Our Holiday Gift Guide

Photo: BFan dancer Caitlin Christopher and Troupe Carnivale in “Seller of Dreams.” (Harvest Moon Photography; see more here)

It’s BFan Events Coordinator intern Kristen here.  Not sure what to get your loved one for the holidays this season? Look no further than your local contemporary ballet company, Ballet Fantastique for a gift that’s unique, fun, local, and a double-whammy…you get to give it now, and enjoy it later.  :)

Here are my top five gift ideas to put a smile on pretty much anyone’s face:

1. Tickets to The Misadventures of Casanova! Come see this new contemporary ballet premiere with lush costumes, decadent music, romance and intrigue making the way to the stage at the Hult center this coming February 2 and 3, 2013!  It’s two-in-one: holiday gift and Valentine’s event wrapped up in one.
2. While you’re at it, you might want to consider making a bigger bang for your buck with a Ballet Fantastique Season Subscription for the rest of our 2012-2013: VENTURE lineup (The Misadventures of Casanova and Pride & Prejudice: A Parisian Jazz Ballet with live jazz!). Your pro-rated (read: discounted) season subscription will include tickets to the remaining two contemporary ballet premieres at the Hult Center, free Open Barre pass (for preview rehearsal/wine tasting reception at the City Center for Dance), additional savings from the community, and more VIP treatment!  BFan’s last three productions sold out, so a season subscription also guarantees that you’ll get seats.  These start at just $50 each, for all these goodies (and $24 for kids).  Read more about the perks and get ‘em now here.
3. Know someone who has always wanted to try something new—or who loved ballet and been wanting to get back into it?  Or been talking about whipping into shape as a new year’s resolution?  How about a Class Card for Ballet Fantastique’s hoppin’ Adult Drop-In Program?  Class times are convenient, class cards don’t expire for a whole year, and teacher Leanne Mizzoni from Washington, DC is rumored to be absolutely incredible.  Get a class card online for one, 10, or 20 classes and get the dance party started.
4. Do you have a little one pulling on your heart strings? A daughter/son or niece/nephew? Try a gift certificate to our Young Dancer Program (ages 4+) or our Training Division (ages 7-preprofessional) as a gift.  Fill out this little form and Hannah or Emily will get back to you right away to get you outfitted with a pretty gift certificate to wrap up.
5. Adopt a Dancer—give the gift of a scholarship to a young dancer giving him or her the opportunity to study professional dance right alongside his or her more privileged peers.  A certificate for your lucky recipient will outline the difference being made in the life of a youngster, thanks to you!

But above all, remember to enjoy this holiday season with the ones you love!  Happy holidays from our BFan family to yours.

—Kristen

Male Dancer Auditions

Photo: Mikael Krummel and Greg Burns

Job opening: Male contemporary ballet dancer for Ballet Fantastique

Ballet Fantastique Contemporary Chamber Company is hiring a male soloist dancer beginning as early as January 2013 and as late as July 2013 (start date negotiable) for a full contract of 30 weeks of paid work including three new contemporary ballet premieres plus national/international touring as scheduled, with competitive pay by the week and benefits, including shoe allowance, physical therapy and massage assistance.  Contract also includes additional opportunities for paid outreach and teaching work.

We seek a new company member with talent, strength, artistic voice, a great work ethic and sense of humor, personality, and an insatiable appetite for what’s next.  Competitive applicants will have strong classical and contemporary vocabularies, and confidence with pas de deux work.  Applicants must be a US citizen (or hold a green card or work permit), and are preferably 5’9” and up.

Additional skills of interest (desired but not requisite): Choreography, arts education, arts administration, dance instruction (ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, pas de deux, and/or hip-hop).

More information/full audition requirements

Please send DVD, resume and photos to:

Hannah Bontrager, Executive Director

Ballet Fantastique | 960 Oak | Eugene, OR 97401

or email info@balletfantastique.org

Feel free to pass this post/opportunity along!  Thanks a million.

Krislyn’s Top 5 Reasons to see our Performance!

Photo Credit Jared Mills

As we move one step closer to our performance, the fantastic reasons to see the show are becoming more apparent. Company dancer Krislyn is ecstatic to share her top 5 reasons to Cirque! Krislyn dances the role of Yvette, the “aspiring starlet.”

1. Ballerinas doing circus acts, what’s not to love?

2. The choreography is really difficult. Because of this, it is really cool!

3. There are three live bands! We are so overjoyed to share the stage with them.

4. Raymond, the acrobat from Miami. He adds lots of fun elements to our show.

5. It’s definitely not your stereotypical ballet, we’d love to share this show with you!
For more information and tickets please visit the BFan website or stop by the Hult Center!

Leanne’s Top 5 Reasons to see Cirque de la Lune!

Photo by Jared Mills

It’s finally here: the week of our season opener performance Cirque de la Lune. Ballet Fantastique’s company dancers are beyond excited for this event. One of the lead dancers in Cirque de la Lune, Leanne Mizzoni, dances the role of Estrella, the “lonesome diva” in the 1930s Cirque de la Lune traveling circus. This Northern Virginia native shares her top 5 reasons to see the upcoming performance with us:

1. The live music—who doesn’t love enjoying the benefits of a concert as well as a ballet performance?  These bands are incredible.
2. Raymond and the circus aspect of the show. He can do amazing things—you won’t believe them until you see them yourself!
3. The innovative choreography—We’re incorporating new elements and new challenges. For example, Justin and I do a pas de deux during which he’s literally blindfolded the entire time (“My Ghost,” to music by Betty and the Boy).
4. The costumes and scenery—they’re different and beautiful.
5. Overall, it’s a great and very entertaining show!

Be sure to check out our website for more information on Leanne and tickets to see the show!

Interview with guest circus performer, Raymond Silos!

With Ballet Fantastique’s upcoming performance of Cirque de la Lune, I had the special privilege of talking with professional circus artist and dancer, Raymond Silos.

Originally from Hawaii, Raymond started his entertainment career 12 years ago at Walt Disney World as a performer and went on to become a soloist dancer in ballet and musical theatre. He has performed in the circus world with many renowned artists and has travelled across the country and around the world from Hawaii and NYC to Guam, Japan, Bahrain, and all over Europe.

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Raymond was working as a performer when he first started ballet. He was “drawn to ballet because of the beauty of it”.

As a talented circus performer, Raymond has travelled all over the world. When asked his favorite places he had travelled too, he had a difficult time making up his mind. After a bit of thought, he decided that New York City, Japan, and most of Europe were his favorite places to perform.

When asked about the differences between the circus world and the ballet world, Raymond talked about the unique circus culture stating, “Everyone comes from different backgrounds and has their own specialties.” He also discussed how the circus is “rich in tradition, heritage, and culture” with different beliefs and familial backgrounds. When switching to the subject of ballet, Raymond stated that one of the main differences is that “everyone is striving to be beautiful”. Ballet is rich in tradition as well, but it is a “different kind of training and tradition”.

In Cirque de la Lune, Raymond appears through out the show in the guise of a magician. He fuses his circus performance with ballet and even has a pas de deux with Hannah Bontrager, who he “is very honored and privileged to partner with”. His admiration for Ballet Fantastique and the show is palpable with his comments of “It’s an original and different show,” “I think it’s brilliant,” and “It mixes classical and contemporary and has an edge.”  He is thrilled for this partnership with the ballet company and said, “I get to do the thing that I love to do… merge the circus artist and the dancer within me into one show.”

The collaboration with Ballet Fantastique came about by coincidence. Raymond was on a U.S. tour and had stopped in Eugene to perform at the Hult center. One afternoon, he decided to look up a place to take a ballet class. He came across Ballet Fantastique and to make the long story short, he met Hannah Bontrager. With further discussion, Raymond’s love for ballet, and Ballet Fantastique’s upcoming performance of Cirque de la Lune, the partnership was born!

Interesting facts about Raymond Silos: 

Does Raymond have any special traditions or routines that he does before a performance?

 The answer is yes! “I have a particular warm up that I do for myself,“ Raymond states. “I like doing what is called qigong.” Which is a Chinese practice of aligning breath, movement, and awareness for exercise. 

Where is he going next?

Florida, Minnesota, and Korea!

 

Catch a glimpse of Raymond Silos’ work here.

 

To see Raymond Silos and Ballet Fantastique’s dancers in Cirque de la Lune, purchase tickets at the Hult Center or online.

 

BFan Gets a New Company Dancer!

 

Caitlin Marie Christopher (Photo: Jared Mills)

 

Caitlin Christopher, Alpharetta Georgia native, recently joined Ballet Fantastique’s prestigious and innovative company! Sitting down with her before a company rehearsal, her love for ballet was apparent. Following is our interview:

Q: Why did you begin dancing?

A: When I was 9, I saw the Atlanta Ballet’s version of The Nutcracker. That’s when I began taking classes, though I didn’t become interested in it as a profession until I was 12 when I decided that this is something I want to do.

Q: What has been your favorite performance that you were involved in?

A: I haven’t had the chance to perform with Ballet Fantastique yet, though I am really excited about our upcoming performance. So far my favorite dance performance has been my senior exit dance at the University of Georgia. My lead dancer got injured 2 weeks before the performance so I did the performance as a solo.

Q: How did you hear about Ballet Fantastique?

A: I was in Portland doing a workshop with the NW Dance Project. I’d heard about Ballet Fantastique so I asked Hannah if I could audition.

Q: What are you performing in in Cirque de la Lune?

A: Right now I’m in a lot of group numbers for Cirque de la Lune. I also have a solo titled “The Pope.” I get to dance with two hoops to this fast tango music. It’s fun!

Q: How did you adjust to BFan’s style?

A:  They are very strong in the Vaganova technique during company class especially—it’s like we’re speaking the same language but a different dialect. I’m learning though.

Q: What are your favorite things about ballet?

A: There’s never a dull moment, what you do in class everyday is always different. You’re always working on a show with different characters and styles, it’s the job for a little kid who never grew up!

Q: What would you like to do after your ballet career?

A: I’ve definitely toyed with the idea of going to physical therapy school. I’ve had a lot of injuries and experienced difficulties when physical therapists don’t know how to treat dancers. It’d be great to specialize in dance therapy.

Read Caitlin’s bio on the Ballet Fantastique website.
GET TICKETS NOW to catch Caitlin in Cirque de la Lune.

The Summer Soirée at Domain Meriwether Winery

 My name is Candace Chin, I am the Media Intern at BFan. A few weeks ago I had the wonderful opportunity to attend Ballet Fantastique’s annual summer soirée! Although I was technically working, I was still able to enjoy all the delightful amenities.

The venue was absolutely breathtaking. We were surrounded by hills of trees with a lovely view of the sunset hanging to our right. The hors d’oeuvres for the night were provided by KNIO Personal Chefs. I was manning the information table so I wasn’t able to try all of the hors d’oeuvres, but the ones that I did were both filling and flavorful. My favorite was the pulled pork crustini with the marion blackberry grenache BBQ sauce. Doesn’t that sound absolutely delicious? The wine and Champaign did not disappoint either. I would attempt to describe them to you, but I don’t think my pallet for wine is refined enough nor would my words do them any justice.

The entertainment for the night was none other than our lovely ballet Fantastique dancers, accompanied by the smooth jazz tunes of Shelley and Cal James. They performed a few numbers, such as “Big Girls Don’t Cry” and “Wild Thing”, from the company’s most recent performance of Cinderella: A Rock Opera Ballet set in 1964. Everyone loved it and seemed to be having a very enjoyable night. But how can you not when you have delectable food and drink, wonderful entertainment and lively company. Honestly I can say it was hands down one of the highlights for my summer. If you missed out on this summer’s soiree, I hope you can join in next year and experience the fun for yourself.