermione 'Onie' White, and Onie considers her work in the wardrobe department a labor of love. She shared several of her own personal stories relating to the wardrobe, but one experience appeared particularly special. With instruction and assistance from a visiting designer, Onie constructed her first tutu out of scraps of tulle. Admittedly the adventurous project challenged her skills. Following the designer's hand drawn sketches and working for over 500 hours on her creation, Onie gained a true understanding and respect for those who work in the wardrobe and costume industry.

Houston Ballet's wardrobe department is made up of many different areas each with a specific purpose. There is a shoe wall—no pointe shoes here. HB has a special Shoe Room for pointe shoes. These are all decorative shoes and boots created for the many character costumes. The photo above shows the bins that hold bolts of fabric used by the department. There are rolling tutu trees, library shelving filled with boxes of costume accessories, and many staging areas reserved for precise needs. Along one wall are the Ballet Bibles—one for every ballet. Each bible contains the details for every piece necessary to recreate a costume. Swan Lake has four separate bibles of its own. Onie told us about the Stitch Bible. The book contains directions and details to sew or repair any costume. The directions are very specific. To replace a missing button you must reference details such as the button location on the costume, the fabric, and the stitch to use. If you do not follow the bible details, then you must remove your work and begin again. The strict attention to detail required by the department is one of the many things that makes their business such a success.

A wardrobe department is truly a magical place. The full-time staff and contract artisans of Houston Ballet work behind the scenes, but their talents are seen by all of us who share a love for ballet and the theatre. We will have more to share on our visit Inside the Wardrobe: Part II.

2011-07-27T11:46:00.000-05:00

...all the exercises given...for the barre should be performed. (Naturally, a beginner would take some weeks at least to learn the movements, quite a time to grow accustomed to them, and—in keeping with ballet as a whole—the rest of his life trying to perfect them!) — Kay Ambrose, The Ballet-Student’s Primer

An Occasional Fairy Tale

2011-07-27T10:36:00.000-05:00

Guest Writer: Ashley Eaves, LCCB Principal

“Once upon a time,” is a familiar saying for everyone. Growing up, all of us have imagined what it would be like to fly like Peter Pan or to be the beautiful princess awakened with a kiss from her handsome prince. Storybooks and fairy tales have impacted the lives and imaginations of children for many generations and shall continue to have relevance for those to come. I remember imagining what it would be like to meet the characters from these stories such as the menacing evil villain or the kind fairy godmother.

Today, as a dancer with the Lake Charles Civic Ballet, I am allowed to put a face to these remarkable characters. Recently, several dancers and I were able to dress up in the costumes from The Sleeping Beauty ballet for storytime at Central Library located in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The children were fascinated as Lady Holly told the tale of The Sleeping Beauty as the ballet dancers tiptoed their way into the hearts of the audience. I was dressed as the evil fairy Carabosse. The children and parents were astonished at my wicked costume, mystified by the Lilac Fairy, and enchanted by the beautiful Princess Aurora.

Needless to say, it was an occasion that made me realize none of us are too old for fairy tales and storybooks.

Costumes Set the Stage

2011-07-23T21:40:00.000-05:00

In just a few weeks, our company members will travel to Houston for costume fittings in preparation for this season's The Sleeping Beauty. That kind of trip for our pre-professional company members, especially in today's economy, represents a commitment to provide the best for our dancers and our community. For most of our dancers, this will be their first experience working with a professional costume designer. Lake Charles Civic Ballet, on the other hand, has a long history with the woman who created many of the costumes living in our attic.

New costumes for TSB will be created and old ones altered by their original designer, Ray Delle Robbins from Houston Ballet and Houston's Theatre under the Stars. Although you may not hear her name mentioned with the same regularity as those who perform on the stage, Ray Delle's talent is just as valuable to the success of the performance. Her beautiful costumes have made many appearances in LCCB performances over the years and are a lasting testimony to her talent. Those who have been around The Ballet mention her name as if she is one of the family. It will be exciting to introduce our young dancers to this woman. She and the dancers together transform the stage into the world of the character.

QR Reader and Codes

2011-07-22T13:39:00.000-05:00

Soon you will see a QR Code in print from Lake Charles Civic Ballet. We thought a little explanation might be helpful for those of you who have not run across one of these 2-dimensional boxes, or maybe you have and did not know what they could do for you.

How to use a QR Reader from Shannon S. on Vimeo.

Not Just Another Walk in the Park

2011-07-21T15:35:00.000-05:00

Photos from 2010 Alzheimer's Walk 'Team Lady'

Guest Writer: Chelsey Orr

Alzheimer’s disease affects many individuals and their families, but often gets overlooked because it progresses slowly and its victims can survive many years with it. Just because these victims can live with the degenerating disease does not mean that the impact it has on the individual and their family is any less than those who suffer from cancer or heart disease.

My mother, Lady Leah, has accomplished so much in her lifetime. Whether it was through her many friendships or her creative imagination, she could bring a smile to anyone’s face. She always put her best foot forward and truly brought life and enjoyment to every ballet she created and that we still enjoy to this day.

In an extremely tragic turn of events, this wonderful “Lady” that worked so hard and had such an incredible imagination, ended up with this horrible disease. It is sobering to think of this beautiful woman and her equally beautiful mind being struck with such a horrible fate.

When something this tragic hits so close to home, the need and desire for action becomes much clearer. It is for Lady Leah and the millions of others that are affected by this disease that we are raising awareness and funds to help cure Alzheimer’s and keep it from being the “Forgotten Disease!”

For more info on the Alzheimer’s Walk and the group set up for Lady Leah join our facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/groups/231518163536443?ap=1 or contact: Chelsey Orr (337) 304-0059

Talents to Share

2011-07-19T20:28:00.000-05:00

Photo by Cameron Durham / Houston Ballet Center for Dance at dusk

Do you have talent? Some people have multiple talents, and they don’t even have to work for them—they come naturally. Others may search their entire lives for a talent and may never discover it. An arts organization is filled with talented people. A nonprofit arts organization depends on talented people for survival. Lake Charles Civic Ballet has always had its fair share of talent. We have artists, accountants, educators, lawyers, writers—you name it, we’ve got it. But the really special part about these talented behind-the-scenes people is the fact that they are all volunteers.

Some of our volunteers are here for only a short time while others stay for the long haul. Some are young and others older. The older ones may have children active in The Ballet today or adult children who were in the past; the volunteer may have danced as a child. Everyone volunteers for different reasons. Some people are involved because they share a love for the arts, and others just because they want to share their talent with someone else. Their talents, ages, and reasons may vary greatly from one to the other, but The Ballet appreciates all our behind-the-scene volunteers.

The photograph above was taken by one of our youngest volunteers. Cameron Durham has served Lake Charles Civic Ballet in several roles over the last five years. His younger brother, Adrian, is a member of LCCB. Cameron is studying and developing his photography and cinematography skills. On occasion he works with professional photographers documenting weddings around Louisiana and is working on expanding his portrait portfolio. The Ballet looks forward to sharing Cameron’s talents with our Facebook fans and on The Ballet Blog.

2011-07-18T11:12:00.003-05:00

"A sentimental journey is not good in the theatre unless you can take your audience with you (after all, they have paid for their seats), and to watch a dancer who is enjoying herself in her own way, without reference to theatrical interpretation, is like watching a sleeper who has a smile on her face, and wondering what she is dreaming about." — Kay Ambrose, The Ballet-Student's Primer

The Ballet Attends the Symphony Summer Pops

2011-07-17T21:42:00.004-05:00

Bohuslav Rattay, conductor of the Lake Charles Symphony pauses after the show with Lady Holly Hathaway Kaough, Artistic Director of Lake Charles Civic Ballet and some of the company’s performing members.

Guest Writer: Kelley Saucier, LCCB Secretary

Dancers have been busy all summer rehearsing and training for the upcoming season, but they took a break Saturday, July 16 to enjoy the Lake Charles Symphony Summer Pops featuring the Austin, TX based band Asleep at the Wheel. Besides the premier of the Harry Potter finale, the Summer Pops is the must see event of the season.

Lady Holly bought pizzas for the dancers, rewarding those who had worked so hard all week, but the girls had none of that. They are in serious training mode, and were seen sipping water and joining in for the last number on the dance floor. A fabulous time was had by all, highlighted by a photo op with Maestro Bohuslav Rattay! LCCB is already marking the calendar for next year’s event.

The Test

2011-07-11T19:18:00.001-05:00

Photo submitted by Katelyn Chargois

Guest Writer: Katelyn Chargois, LCCB Principal

One teacher and 15 minutes later everything I know about dancing changed.

As a dancer, I am told all the time: tighten the core, work the hamstrings not the quads, keep your weight in the balls of your feet, but it was never cut down into enough detail for my mind and body to actually comprehend. I didn't know that the very basics of my placement were all wrong. This is how one teacher explained it for me:

Stand in parallel 6th position and turn your feet out to 1st position. If you didn't fall on your face right then, it’s because you shifted all your weight. When you stand in parallel 6th position you are in your perfect ballet position—with your weight forward. Tighten your core and don't move anything, except your feet to 1st position. Keep your weight in the balls of your feet just like 6th position. You should feel your hamstrings and your bottom engage. This is your perfect ballet position. This information is the difference between a good dancer and a great dancer.

Just like Lady Holly says, ‘I’m giving you the answers to the test.’ All our lives we were given the answers to the test: tighten the core, work the hamstrings but not the quads, and keep your weight in the balls of your feet, but we were failing the test.

Lunch Break Is Over

2011-07-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

Photo by Katelyn Chargois

More Than Ballet

2011-07-08T16:55:00.002-05:00

Photo by Brad Puckett / American Press

Lake Charles Civic Ballet has always offered its company members more. More than just an end of the year recital, the dancers enjoy precious opportunities to perform on the stage for the audience. In addition, LCCB provides dance students with a six-week summer intensive workshop taught by professional instructors from around the country. The workshop provides outstanding training for the serious ballet student. Dancers know how easy it can be to settle into comfortable surroundings—your regular studio, normal classes, that favorite instructor. For a dancer to gain full value from their ballet study they must stay connected. They must feel connected. Summer workshop can help the dancer reconnect. They walk into the studio like it’s new, try a different style of dance, and learn from instructors with different teaching methods. It's exciting! It's sort of like a metabolism boost for their dance study—infusing energy and excitement. Summer workshop for ballet students can provide hands on training into the world beyond dance. Lake Charles Civic Ballet dancers experience the big stage. They present full-length story ballets to large audiences, but that’s not all. Company members perform and work behind scenes in ways vital to the success of the performance. Everything imaginable from setup to cleanup becomes part of the dancers’ experience. The training, not always glamorous, develops the dancer. Not all dancers will become the principle ballerina in a professional company, but some may. Others may choose a career path they discovered while training in the company. The audience will eagerly embrace the talented professional ballerina and they will also need someone to design her fabulous costumes, run the complicated sound board, and plan that strategic marketing campaign to connect the audience to the arts.

Every year some of our company dancers attend summer workshops away from home. This summer a few of our members will attend Houston Ballet's Summer Intensive program. Some of those Level 8 students can participate in career studies courses. Read what Jaclyn Youngblood, Academy Intern, shares about these students' classwork.

http://houstonballet.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/developing-a-dancer%e2%80%99s-toolbox-the-world-of-wardrobe/

Summer Vacation at the Studio

2011-07-07T19:10:00.000-05:00

Many children spend their summer vacation lounging on the couch, swimming, watching movies, or playing video games. Other kids use their time away from academic studies to develop their physical and mental skills by participating in various sports camps. Serious ballet dancers are among those kids who will use the summer break to develop and improve their skills. All sports -- football, soccer, baseball, cheer, even marching band -- require time, energy, and mental effort for a participant to be successful. Ballet is no different. Ballet is a sport with its own unique terms, techniques, positions, rigorous muscle conditioning, and muscle memory development. In addition to physical skills, these serious athletes learn the importance of musical timing, proper nutrition, costuming and uniform requirements, hair and makeup techniques, and so much more. Ballet dancers may attend 'intensive' summer camps with little free time. Their day may begin at 8:00 A.M. and last until 6:00 or 7:00 P.M. At these camps or in a studio, dancers learn both how to perform individually and as part of a team. A passion to be the best – be it at ballet or baseball – is often what drives our young athletes to forego other activities and focus on developing their skills. That’s why some dancers will spend their summer vacation in the studio.

2011-07-03T22:30:00.000-05:00

When the dancer has danced, the only thing which remains of the performance is--the length of time it will live in the minds of those who saw it. Kay Ambrose, The Ballet-Student's Primer

2011-07-02T12:38:00.000-05:00

"Why are you stingy with yourselves? Why are you holding back? What are you saving for—for another time? There are no other times. There is only now. Right now." — George Balanchine

LCCB The Ballet Blog - NEW

2011-06-30T16:37:00.003-05:00

This is a new blog site. We will be adjusting and adding information in the next few weeks. Please check back with us.

'What are the electrolytes in Gatorade?'

2011-06-30T16:23:00.005-05:00

'...the key electrolytes are the minerals sodium, potassium, and chloride. When athletes sweat they lose electrolytes such as sodium, potassium, and chloride that are essential to hydration and muscle function. Unlike water and other beverages that are not scientifically formulated, Gatorade is lab-tested to ensure it helps replenish the electrolytes lost in sweat and stimulates thirst so that athletes will ingest an adequate amount of fluid and electrolytes to stay better well-hydrated compared to when using beverages without electrolytes, particularly sodium.'

http://www.gatorade.com/frequently_asked_questions/default.aspx