Ballet Yuma
The Mission of Ballet Yuma is twofold: the development of programs that 1) train and provide professional performance venues for gifted dancers, and 2) provide opportunities for all local dance students to enjoy the educational benefits available through discipline in a major art form.
Ballet Yuma serves the community through outreach programs in the public schools to introduce the art of ballet to all students, and funds a scholarship discovery program for talented multi-cultural youth who would not otherwise be able to experience the world of ballet.
Description:
Now entering its 17th year under the direction of Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair, Ballet Yuma is recognized nationally as one of the best pre-professional ballet companies in the country. It is Arizona’s sole representative in Regional Dance America (RDA) as an Honor Company. Graduates have gone on to dance professionally with highly regarded companies including San Francisco Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company, Boston Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Miami City Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Louisville Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Missouri Contemporary.
Ballet Yuma, through performance experience, Company training, and development from the earliest stages at its official school, Yuma Ballet Academy, provides a learning experience which extends a positive influence far beyond the dance floor. From Early Childhood Development classes to upper level training, from ballet to contemporary, students build personal discipline leading to a practiced professionalism in both preparation and performance. As evidenced by the numerous Ballet Yuma dancers who have been accepted to train with or have become members of professional companies, students are availed the opportunity to grow to the point that they are prepared to step into the professional world. Ballet Yuma has been awarded Honor Company status with RDA as much for the education its students receive as for their acknowledged excellence in performance.
The positive influence of the arts increases proportionally with the number of lives it touches. To this end, Ballet Yuma presented special performances for hundreds of local students during its 2009.10 season. When possible, guest performers are presented, broadening the experience of local audiences and dancers alike. This past season, guest soloists performed with the Company in The Nutcracker and Giselle, and nationally known modern dance instructor and choreographer CDaniel Marshall inspired Ballet Yuma students as he guest-taught several class sessions and choreographed a work performed by Company dancers at the Yuma Art Center in April, and at the RDA Pacific Region Festival in May.
History:
For the past 28 years, Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair have set the standard for dance excellence in our community. From 1982-1993, as the directors of Yuma Ballet Theatre, they took a small group of inexperienced dancers and developed one of the finest regional ballet companies in the United States. Jon and Kathleen enabled the company to attain Honor status with Regional Dance America, one of the highest achievements possible for a youth ballet company.
With the establishment of Ballet Yuma, Regional Dance America bestowed Honor Company status to Ballet Yuma dancers, and Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair, in May, 1995. Ballet Yuma continues to be Arizona's only Regional Honor Company. Dancers working under their tutelage have consistently gone on to dance professionally in major ballet companies across the nation, to include Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Ballet West, Sacramento Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Texas Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet and others. Ballet Yuma students have also received fully funded scholarships from such prestigious summer programs as Houston Ballet, Utah Regional Ballet, Craft of Choreography Conference, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Ballet Idaho, and Joffrey Ballet, to name a few.
Contact people:
Office fax number: (928) 345-1534
Languages Spoken: English, Spanish
Address:
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P.O. Box 11121
Yuma, AZ 85366
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Web Site: http://www.balletyuma.org
Directions:
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From 4th Avenue, head East on 32nd Street. You will pass the airport and the Marine Corp Air Station on your right - continue heading East until you get to Avenue 4E. Make a right, traveling South on. . . (more) |
| Last updated on June 21, 2010 |
