SUMMER INTENSIVE 2015 MASTER CLASSES
WHEN: July 13, 17, 24
WHERE: Princeton Ballet School is located at 301 N. Harrison in the Princeton Shopping Center, above McCaffrey’s Supermarket.
- Due to limited space, observers must register in advance. For reservations and to confirm times of Master Classes, please call Princeton Ballet School at (609) 921-7758.
- Children ages 8-14 must be accompanied by an adult. Children younger than 8 years old are not allowed.
- Out of respect for the teacher, students and fellow observers, Princeton Ballet School requests that observers arrive on time for the start of class and remain seated until the class is over.
- For these class observations, photography and videography are strictly prohibited inside the studio.
In its on-going effort to share the joy of dance with a wider audience, the 2015 Summer Intensive Program at American Repertory Ballet’s Princeton Ballet School is pleased to announce that its Master Classes will be open to observers. Leading Master Classes will be Broadway dancer Michael Mindlin, New York City Ballet dancer Unity Phelan, and Sarah Hay, a soloist with Semperoper Dresden Ballet. All three received their early training at Princeton Ballet School.
Michael Mindlin is currently appearing in Disney's Aladdin on Broadway. His other Broadway credits include Bring It On, Mamma Mia, 9 to 5, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Mindlin got into theater when he was about 10 in McCarter Theatre's A Christmas Carol, and went on to perform in shows at other local theaters. By the last two years in high school he was training at Princeton Ballet School six days a week. Michael Mindlin will be teaching at Princeton Ballet School's Summer Intensive on Monday, July 13.
Acclaimed ballet dancer Sarah Hay is a Soloist with the Semperoper Ballet in Dresden, Germany, and is the star of the new ballet TV drama series Flesh and Bone. Ms. Hay, who grew up in Princeton and spent the first few years of her ballet training at Princeton Ballet School, has danced with the North Carolina Dance Theatre, Los Angeles Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and has appeared in several TV shows and in the Hollywood blockbuster, Black Swan starring Natalie Portman. Ms. Hay will be teaching at Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive on Friday, July 17.
The Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive Program will welcome back New York City Ballet dancer Unity Phelan. Born in Princeton, Ms. Phelan began her dance training at an early age at the Princeton Ballet School, where her teachers included Douglas Martin, Maria Youskevitch, and Mary Barton. Ms. Phelan trained at PBS from 2000 to 2009, and then continued her training at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet. Ms. Phelan became an apprentice with NYCB in December 2012 and joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2013. Ms. Phelan will be teaching at Princeton Ballet School’s Summer Intensive from July 20 through 28. She will open her class to observers on Friday, July 24.
Other guest artists include Kirk Peterson had a distinguished career for 17 years with American Ballet Theatre as principal dancer, choreographer, Artistic Director of ABTII, Ballet Master, Principal Character Artist and as Master Teaching Associate. Peterson was also Artistic Director of the Hartford Ballet for five years. He is now a guest choreographer for American Repertory Ballet (ARB). Another guest choreographer for ARB, Trinette Singleton, will be teaching at the Summer Intensive as well. Singleton was a dancer with the Joffrey ballet, Ballet Mistress/Teacher for the Joffrey Ballet, as well as Administrative Assistant to Robert Joffrey and a member of the Faculty and Advisory Board of the Joffrey Ballet School. She was the first dancer to ever be featured on the cover of Time Magazine. Rounding out the roster of guest artists will be NY City Ballet dancer Cameron Dieck.
About American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School
American Repertory Ballet’s mission is to bring the joy, beauty, artistry and discipline of classical and contemporary dance to New Jersey and nationwide audiences and to dance students through artistic and educational programs. The organization comprises: the preeminent professional classical and contemporary ballet company in the state; Princeton Ballet School, one of the largest and most respected non-profit dance schools in the nation; and ARB’s Access & Enrichment initiatives, including the long-running and acclaimed DANCE POWER program. The performing company is a classical and contemporary ballet company committed to presenting ballets from the 19th and 20th centuries alongside new and existing works by choreographers from today. Founded in 1963, the company is currently under the artistic leadership of Douglas Martin, former principal dancer with the Joffrey Ballet. Its rich history of repertory includes established masterpieces by distinguished American choreographers such as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Alvin Ailey, Paul Taylor and Twyla Tharp; cutting edge works by choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Kirk Peterson, Dominique Dumais, Harrison McEldowney, Amy Seiwert, Susan Shields, Melissa Barak, Patrick Corbin, Trinette Singleton, and ARB Resident Choreographer Mary Barton; and former Artistic Directors Dermot Burke, Marjorie Mussman, Septime Webre and Graham Lustig. ARB has been designated a “Major Arts Institution” by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts consistently for the past two decades, and has repeatedly been awarded a Citation of Excellence by the Council. ARB was voted the Jersey Arts People’s Choice for “Favorite Dance Company” in 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2015.
Princeton Ballet School has gained a national reputation for its excellent dance training since its founding in 1954 by Audrée Estey. Under the direction of Mary Pat Robertson, Princeton Ballet School currently serves approximately 1,200 students, starting at age three, and includes a large open enrollment division for adults. Princeton Ballet School has studios in Cranbury, New Brunswick, and Princeton and offers classes in ballet, modern dance, jazz, hip-hop, CardioBallet, and CoMBo - Conditioning for the Mind and Body. Students from the school have gone on to dance in professional ballet and contemporary dance companies in the US and abroad. Graduates have danced with such diverse organizations as New York City Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Miami City Ballet, Complexions, Mark Morris Dance Company, Twyla Tharp, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet West and on Broadway.
The Access & Enrichment wing of American Repertory Ballet reaches out to the community not only through its DANCE POWER program and signature On Pointe series, but also with free programming, master classes, residencies, lecture demonstrations and School Time Matinees throughout the state. In 1985, American Repertory Ballet partnered with the New Brunswick Board of Education to create DANCE POWER. Today, it’s the longest-running uninterrupted arts/community partnership in New Jersey. The legendary Gregory Hines was DANCE POWER’s Honorary Chair for 18 years before his untimely passing in 2003. In 2001, Mr. Hines endowed a scholarship at Rutgers University that earmarks annual funds for a DANCE POWER student to attend the university.
