Author: Tuyet Hoa

Dancers have always been the kind of people who take the road less traveled. Who sacrifice the comfortable for the pursuit of excellence. Now, there is a noticeable rise in the number of dancers who are choosing a different path in their academic education in order to increase their training in all areas of their art form.

Schools like Professional Children’s School in New York and “correspondence” classes were once the only choices, and they might have at one time been considered extreme. Now, however, there are many challenging and fully accredited online school options or dance conservatory programs, and there is a significant rise in the number of dancers choosing other non-traditional schooling like homeschooling, hybrid school and many new conservatory programs designed for dancers, athletes and professional children. This parallels an educational trend in the U.S. that shows an estimated 2.3 million children are now homeschooled in 2016, with a growth of two to eight percent per year^1,2,5,6. Data on homeschooling trends can be difficult to track, but sources indicate that there is clear growth^1,2,3,5,6. Forbes Magazine calls “hybrid homeschool”, a method in which students spend part time in traditional classrooms and part time completing requirements on their own time, the wave of the future². With a corresponding shift in the number of parents also working non-traditional hours, could the 8am-3:30pm school day eventually be a thing of the past? These different educational avenues are good news for dancers, who know that time is of the essence when it comes to training for a career that starts young.

Atlanta Ballet’s Conservatory division and Ballet by Day (BBD) in North Atlanta are just two examples that serve this growing population of dancers. According to BBD Co-Founder and former principal dancer with Atlanta Ballet Kristi Necessary Loveless, “I think these home school/hybrid school/online classes open up a world of opportunity for young, dedicated, aspiring dancers! It introduces ‘real world’ opportunities – dancers learn firsthand that it takes commitment, hard work and persistence to make your dreams come true. It affords them the chance to manage their time and responsibilities. And lastly, supplemental training ensures each dancer reaches his/her personal best. It teaches them that you get out what you put in to it.”

Loveless and her co-director, Stacey Slichter, who is also a former principal dancer, are able to provide excellent training to mostly pre-professional teenage dancers; however, they have found there to be interest in younger age groups as well.

Andrea Pell, director of Ballet Conservatory of North Georgia (BCNG), knows firsthand what good training looks like. Having trained at the American Ballet Theatre School and Hungarian National Ballet Institute before joining the Berlin Ballet and then later directing the Atlanta Ballet School until 1997, she now directs a day-time training program for dancers who choose to take their art to the next level.

Pell says, “With earlier class time, dancers are more alert and less tired, physically and mentally, rather than after a full day at school. It’s important that socially, they are with peers who aspire for the same thing, with the same intensity. They feed off one another by virtue of a common passion. They are in an environment that supports them. The longer hours allow for more than ‘just’ technique class – in-depth work on specific technical details, exposure to dance history, character dance, music awareness, nutrition, terminology, coaching and more. The BCNG dancers spend considerable time daily working on strengthening and stretching. I find the more they do this, the more initiative they take on their own to get inventive with the exercises they know, or find new ones. I learn from them!”

It helps that the programs cited in this article are in some of the fastest growing areas in the country, so there is no shortage of students; however, this trend is not limited to the big cities.

Data on homeschooled children’s academic achievement shows that, in general, they typically outperform their public school peers on standardized tests and college preparation⁵. When interviewed, many homeschool or hybrid school parents state that one of their main reasons for choosing this lifestyle is flexibility. My own daughters are homeschooled currently, and my oldest is able to take a private variations class during the day in addition to dancing four other days of the week without pressure to finish homework into the late hours. The flexibility allows us to learn about other art forms and go to museums all over the world. “We wanted to create opportunities for dancers, without the mundane environment,” states Loveless. “BBD affords dancers flexibility. Our classes are supplemental, so if a student wants to take extra classes one day a week, or four days a week, that is perfectly acceptable. We are offering classes at different times of the day, different days of the week.”

Pell states that the flexibility allows her to delve deeper into inspirational lessons. “I feel like I really have the time to prepare them to become ‘full dancers’ because we have time to address the full human being. When I can share a poem that I know will ‘speak’ to them on a given day, I know we are in a great place.”

Changing societal norms are likely one reason we are seeing a mushrooming of the homeschool movement. At a recent homeschooling conference in Franklin, Tennesse, of the “Wild and Free” community, over 900 homeschool parents gathered for support and encouragement⁴. They came from all walks of life with many different philosophies of why they are choosing the path less traveled. Tickets to conferences like these sell out in just three days, showing that there is clearly a new interest in the way we collectively view education.

Loveless says, “Generally, professional careers are becoming more flexible in our society, so I think alternative approaches like the experience we provide with BBD will become more familiar and ‘the new normal’ experience for kids (ballet dancers, athletes)”. Homeschooling isn’t seen as fringe anymore.

Is it really worth giving up the traditional school experience? Everyone comes to this decision in their own way for their own reasons, and there’s no right or wrong answer. Many homeschooling parents state with a grin that “we just take it year by year”. Choosing alternative schooling one year doesn’t mean that students won’t be able to seamless fold back into a brick and mortar school again if that is what is best for them at that time.

“As instructors, we also offer competition coaching,” Loveless adds. “I witnessed this past year how much a young dancer can improve with individual coaching, performance opportunity and commitment, and I’m excited to see it again.”

Pell feels that the trade off is worth it for serious dancers. “Yes, no question about it, the dancers make great progress through this system. The difference between them and the ones who come only after school is very noticeable.”

It’s true that balancing school and dance is no easy road, but whatever path a dancer and their family chooses, hard work and dedicated teachers can make all the difference.  “Stacey and I have been exactly where they are. We were young dancers hungry to improve and anxious to take the next step.” Loveless says. “We are genuinely excited to train, nurture and help develop the next generation of professional dancers.” Thankfully, across the country, there are many of these programs taking flight, and it will be interesting to see what impact this movement might have on the future of dance in the U.S.

By Emily C. Harrison MS, RD, LD of Nutrition for Great Performances.

Hvorostovsky Shortlisted for Best Opera Recording Grammy Award. Anthony Roth Costanzo, Philippe Jaroussky and Sabine Devieilhe Nominated for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album; Jake Heggie’s Great Scott Nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition. 

NOMINATIONS FOR THE 2019 GRAMMY AWARDS were announced today, with Best Opera Recording nods going to the first studio recording of John Adams’s Doctor Atomic; Mason Bates’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs; the Metropolitan Opera’s recording of Der Rosenkavalier featuring Renée Fleming and Elīna Garanča; a recording of Verdi’s Rigoletto featuring the late Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role; and Christophe Rousset’s recording of Lully’s Alceste. Jake Heggie’s Great Scott also received a nomination for Best Contemporary Classical Composition, and recital discs by Anthony Roth Costanzo, Philippe Jaroussky, and Sabine Devieilhe received nominations for Best Classical Solo Vocal Album. 

The 61st Annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 10, 2019 at LA’s Staples Center. The winners in the classical music and opera categories—which include Best Opera Recording, Best Contemporary Classical Composition, Best Orchestral Performance and Best Classical Solo Vocal Album—will be announced as part of a pre-telecast ceremony preceding the Awards broadcast on CBS.

Adam’s Doctor Atomic recording features Gerald Finley and Julia Bullock as J. Robert and Kitty Oppenheimer, alongside Aubrey Allicock and Brindley Sherratt; on the disc the composer conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Bates’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs features conductor Michael Christie leading the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra and Edwards Parks in the title role, Garrett Sorenson and Sasha Cooke. Christophe Rousset’s recording of Lully’s Alceste, featuring French ensemble Les Talens Lyriques, includes Edwin Crossley-Mercer as Alcide, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro as Admète and Judith Van Wanroij in the title role. The Metropolitan Opera’s performance of Der Rosenkavalier stars Renée Fleming’s Marschallin, Elīna Garanča’s Octavian, Günther Groissböck’s Ochs and Erin Morely’s Sophie; the recording, made from a live performance at the Met, features conductor Sebastian Weigle leading the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Dmitri Hvorostovsky’s Rigoletto stands at the center of the nominated recording of Verdi’s opera; Constantine Orbelian paces the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra as well as Francesco Demuro’s Duke of Mantua and Nadine Sierra’s Gilda.

In the category of Classical Solo Vocal Album, Costanzo received a nomination for his debut recital disc, ARC, featuring arias by Philip Glass and Handel; French countertenor Jaroussky was nominated for his album of Handel arias with ensemble Artaserse; French soprano Sabine Devieilhe received a nomination for Mirages, her recording of French opera arias; baritone Randall Scarlata was nominated for his recording of Winterreise with Gilbert Kalish; and tenor Karim Sulayman was nominated for his disc, Song of Orpheus, featuring arias by Monteverdi, Caccini, D’India and Landi with ensemble Apollo’s Fire.

In the Best Contemporary Classical Composition, which goes to a work’s composer, Heggie was nominated for Great Scott, which received its world premiere at Dallas Opera in 2015. Also nominated were Mason Bates’s The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, about the late Apple founder, which premiered in August 2017 at Santa Fe Opera. Joining those two operas in the Best Contemporary Classical Composition category were Du Yin’s Air Glow with the International Contemporary Ensemble, Aaron Jay Kernis’s Violin Concerto with James Ehnes and the Seattle Symphony and Missy Mazzoli’s Vespers for Violin, as recorded by Olivia De Prato.

Opera News

Opera singer Đào Tố Loan, who started her career from zero, now teaches at the Việt Nam Academy of Music (VNAM). She speaks with Lê Hương after winning first prize at the Singapore Lyric Opera ASEAN Vocal Competition 2018.

Inner Sanctum: Can you tell us more about the contest in Singapore?

The contest takes place every two years in Singapore, where short listed candidates compete in the semi-final and final rounds. Each contestant has to sing three arias in the semi-final and three different arias in the final. But just a few hours before the semi-final, the organisers announced that each contestant had only five minutes to prepare their performance, including an introduction. We were all worried as most of our arias were rather long. Some contestants cut the piano parts from their performances, while I chose short and cheerful arias to sing. During the final round, each contestant had ten minutes to sing two arias – one chosen by the singer, the other chosen by the jury. Sitting in the waiting room, I heard the other contestants sing so well. I thought I had no chance. When it was my turn, the pianist was tired. I kept calm and guided her to follow my voice until the end of the song. When the final round was over, listening to the results, I was extremely nervous. I prayed while the names were announced. Third place was announced, then second. I thought I had lost, then my name was read out as the winner. I burst into tears. I staggered to the stage to collect the prize. I cried a lot. It was like a dream.

Inner Sanctum: What do you think helped you win the contest?

I think two factors helped me. The first is patriotism. I was proud to be the only Vietnamese taking part. Secondly, I tried to be unique. I didn’t want to sing like other famous artists. I think the jury recognised that characteristic.

Inner Sanctum: How has your career developed?

I’m currently working as a singer in the Vietnam National Opera and Ballet (VNOB) and a teacher of opera at the VNAM. I started my career from scratch so I understand my students. We shouldn’t force anyone to study art, we should create a free atmosphere for students to follow their passion. When a student succeeds, the efforts made by the teacher and student are equal. My mother died a long time ago. When my older sister entered the Business Management College, I followed her to Hà Nội to attend secondary school. Then I enrolled at an accounting school. At that time I sang pop music. My boyfriend encouraged me to study music further. My family were not passionate about music, and my sister brought me up instead of my parents so life was very difficult at that time. Sometimes, I just ate instant noodles without any meat and tried hard to learn and sing opera. My face was full of acne. At that time opera students had very little opportunity to earn money. I didn’t sing other genres of music for fear that I would spoil my opera skills when they were still developing. Then I graduated from VNAM with distinction in 2014. The same year, I won both first prize and audience’s vote at the Lidal North Opera Workshop in Oslo. Now I can sing other genres. I take all the beautiful features of other genres to put in opera. Opera means that artists should explore to perfect their technique.

Inner Sanctum: What do you think about opera singers in Việt Nam? What difficulties do they face?

They face many difficulties. They don’t have many fans and there are few spaces for opera singers to develop their career in Việt Nam. Each opera artist has their own way to overcome such difficulties. For me, my belief and passion have helped me overcome everything.

Inner Sanctum: As a mother and an artist, how do you manage your schedule?

I’m lucky to have a happy family with an understanding husband, who always shares and encourages me to work hard in my life and career.

To me, my duties as a wife, mother, teacher and singer are not too much. My first child was born when I was granted an MA scholarship to study in Italy. I missed this opportunity. Before the contest in Singapore, I sometimes had to hold my second child while practising. I sang high notes while he was sleeping like a log in my arms. I often asked my students to take care of my five-month-old baby while I rehearsed. Luckily my son seems to like opera. Maybe it’s a good way of practising strength – singing while holding a heavy object. My daughter, who is nearly 4 years old, has already started to imitate my voice. My whole family accompanied me to Singapore for the contest. But my husband took care of the children while I was competing. If my children like music, I will help them pursue their passion. Otherwise, I will not force them. Following art is a challenge.

VNS

 “Cooperation” and “optimism” are the key words that Dong Quang Vinh, a Vietnamese musician, used to describe his special bond with China.

Vinh, 31, who studied music in China for nine years, is a bamboo flutist and conductor.

He has been working on a project to combine Vietnamese and Chinese folk music as part of his efforts to promote understanding between the two peoples.

Some 50 km from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, a young Chinese volunteer teacher emphasized on “responsibility” and “friendship” when she talked about her experiences in Vietnam.

“This is my second year of volunteering in Vietnam. I have chosen to stay for the second term as I do not want to leave and disappoint my students,” said Guan Li, 25, who teaches at the Hung Vuong University in Phu Tho Province.

The stories of Vinh and Guan are two examples of the robust and deep people-to-people ties between the two neighboring countries sharing similar culture.

Cooperation, optimism

“When I was a little boy, my father often bought me cassette tapes of Chinese music whenever he went to China for performance tours,” recalled Vinh, who was born to a family of musicians.

Since then, he began to like traditional Chinese musical instruments and found similarities between the folk music of the two countries, thus developing an interest in China.

In 2004, Vinh went to China to study at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. In 2010, he received a full Chinese government scholarship to follow a master course as an orchestra conductor.

Like Vihn, more and more Vietnamese youth are studying in China to pursue their career.

Figures from the Chinese embassy in Hanoi shows there are currently over 14,000 Vietnamese studying in China, while some 3,000-4,000 Chinese come to Vietnam for study each year.

In Vinh’s view, “cooperation” is the key for him to build a career and also find his true love.

In China, Vinh made friends with musicians like Chen Xiaodong, who later worked with Vinh in many musical projects. He even married one of them, Chinese pianist Mo Shuangshuang, who he met in Shanghai and later moved to live in Vietnam with him.

Last August, Vinh and Chen brought the two countries’ music on stage in Hanoi in a high-profile friendship concert, the first official collaboration between the two countries’ traditional music artists in a concert according to Vinh’s knowledge.

Coming to the prospect of cooperation between Vietnam and China, Vinh used the word “optimism.”

“I hope that there will be more exchanges of visits between high-ranking leaders of both countries, thus creating more opportunities for cultural exchanges. I am very optimistic about the future of Vietnam-China relations,” Vinh told Xinhua.

(Chinadaily)