Ballet Palm Beach

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  • Broadway World: Dancing Under The Stars At The Ballet Palm Beach Gala

    Broadway World: Dancing Under The Stars At The Ballet Palm Beach Gala

    The memorable evening featured cocktails under the stars, exciting silent and live auctions, and a delightful dinner.

    Originally published on Broadway World, written and photographed by Stephen Sorokoff

    Jan. 28, 2022  

    Ballet Palm Beach - Broadway World

    Palm Beach is affectionately nicknamed “paradise” by those who reside and vacation here. Since it’s early beginnings the town has been a cultural hub inhabited by a community that generously and enthusiastically supports the performing arts. This was no more evident than at the legendary Colony Hotel last night as Ballet Palm Beach held their “WE BELIEVE” Season of Dance Gala.

    It has been a difficult time for audiences and performers these last 2 years. Masked socially distanced patrons and artists are not the optional way to enjoy a performance. Luckily the skills of Ballet dancers cannot be constrained by masks. As a result there was no impediment between the beauty, grace, and agility of the dancers of Ballet Palm Beach and the audience as company dancers Libby Faber, Nicholas Holtz, Lily Loveland, Jay Markov, Aaron Melendrez and Madeleine Miller thrilled the gala attendees with a specially choreographed piece to Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” played by The Switzer Sound and sung by Chris Santiago.

    Ballet Palm Beach - Broadway World

    The annual fundraising event chaired by long-time board member Erin McGould and her husband, Sean McGould supports Ballet Palm Beach’s incredible WE BELIEVE Season of Dance.

    The memorable evening featured cocktails under the stars, exciting silent and live auctions, and a delightful dinner. It was truly Dancing Under The Stars With The Stars to the music of Jill & Rich Switzer.

    Ballet Palm Beach - Broadway World
    The Switzer Sound

    Ballet Palm Beach’s WE BELIEVE campaign focuses on sharing what the ballet company truly values and how it impacts the community. THEY BELIEVE in taking your breath away with incredible performances. THEY BELIEVE dance is for everyone. THEY BELIEVE in excellence for their students. THEY BELIEVE dance speaks to your soul. Funds raised will also offset expenses of performances and free community outreach programs which reach thousands of underserved families every year.

    Ballet Palm Beach - Broadway World

     

    “Dance truly is for everyone,” says Erin McGould. “I was honored to chair this year’s gala to support not only professional ballet performances, but also the Ballet Palm Beach Academy students and its free community outreach programs.”

    Ballet Palm Beach - Broadway World
    Anka Palitz and Richard Rose, Palm Beach Historian

    The incredible Anka Palitz served as honorary chair of this year’s gala. Palm Beach cultural patron Anka K. Palitz has been a generous and tireless supporter of dancers for decades, both during and after their dance careers. In January, 2020 she created the Ballet Palm Beach Anka Fund for Dancers. The fund directly supports salaries for the professional dancers of Ballet Palm Beach. Ballet Palm Beach applauds Anka and her support of our organization.

    Host committee members included Stefani & John Daddano, Heidi & Don Kiselewski, Erin & Sean McGould, Michelle & Woodward Middleton, and Michele & Karl Ruppert. Ballet Palm Beach is incredibly grateful for sponsors UBS, Legends Radio, Bank of America, FPL, The Royal Poinciana Plaza, Joy and Mike Miltenberger, Elizabeth and Peter Keith, Jane and William Todd, AmFund, Jimmy Choo and FlowerMart.

    Photo Credit: Stephen Sorokoff

  • Ballet Palm Beach leaps into season with ‘WE BELIEVE Season Of Dance’ gala

    Ballet Palm Beach leaps into season with ‘WE BELIEVE Season Of Dance’ gala

    Written by Krystian von Speidel, Notables Editor. Originally published in the Palm Beach Post Notables section.

    Ballet Palm Beach recently held the “WE BELIEVE Season of Dance” gala at The Colony Hotel, Palm Beach. The memorable evening featured cocktails under the stars, an exciting silent and live auction, a delightful dinner, dancing to the Switzer Sound, and a sublime performance by Ballet Palm Beach members.

    Company dancers Libby Faber, Nicholas Holtz, Lily Loveland, Jay Markov, Aaron Melendrez and Madeleine Miller thrilled gala attendees with a specially choreographed piece to Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” played by The Switzer Sound and sung by Chris Santiago.

    Screen Shot 2022 02 10 at 1.37.10 PM

    Chaired by longtime board member Erin McGould and her husband Sean, the annual fundraising gala supports Ballet Palm Beach’s incredible WE BELIEVE Season of Dance. Ballet Palm Beach’s WE BELIEVE campaign focuses on sharing what the ballet company truly values and how it impacts the community. Funds raised will offset expenses of performances and free community outreach programs that reach thousands of underserved families every year.

    “Dance truly is for everyone,” says Erin McGould. “I was honored to chair this year’s gala to support not only professional ballet performances, but also Ballet Palm Beach Academy students and its free community outreach programs.” Anka Palitz served as honorary chair of this year’s gala. Palitz has been a generous and tireless supporter of dancers for decades, both during and after their dance careers. In January 2020 she created the Ballet Palm Beach Anka Fund for Dancers. The fund directly supports salaries for the professional dancers of Ballet Palm Beach.

    For more information about the professional company or its school, Ballet Palm Beach Academy, or to support its outreach efforts, call 561-630-8235 or visit balletpalmbeach.org.

  • Randolph A. Frank Prize To Be Awarded To Ballet Palm Beach Founder Colleen Smith

    Randolph A. Frank Prize To Be Awarded To Ballet Palm Beach Founder Colleen Smith

    (June 17, 2020) Palm Beach Symphony has announced that Ballet Palm Beach Founder and Artistic Director Colleen Smith has been awarded the 2020 Randolph A. Frank Prize for the Performing Arts and will receive the entire prize amount of $10,000. The award ceremony will stream live to the public beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 25 at https://www.palmbeachsymphony.org/frank-prize.

    “In addition to being a brilliant choreographer, Colleen has taught more than 5,000 Palm Beach County students and awarded in excess of $200,000 in scholarships to deserving dancers since creating the Ballet Palm Beach Academy in 1993,” said Palm Beach Symphony CEO David McClymont. “The joy she brings to audiences at Ballet Palm Beach performances and the superior dance instruction and nurturing encouragement she offers her pupils makes her extremely deserving of this honor. Due to current conditions, we will be hosting the ceremony on the internet and the many people Colleen has touched in her life will be able to take part in the celebration.”

    Bestowed in the memory of Dr. Frank, a local arts champion in the early part of this century, the prize was established 11 years ago by Randolph A. Frank Prize Board Members Nancy and Jay Parker and founding chairman and acclaimed dance photographer Steven Caras. The award recognizes contributions to the enhancement of the cultural and artistic life of Palm Beach County by performing artists, arts educators and emerging artists.

    Smith has danced with Ballet Met in Columbus, Ohio, New Dance Ensemble in Cleveland and Tulsa Ballet Theatre in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Before establishing Ballet Palm Beach, she taught for the Kansas City Ballet School in Kansas City, Missouri; served as Ballet Mistress for New Dance Ensemble in Cleveland, Ohio; began the dance department of Trinity Methodist Fine Arts School in Palm Beach Gardens; and taught at numerous schools in South Florida.

    In addition to the stunning production of The Nutcracker, which Smith choreographed and which features nearly 70 students on the stage of the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, Academy initiatives include Ballet by the Book in which she annually creates a work based on a book chosen by the public library system. The dance is presented throughout the community at libraries, schools and theaters and includes post-performance talks with the young audiences.

    Smith has deepened her students’ performance skills and understanding of their roles as artists through the Ballet Ambassadors program in which she leads overseas dance missions. During the past 11 years, the program has travelled to Russia, Croatia, France, Bosnia, Hungary and Cuba with performances presented in prisons, churches and synagogues free of charge.

    Many of Smith’s students have pursued their dance education at colleges and universities and some are now professional dancers. Others have an appreciation for art and support dance in their own communities.

    Elizabeth Faber, a senior majoring in dance at New York City’s Juilliard School, praised Smith writing, “Without Miss Colleen’s presence in my life, I would not nearly be the confident, determined and hard working person that I am today. Not only has Miss Colleen’s technique served me throughout my dance career, but she has shown me how to share my art and stand behind what I believe into the world.”

    The general public is invited to the live award ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. on Thursday, June 25 at https://www.palmbeachsymphony.org/frank-prize. There is no charge and no advance registration is required.

    Re-posted from broadwayworld.com
    Photo (c) Steve Caras, all rights reserved

  • The Tutu Project: Bringing Joy to our Quarantined Community

    Amidst the pandemic outbreak, Ballet Palm Beach, among many other local businesses and organizations, decided to close its doors for the safety of its dancers, teachers, and academy students. Though quarantine was not the most ideal situation for its youngest ballerinas, the Ballet Palm Beach Academy powered through the setbacks, offering its students free, virtual ballet classes via Zoom with their beloved BPB teachers. “We [had] been offering tuition-free, virtual classes for our students, but I wanted to do something more,” said Colleen Smith, the Artistic Director of Ballet Palm Beach and School Director of the Academy.

    So, what more could be done to bring the Ballet Palm Beach family together? With International Dance Day right around the corner, company dancers and academy teachers developed a creative way to bring smiles to the faces of their beloved academy students. Thus, the Tutu Project was born. Academy faculty, clad in BPB
    T-shirts and tutus, drove from Boca Raton to Stuart delivering tutus to over 125 students while offering words of love and support to the families. In celebration of International Dance Day, students were encouraged to get creative, with many decorating and dancing in their tutus to share with fellow classmates.

    Chloe and Bella Tejada

    Though it was brief, the reunion of academy teachers and students proved to be a touching moment that the BPB faculty won’t soon forget. Miss Julie, a ballet teacher at Ballet Palm Beach Academy for the past 16 years, explains, “In our recent Tutu project, Mr. Marshall was the pilot and navigator, and I had the lovely role of presenting each student with their tutu, much like a ‘tutu telegram’. Mr. Marshall and I drove from Jupiter to Royal Palm to Boca Raton. It was a two-day ‘Santa Clause- like’ experience! To see each student’s face light up at the receipt of their gift was beautiful. I was glad to be a part of the venture!”

    The Ballet Palm Beach family has remained united through thick and thin, and the Tutu Project is just one of the many examples of the bond that lives within this community of dancers. Smith explains, “Our Tutu Project was a wonderful way to stay connected to our students during the isolation period due to Coronavirus. I was so thrilled to see the excitement from our dancers and families as they received our gift and then created their tutu masterpieces! Our Tutu Project was a blessing not only for our Ballet Palm Beach family but also for me. These have been unusual times to be sure, but the family that is Ballet Palm Beach has once again shown that our school has more to offer than just dance! The Ballet Palm Beach Company and Academy are about using dance to build community.”

    Pictured:
    1-BPB Academy Students Bella and Chloe Tejada
    2-BPB Academy Student Julia Bramham

  • A Special Message from the Artistic Director

    Ballet Palm Beach - Special Message to the Artistic Director
    (May 10, 2020)  As Ballet Palm Beach comes to the end of what would have been our last day of our 2019 / 2020 Season, I wanted to say THANK YOU!

    Having tiptoed our way through this very unusual time, I know we will begin next season with a renewed sense of gratitude for one another… Our dancers, our staff, our board, our volunteers, our supporters, our students and our audience.

    The commitment to create art that impacts, uplifts and inspires has only become stronger during this time. What a magnificent thing it is to look forward to seeing you all at the theatre and in the studio. Stay well, Ballet Palm Beach has big plans!

    signature Colleen

     

     

    Colleen Smith
    Ballet Palm Beach Artistic Director
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    Colleen Smith

  • Ballet Palm Beach Academy Celebrates International Dance Day with Tutu Project

    Ballet Palm Beach Academy Celebrates International Dance Day with Tutu Project

    (Palm Beach Gardens, FL –April 29, 2020) Ballet Palm Beach Academy, the official school of the county’s professional ballet company, Ballet Palm Beach, connected to quarantined students with the “Tutu Project” in honor of International Dance Day.

    Colleen Smith, both Artistic Director of the professional ballet company and School Director of the Academy, organized the “Tutu Project” to uplift over 125 dance students. Academy faculty, clad in BPB t-shirts and tutus, drove from Boca Raton to Stuart delivering each student a special gift- a tutu- and offering words of love and support to the families. Students were encouraged to be creative by decorating and dancing in the tutu and to share pictures of their work with fellow classmates in honor of International Dance Day.

    “We have been offering tuition-free, virtual classes for our students, but I wanted to do something more,” said Smith. “The Tutu Project created a fun activity to keep them engaged with dance and to remind them how much we teachers care about them! Although temporarily apart, we are together in spirit!”

    See the TUTU PROJECT video HERE

    Photo: BPB Academy student Teagan Albano; photo by Lani Scozzari

     

  • Palm Beach County’s Major Cultural Institutions Rise Up With “One Voice” to Connect Community

    Palm Beach County’s Major Cultural Institutions Rise Up With “One Voice” to Connect Community

    Ballet Palm Beach, Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Palm Beach Opera and Palm Beach Symphony  collaborate to create online video of Barry Manilow’s “One Voice” presented by  the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County

    West Palm Beach, Fla. (April 20, 2020) – Major arts organizations of Palm Beach County, Florida are connecting with their community and audiences throughout the country who are coping with isolation with “One Voice,” an unprecedented cross-cultural and interdisciplinary collaboration that brings together music, dance and theater in an inspiring online performance.

    Presented by the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, the video found on PBCCCutube proudly showcases the amazing talent from Ballet Palm Beach, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Palm Beach Opera and Palm Beach Symphony in an engaging, entertaining video performance set to Barry Manilow’s “One Voice.”

    David McClymont, CEO of Palm Beach Symphony, which is the Cultural Council’s 2020 Muse Award recipient for Outstanding Community Engagement, said “While theaters and concert halls are dark, arts organizations and artists have found they can break through social isolation online, giving us hope, shining a light through darkness and providing uplifting content that connects us as one. In speaking with our collaborators, it was clear that we all feel this is vital to support our community. Although I am unaware of this taking place in any other region, I proposed a video collaboration as a unique opportunity for us to bring our separate disciplines together in a way we have never experienced before.”

    McClymont suggested all the artists perform alone in their living rooms, a familiar setting to millions of Americans searching for a connection with others. The video was produced by Andrew Kato, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre’s producing artistic director and chief executive, and edited by Jeff Barry, the Theatre’s director of media, with audio engineering by Marty Mets, the Theatre’s resident sound designer. The final video features the contributions of nearly two dozen artists.

    Brenna Epstein, from the Maltz Jupiter Theatre Goldner Conservatory of Performing Arts, opens the video and then is joined by fellow Conservatory students Chase Bauer, Jaelyn Korkin, Gabriela Smith and Cosette Gresh, all of whom rehearsed under the direction of the Conservatory’s Director of Education Julie Rowe.

    “I suggested the song ‘One Voice’ because the lyrics speak to the isolation we feel and how we can come together as one unified county,” Kato said. “One lone voice is joined by another and another and then is joined by a chorus of voices, instruments and movements that unite to shine a light on Palm Beach County and the unparalleled, unique cultural arts we all contribute to our community. I’m extremely proud of the quality and diversity of work that is being created in South Florida.”

    The score is performed by Palm Beach Symphony principal musicians Valentin Mansurov (violin), Claudio Jaffé (cello), Anna Brumbaugh (clarinet), Domingo Pagliuca (trombone) and Evan Saddler (drum kit and percussion) who are joined by fellow Symphony musicians Huifang Chen (violin), Scott O’Donnell (viola), Kevin Karabell (trumpet), Jeff Adkins (electric bass guitar) and Aziz Sapaev (acoustic guitar).

    Recent graduates from Palm Beach Opera’s Benenson Young Artist Program and Bailey Apprentice Artist Program, the company’s nationally-recognized training programs for emerging artists, lent their voices from around the nation: soprano Patricia Westley (South Carolina); soprano Suzannah Waddington (Pennsylvania); mezzo-soprano Jenny Anne Flory (Virginia); tenor Duke Kim (California); and bass-baritone Ted Allen Pickell (California).

    “We are deeply honored to be a part of this project, presented by the Cultural Council, which is a natural mechanism to unite our organizations in this way,” said Palm Beach Opera General Director David Walker. “We are thrilled to be featuring recent graduates of our nationally recognized resident artist training programs, as this is a vital moment where we can all harness our collective performing power to bring positivity, strength and solidarity to all of us during this time. It is now more than ever that we all need to lean into the power of the performing arts, and into our connections and collaborations with each other, to help us remain heartened and enriched while we all weather this storm together.”

    Lily Ojea Loveland, an original member of the Ballet Palm Beach Company who is now in her 11th season with the company, performs the dance solo she mastered in remote rehearsals with the Company’s Founding Artist Director Colleen Smith.

    “This is a time when we have to look at what we do as artists and tap into what motivates us,” said Smith, who is offering tuition free remote classes to her students. “Maybe you can only dance in your living room, but you can take classes and see performances that were never available before. The gifting of art now is huge and what artists and their organizations are allowing us to do is amazing.”

    The four non-profit arts organizations are preparing to launch their programming for the 2020/21 season with mainstage performances held at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts and the Maltz Jupiter Theatre. To learn more visit BalletPalmBeach.org, JupiterTheatre.org, PBOpera.org and PalmBeachSymphony.org.

    “Now more than ever, we need the arts to help us grieve, heal and connect,” said Dave Lawrence, president & CEO of the Cultural Council. “The One Voice project is a shining example of the strength of our cultural community and its ability to come together to celebrate the importance of the arts in our lives.”

    The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County is the only organization solely dedicated to supporting arts and culture in The Palm Beaches, Florida’s Cultural Capital®. In its sustaining effort to foster growth of the cultural sector, the Council provides support services to cultural organizations and creative professionals, administers public and private grant programs, advocates for cultural funding, enhances local arts education, and promotes cultural tourism.

  • Soiree Event Raises Over $100,000 for Ballet Palm Beach

    Soiree Event Raises Over $100,000 for Ballet Palm Beach

    On Friday January 31st, 2020, Ballet Palm Beach introduced the Anka Fund for Dancers at its annual fundraiser, Dance Revealed II–Swept Away Soiree, held at the Rinker Playhouse at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.

    The cocktail event, sponsored in part by Fernando Wong Outdoor Living Design, Robin Woodard, Flowermart, and Big Time Restaurant Group, featured a performance by the ballet company, presented by Founder and Artistic Director, Colleen Smith. Auctioneer, Neil Saffer, led the live auction. In attendance was ballet legend, Steve Caras, who lauded Anka Palitz and her creation of the Anka Fund for Dancers. The fund will directly support salaries for the professional dancers of Ballet Palm Beach.

    The evening raised over $100,000.

    Photos by Capehart