BALLET NORTH BLOG

Press Release For Immediate Release The First Ever Official Moscow Ballet Summer Intensive at Ballet North July 21, 2019

2019-01-29T10:48:00.002-06:00

January 29, 2019

Gladstone Missouri Press Release

For Immediate Release

Ballet North

Gladstone, Missouri

Moscow Ballet will partner with Ballet North to bring an international Summer Ballet Intensive right to Gladstone Missouri July 21 through 26, 2019. Featuring a duo of professional ballet dancers from Moscow Ballet - Mr Yuriy Kuzo from the Ukraine, and Ms Alisa Bolotnikova from the Ukraine - this Summer Ballet Intensive will feature classical technique, character work, pointe, variations, and much much more. Specified for students ages 8 - 20 yrs beginner to advanced and pre-professional. Sunday July 21 is the evaluation day, Monday - Friday are the days of the intensive.

Registration consists of logging on to the official Moscow Ballet Intensive website HERE to provide your personal details, and submitting the tuition of $650 directly to Ballet North DEADLINE MARCH 15, 2019

Please join us for this truly exciting opportunity to study ballet as though you were in Europe but without ever having to leave home!!!

Below you will find the official flyer and the biographical information for Mr Kuzo and Ms Bolotnikova

Questions please contact Matt Reinschmidt at the following:

ballet.north@gmail.com

816-454-4859

Ballet North June 2017 Performance Announcement

2016-12-21T16:56:00.000-06:00

December 22, 2016

June Performance Event Announcement:

BALLET NORTH PRESENTS LA FILLE MAL GARDEE "THE WAYWARD DAUGHTER"

Based on the hilarious ballet inspired by the 1789 painting of Pierre-Antoine Baudouin, Ballet North's Wayward Daughter tells the tale of the misadventures of Lise and Widow Simone as they live life in a pastoral village and encounter various characters from the charming and handsome Colas to the eccentric Elan and his father Thomas. Capturing a very comedic snapshot of what all can happen and go astray in village life, The Wayward Daughter is pure delight and a charming adventure the whole family will enjoy. It's not every day you see an entire flock of dancing chickens or get blown off the stage by a tornado!!!

Performing Friday and Saturday June 9 and 10, 7:30 pm at the Excelsior Springs Performing Arts Center, 612 Tiger Drive, Excelsior Springs MO. Tickets are $25 all fees included, Reserve Seating only. Tickets will be available HERE soon!

Ballet North 2015 Summer Ballet Classes, Dance Camps and Ballet Intensive

2015-07-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Get Started in the Wonderful World of Ballet Now...

ALL BALLET CLASSES ARE IN SESSION
AS OF MONDAY JULY 6, 2015!!!

The brand new 2015-2016 Class Schedule is now available, please click HERE to view.

You should also see a column on the right side of this page - if you do not, scroll to the bottom and click "view web version" because you are probably on a mobile device...

Some Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions that seem to come up the most often as students and families decide to get started in ballet, so we thought posting them and their answers here might be of assistance. Hope it helps!

How young do you take students?

We accept students as young as 3 years of age. This is the youngest age where real learning can be demonstrated to take place and the youngest age where students can successfully work in a real class setting.

What is ballet technique?

Ballet itself can trace back to late 1300's Italy as a means for operatic dance to blend with the rest of an opera to assist in the telling of the story set to some type of melody. Currently there are 4 or 5 main branches of classical ballet technique: Balanchine (arguably more of a style than an actual technique), Bournonville (Netherlands), Cecchetti (Italian), R.A.D (Royal Academy of Dance, London England) and Vaganova or "Russian" technique. Our program is built around the Vaganova type of technique which is what trained Baryshnikov, Nureyev and numerous incredible dancers in companies throughout the world today. In a nutshell and very over simplified, ballet technique teaches you how to move in almost any way imaginable with any combination of arm, leg and head positions all the while keeping your body right over the balance point of your foot which is about a nickel to quarter sized zone under the ball of your foot in proximity to your big toe. That may sound simple, but learning to do this is not something that can be figured out at home, or learned in a quick study of 1 or 2 weeks.

Can't we just learn ballet in a combo class?

No, you absolutely can NOT do this. Ballet is actually complex, is set to melodic musical structures not computer driven pop culture music rhythms, and has a technique to it just as in-depth as classical violin or guitar - so in order to learn it you need to study just ballet consistently for a duration of time. That's the truth - any other approach is just not going to work. Again using music as an example, think about this: how far do you really get with just one year of piano lessons if you then quit for 1 or 2 years to do something else? When you come back to piano after bouncing to some other activities for a while, you'll just have to start all over again.

Isn't Ballet too expensive?

It's hard to know how to answer this one. First off, the tried-and-true axiom definitely applies to this question: you really do get what you pay for. Bargain shopping for activities that influence the muscular and intellectual development of your child is not a very good idea. However, a classical ballet program like the one at Ballet North which avoids competitions in favor of learning usually turns out to be less expensive - sometimes significantly less expensive - in total costs than competition dance schools AND you will NEVER see inappropriate costuming or shocking body movements from any of our 6, 7 or 17 year olds. EVER. In our program there are NO multi-dance entrance fees, solo entrance fees, rehearsal fees, airfare, hotel and travel expenses and so on which keeps the total real cost of classical ballet definitely affordable. We feel that dance and ballet in particular are art forms not sports, and so the idea of being judged for points and winning a plastic trophy or nylon ribbon like you see on some of those awful TV shows out there really don't belong associated with ballet at all. Furthermore, if you choose to perform in the yearly June events that are open to the entire program, you obviously do buy a costume for that - and that's about the limit of your expenses besides your regular monthly tuition which is itself usually cheaper per hour than a babysitter! Is ballet the cheapest thing out there? Probably not. Is ballet the most expensive thing out there? Definitely not!!!

Do I have to sign a contract like with a cellphone company?

We keep this very simple - we do require a 7 business day advance notice before any withdrawal from class. Otherwise, you are under no obligation to continue if it becomes necessary to halt taking class regardless of the reason such as a job transfer, moving out of town, etc. And if you choose to participate in a June performance (which is always totally optional) then you need to avoid European vacations, trips to Disneyland, or any other absences during the 4 weeks leading up to the performance. That should not sound bad or unreasonable to anyone! We think practically everyone can easily abide by these simple conditions that let us run our program in a successful, sustainable and reliable way for all.

"Ballet is so 'serious', I'm not sure my child is ready for all that..."

While this isn't technically a question, it does seem like a concern that comes up from time to time and we are puzzled by this notion that classical ballet is somehow too serious or not fun in some way. Granted, we do keep out everything inappropriate from our classes which means nearly every kind of sensational wiggle-giggle move or dance on MTV or Uproxx or in a music video or the like never shows up in our classes - hopefully that is something you would appreciate and feel good about! We also do run classes where students understand they need to keep talking to a minimum and pay attention to what is being taught and not bother each other - that just seems like what a good class should be no matter what you are learning. We find that our students enjoy a class with some discipline and focus to it because that means you actually learn things and can tell you are progressing in class and that is in itself very enjoyable and fun to do. We feel that is just what a good class should be - being able to run around, chase each other, talk and chit chat and carry on is what you do when having fun outside or playing with friends in the backyard, we don't think any class should look like playtime.

Why do you take class in the summer?

Since students are not in school all week long we noticed that the summer is prime time to easily make a lot of very exciting progress with the learning of ballet simply because everyone's got more energy! Plus, taking an entire summer off really interferes with your body's retention of the muscle memory of the balletic steps that were studied. For children it is especially true that with ballet, "use it or lose it!" All students are automatically enrolled year round including July and August, unless like explained above an advance notice of stopping with class is given. Otherwise, there's no extra fees or papers to sign, you just keep coming to your classes!

Can my son/daughter join the Ballet North company?

The Ballet North company is comprised of dancers ages 13 and up who audition to join, minimum technical standards apply to this. Auditions are held each August usually during the last week of the month. Ballet North company members get an extra 4 hours of coaching and rehearsal time each Saturday and will perform between 12 and 17 times per year. Anyone can audition to be in the company so long as they can successfully demonstrate they meet the minimum technique standards and are at least about 13 years old. Overall this is a very similar format to the Metropolitan Youth Symphony, only with ballet instead of music.

What is your dance floor made out of?

All our dance floors are sprung wood designed to absorb the energy and shock of your foot hitting the floor without causing any bruising or soreness to the foot or ankle. We accomplish this by using 1.5 inch thick flatboards, 2x4 joists and high-density foam rubber pads to "float" all our floors off the concrete sub-floor completely, then we put a Harlequin constant-traction dance surface on top of that.

Isn't Ballet dangerous like gymnastics or sports?

We can very confidently say the answer to this is NO!!! It is also amazing to think about that despite the fact ballet dancers move, spin, leap, balance, lift other people over their heads and do all kinds of extremely physically active and challenging movements, the injury rate in ballet is exceptionally low. Or put another way, with things like gymnastics no matter how talented you are, you WILL get injured - there's no way around it no matter how good you are. Virtually everyone that does gymnastics will get hurt and many will get hurt very badly or even crippled. Same goes with soccer - just look at all the nasty leg, head and back injuries that happened live on TV during the 2014 World Cup! In ballet, it is entirely possible that you never get injured. To be clear, a blister or a bruised toe nail, things of that sort, we do not count as injuries. And getting sore muscles is also not an injury!

The things like badly sprained ankles, broken tail bones, torn ligaments, torn tendons, torn muscles, arthritis, broken bones, dislocated joints, concussions, spinal trauma, paralysis, broken back, broken neck, those sorts of things are real injuries and those injuries are quite common in gymnastics and many sports like soccer - just think about that!!!

Injuries like these are rare to non-existent in ballet, it's as simple as that.

Register for any class by simply selecting the correct item to the right of this post and then completing the reservation in our secure shopping cart.

IF YOU ARE ON A MOBILE DEVICE CLICK THE "VIEW WEB VERSION" LINK AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BLOG TO SEE THE NORMAL BLOG PAGE WITH THE SHOPPING CART ON THE RIGHT HAND COLUMN!

Dance Camp 1 ages 4-5:

A comprehensive Ballet camp! Learn about classical ballet, daily ballet class, pantomime, nutrition, art projects, the works! SNACK PROVIDED. 9:30 am - 11:00 am Monday - Friday; July 6 - July 10, 2015

Tuition: $65

Dance Camp 2 ages 6-7:

A more detailed ballet camp with daily ballet class, pantomime, art projects, choreography, nutrition, the whole nine yards! SNACKS PROVIDED. 9:30 am - 11:30 am Monday - Friday; July 13 - July 17, 2015

Tuition: $75

Dance Camp 3 ages 8-10:

A detailed exploration of the wonderful world of ballet with daily ballet class, art projects, choreography projects and a choreography presentation on the last day, nutrition, injury prevention, a very thorough camp! SNACK PROVIDED. Monday - Friday 9:30 am - 12:00 pm; July 20 - July 24, 2015

Tuition: $85

2015 SUMMER BALLET INTENSIVE:

A high-intensity, 10-day program for the more dedicated student of classical ballet and dance ages "about" 12 and up, the Ballet North Summer Ballet Intensive will run from Monday June 22 to Friday July 3, 2015 Monday - Friday and Monday-Friday (NO Saturday or Sunday sessions) from 9:30 am - 3:00 pm.

Participants of the Intensive will take daily Ballet technique, Pointe and conditioning classes; study Modern and classic Jazz dance; and take Tap/Character classes each day of the 10 day program.

The faculty for this program are truly excellent:

Melissa Mason, a high-energy dancer in her own right, will teach the Modern and Jazz class.

Melissa Mason in flight

Ballet North instructors such as Matthew Reinschmidt will present the technique, pointe and conditioning classes

Registration may be done online using the Ballet Intensive button to the right of this post. Registration deadline is June 5, 2015.

ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST HAVE:

BALLET TECHNIQUE "FLAT" SHOES, JAZZ SHOES AND FLAMENCO LOW RISE OR HARD SOLED SHOES

LADIES:

YOU MUST ALSO HAVE POINTE SHOES!

Tuition: $655

The Journey To Become A Professional Dancer

2015-07-20T12:39:00.000-05:00

May 28, 2014

The journey to become a professional dancer takes many twists and turns. Here at Ballet North, our program is built on a very solid classical dance foundation because we are total believers in all the wonderful benefits of studying this nearly perfect movement language: excellent posture, muscle conditioning and elongation, greatly enhanced balance, coordination and poise, and of course self confidence and self respect gleaned from the knowledge you have learned and mastered something that is challenging, athletic and at the same time artistic - REGARDLESS of whether or not our students and dancers "go pro" or not.

For some, the desire or "spark" to take it even farther takes hold and this is where another branch of the journey begins. A significant and essential part of following through this branch and discovering if you have it in you to become a professional dancer is the attending of major, National-level multi-week summer intensives where a truly impressive talent pool of just 200 or so young dancers come together from many thousands that will audition to get in, and where the talent pool of faculty is uber-networked in to actual professional companies in a very similar manner to talent scouts who patrol the AAA league baseball teams searching for new talent for big-league ball teams.

Acting as a journeyman or apprentice program would have in centuries past, these long-term summer ballet intensives at places like Next Generation are designed to put attendees through very rigorous weeks of instruction, drills, and learning of choreography to get a sense of who can handle the very high intensity, all-day-long dancing and performance lifestyle of professional dancers in places like Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet or American Ballet Theater.

The real challenge to this pursuit is the financial resources needed. In the big picture, and by far the most effective method of learning ballet to the point that "going pro" could be an option, is by taking correctly taught, challenging and regular ballet classes on an ongoing basis. There is no substitute for a solid, regular class schedule that comes as close as possible to having a daily ballet class. Why? Because your 24 hr circadian rhythm regularly erases some of the muscle memory from the previous day - the only way to acquire and then maintain that precision muscle memory ballet dancers need is to tune up the body as it were with a daily ballet class. The Russians have a saying: miss one day of class you can tell it, miss 2 days of class and the teacher can tell it, miss 3 days of class and everyone else can tell it. That being said, what a summer ballet intensive should be for is a chance to be seen by future employers. Realistically a 6 week period of time is not long enough to make a huge technical breakthrough - swim camps, baseball camps, football camps, none of these cause major breakthroughs either but they all facilitate putting prospective future professionals through their paces for others to see and take note of.

You have to be careful though, because just like with soccer and baseball and football, not every sports camp or ballet intensive out there is one where those connections can be made because everyone has caught on to the fact that at $4,000 or more per student in fees for such camps or intensives, a whole lot of money can be made serving the "pro-sumer" type of player or dancer. In other words, most camps and intensives nowadays have no connections and do not lead to any professional gig at all. Sadly, they have mostly become just a golden goose for those offering them.

What Ballet North prefers to do is keep an awareness of which summer ballet intensives actually are connected with possible future employment, then work towards sending any potentially interested dancer to one of those and skipping altogether the dead-end but still very expensive intensives offered everywhere else. The other big condition here is that the dancer his or her self has to want to pursue this on their own by way of their own decision - this is not something that should be pushed or that someone should be talked into doing.

One important step along the way we have found is to offer a summer intensive at Ballet North that is shorter - 2 weeks long - and far, far less expensive (under $700 instead of $4,200) but that still hits just as hard and is just as intensive as any other program out there with daily technique, pointe, variations, modern, core training, and more going on each day with only a small break for lunch. That makes for the very same level of work and engagement as any professional or summer intensive schedule contains, and bridges the gap nicely so that someone's very first experience is not a 6 week period away from home (which can be daunting by itself) along with hard work at a level they aren't used to every day. This shorter intensive familiarizes dancers with a high energy sustained level of work far beyond what can be done during the school year - it literally goes all day long every day like regular school except it's all ballet and dance related - and is an excellent way to test the waters so to speak before diving all the way in to a much more expensive and far from home intensive.

Enroll NOW For 2014-2015 Classes Starting Saturday July 5

2014-05-28T13:23:00.002-05:00

From Matthew Reinschmidt, Director at Ballet North:

Ballet North has the new class schedule now posted at balletnorth.com for the 2014-2015 year, which will take effect Saturday July 5.

Being a classical ballet program, we do NOT take summers off, NOTHING actually halts, and our program does not actually start up new but instead continually evolves in an organic manner as students and levels progress. What we do in July is just "flip" or change any times as needed to accommodate today's ever shifting world of school day schedules, work schedules, and the balancing act all parents have to manage. In order to keep this as sane as possible, we only do these adjustments one time per year, which is in the gap between our June performances (this year that's Beauty and the Beast on June 13 and 14, 7:30 pm at Liberty North PAC, tickets are available in advance by clicking HERE) and the July 4th holiday. And, since no one is in school and no other major holidays happen, the first week of July is about the least disruptive point during the year we can accomplish this!

Also keep in mind that since many students will have been moved around to new levels, and everyone will have had a solid 2 weeks off (which is long enough - just try not practicing the violin for 4 or 8 or 12 weeks and then attempt to play Mozart!) our July 5 date behaves a lot like a start or return to class commencement, making it the perfect time for new students to get started.

Please complete your registration by selecting the Registration item on the top right side of this blog, and as well if you submit it in the first 3 days of the month, you can now set up your automatic tuition by selecting the correct tuition rate also on the right side of this blog. If you have any questions please do feel free to ask by calling us at 816-454-4859 or by email at ballet.north@gmail.com before you push any buttons!

NOTE: Vaganova level students (ages 10 and up) MUST take an audition class before starting; automatic tuition enrollment is only available for Pre-Ballet levels ages 3 through 9.

Here's looking forward to a very exciting year in 2014-2015!

(Matthew and Laura Reinschmidt, Directors, Ballet North Inc)

Places Everyone: Summer Ballet Intensive 2014 by Ballet North

2014-01-30T12:06:00.001-06:00

January 30, 2014

Ballet North Inc
Gladstone MO

Ballet North is proud to announce the all-new Summer Ballet Intensive for 2014!

A high-intensity, 9-day program for the more dedicated student of classical ballet and dance ages 12 and up, the Ballet North Summer Ballet Intensive will run from Monday June 23 to Thursday July 3, Monday - Friday and Monday-Thursday (NO Saturday or Sunday sessions) from 9:30 am - 3:00 pm.

Participants of the Intensive will take Ballet technique, Pointe and conditioning classes; study Modern and classic Jazz dance; and take Flamenco classes.

The faculty for this program are truly excellent:

Zhanna Saparova, an expert professional Flamenco dancer and teacher, will present the Flamenco classes.

Zhanna Saparova in performance

Melissa Mason, a high-energy dancer in her own right, will teach the Modern and Jazz class.

Melissa Mason in flight

Ballet North instructors such as Matthew Reinschmidt will present the technique, pointe and conditioning classes

Registration may be done online using the Ballet Intensive button to the right of this post. Registration deadline is June 5, 2014.

Any questions please contact us at ballet.north@gmail.com or 816-454-4859

Let's turn it up and turn it out this summer!

#BalletClass #SummerCamp #Ballet #Summer

How To Make A Perfect Arabesque 2.0

2014-01-10T22:58:00.000-06:00

January 10, 2014

How To Make A Perfect Arabesque 2.0
By:

Matthew Reinschmidt

Ballet North in Gladstone Missouri

What makes a perfect arabesque? Drive, determination, stamina, and of course technique plus correct, regular, professional training. You don't make an arabesque like this with combo-classes or taking 3 months off over the summer.

Kristin studied at the Ballet North Academy from the age of 3 and performed with the Ballet North Company from age 13 to 16. Follow-on training has been at the excellent Houston Ballet School. The result? Ms Smith is well poised to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. We wish her all the best!

#Ballet

#Arabesque

www.balletnorth.com

Do You Know The Actual Tale Of Beauty And The Beast?

2014-01-06T10:59:00.000-06:00

Google+
January 6, 2014

We thought it might be interesting to provide the real background to the tale of Beauty and the Beast since this tale, like nearly all other Fairy Tales, has been heavily massaged and edited over the centuries which is both fascinating to find out about, but also establishes that there is quite a lot of room to be creative in the adapting of a Fairy Tale for use in a ballet because so many other artists and writers have themselves tweaked it work as they thought best in their respective medium whether acting, annimation, or balletic adaptations. Note all the listed adaptations at the end of the Wikipedia article! So, without further adieu, here is a quite good treatment of the origin tale of Beauty and the Beast:

Beauty and the Beast

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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This article is about the fairy tale. For other uses, see Beauty and the Beast (disambiguation).

Beauty dines with the Beast in an illustration by Anne Anderson

"Beauty and the Beast" (French: La Belle et la Bête) is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740.^[1] The best-known written version was an abridgement of her work published in 1756 by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont, in Magasin des enfants, ou dialogues entre une sage gouvernante et plusieurs de ses élèves; an English translation appeared in 1757.^[2]
Variants of the tale are known across Europe.^[3] In France, for example, Zémire et Azor is an operatic version of the story of Beauty and the Beast written by Marmontel and composed by Grétry in 1771. It had enormous success well into the 19th century.^[4] It is based on the second version of the tale.
Amour pour amour, by Nivelle de la Chaussée, is a 1742 play based on Villeneuve's version.

Plot

Illustration for Beauty and the Beast by Walter Crane

A wealthy merchant lived in a mansion with his three daughters. They were all very beautiful, but only the youngest, twenty-year-old Belle, was lovely and pure of heart; her sisters, in contrast, were wicked and selfish. The merchant eventually lost all of his wealth in a tempest at sea. As a consequence of this, he and his daughters were forced to live in a small farmhouse and work for their living. After some years of this, the merchant heard that one of the trade ships he had sent off had arrived back in port, having escaped the destruction of its compatriots. He returned to the city to discover whether it contained anything valuable. Before leaving, he asked his daughters if they would like him to bring any gifts back for them. The oldest two asked for jewels and fine dresses, thinking that his wealth had returned. Belle was satisfied with the promise of a rose, as none grew in their part of the country. The merchant, to his dismay, found that his ship's cargo had been seized to pay his debts, leaving him without money to buy his daughters their presents.
During his return, he became lost in a forest. Seeking shelter, he entered a dazzling palace. He found tables inside laden with food and drink, which seemed to have been left for him by the palace's invisible owner. The merchant accepted this gift and spent the night there. The next morning as the merchant was about to leave, he saw a rose garden and recalled that Belle had desired a rose. Upon picking the loveliest rose he could find, the merchant was confronted by a hideous 'Beast', which told him that for taking his most precious possession after accepting his hospitality, the merchant must die. The merchant begged to be set free, arguing that he had only picked the rose as a gift for his youngest daughter. The Beast agreed to let him give the rose to Belle, but only if the merchant would return.
The merchant was upset, but accepted this condition. The Beast sent him on his way, with jewels and fine clothes for his daughters, and stressed that Belle must never know about his deal. The merchant, upon arriving home, tried to hide the secret from Belle, but she pried it from him and willingly went to the Beast's castle. The Beast received her graciously and informed her that she was mistress of the castle, and he was her servant. He gave her lavish clothing and food and carried on lengthy conversations with her. Every night, the Beast asked Belle to marry him, only to be refused each time. After each refusal, Belle dreamed of a handsome prince who pleaded with her to answer why she kept refusing him, and she replied that she cannot marry the Beast because she loved him only as a friend. Belle did not make the connection between the handsome prince and the Beast and became convinced that the Beast was holding the prince captive somewhere in the castle. She searched and discovered multiple enchanted rooms, but never the prince from her dreams.

Beauty and the Beast, illustration by Warwick Goble

For several months, Belle lived a life of luxury at the Beast's palace, having every whim catered to by servants, with no end of riches to amuse her and an endless supply of exquisite finery to wear. Eventually she became homesick and begged the Beast to allow her to go to see her family. He allowed it on the condition that she would return exactly a week later. Belle agreed to this and set off for home with an enchanted mirror and ring. The mirror allowed her to see what was going on back at the Beast's castle, and the ring allowed her to return to the castle in an instant when turned three times around her finger. Her older sisters were surprised to find her well fed and dressed in finery. They were envious when they heard of her happy life at the castle, and, hearing that she must return to the Beast on a certain day, begged her to stay another day, even putting onion in their eyes to make it appear as though they were weeping. They hoped that the Beast would be angry with Belle for breaking her promise and would eat her alive. Belle's heart was moved by her sisters' false show of love, and she agreed to stay.
Belle began to feel guilty about breaking her promise to the Beast and used the mirror to see him back at the castle. She was horrified to discover that the Beast was lying half-dead from heartbreak near the rose bushes her father had stolen from and she immediately used the ring to return to the Beast.
Upon returning, Belle found the Beast almost dead, and she wept over him, saying that she loved him. When her tears struck him, the Beast was transformed into the handsome prince from Belle's dreams. The Prince informed her that long ago a fairy turned him into a hideous beast after he refused to let her in from the rain, and that only by finding true love, despite his ugliness, could the curse be broken. He and Belle were married and they lived happily ever after together.

Villeneuve's version

Villeneuve's tale includes several elements that Beaumont's omits. Chiefly, the back-story of both Belle and the Beast is given. The Beast was a prince who lost his father at a young age, and whose mother had to wage war to defend his kingdom. The queen left him in care of an evil fairy, who tried to seduce him when he became an adult; when he refused, she transformed him into a beast. Belle's story reveals that she is not really a merchant's daughter but the offspring of a king and a good fairy. The wicked fairy had tried to murder Belle so she could marry her father the king, and Belle was put in the place of the merchant's dead daughter to protect her.^[5] She also gave the castle elaborate magic, which obscured the more vital pieces of it.^[6] Beaumont greatly pared down the cast of characters and simplified the tale to an almost archetypal simplicity.^[7]

Commentary

The urban opening is unusual in fairy tales, as is the social class of the characters, neither royal nor peasants. It may reflect the social changes occurring at the time of its first writing.^[8]

Adaptations

The tale has been notably adapted for screen, stage, prose, and television over the years.

Beastly, written by Alex Flinn, sets the story in modern day Manhattan.
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast and Rose Daughter both by author Robin McKinley.
Belle: A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast by Cameron Dokey, and Spirited by Nancy Holder, both part of the Once Upon A Time.
East by Edith Pattou, based on the story East of the Sun and West of the Moon a Norse variation.
The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey, part of the Elementals series.
Beauty and the Werewolf by Mercedes Lackey, part of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series.
Beast by Donna Jo Napoli A retelling set in Persia and told in the beast's point of view.
Roses & Thorns : Beauty and the Beast Retold by Chris Anne Wolfe, a retelling of the classic story where both protagonists are female.
Beauty and the Beast ... The Story Retold. Laura E. Richards. London: Blickie & Son, 1886. Also, Boston: Roberts Brothers, 1886.
A French version entitled La Belle et la Bête was made in 1946, directed by Jean Cocteau, starring Jean Marais as the Beast and Josette Day as the Beauty. This version adds a subplot involving Belle's suitor Avenant.^[9] In 1994, Philip Glass wrote an opera, "La Belle et la Bête", based on Cocteau's film. Glass's composition follows the film scene by scene, effectively providing a new original soundtrack for the movie.^[10]
A 1952 animated feature film The Scarlet Flower directed by Lev Atamanov and produced at the Soyuzmultfilm. It was restored at the Gorky Film Studio in 1987 and is now widely available on several video and DVD editions in Russia (an English-subtitled version has not been released).
A 1962 version directed by Edward L. Cahn, starring Joyce Taylor and Mark Damon, had the Beast as a prince who transformed into werewolf at night, with makeup by Universal's Jack Pierce.^[11]
In 1987, The Cannon Group and Golan-Globus Productions released Beauty and the Beast, a musical live action version, directed by Eugene Marner, starring John Savage as Beast, and Rebecca De Mornay as Beauty, with original music by Lori McKelvey. It was released on VHS in 1988 by Cannon Video, and on DVD in 2005 by MGM Home Entertainment.^[12]
In 1991, Walt Disney Feature Animation produced a musical animated film entitled Beauty and the Beast, directed by Kirk Wise & Gary Trousdale, with a screenplay by Linda Woolverton, and songs by Alan Menken & Howard Ashman. Like the 1946 version, the Disney version also names Beauty "Belle" and gives her a handsome suitor (here named Gaston) who eventually plots to kill the Beast.^[13]
Children's film producer Diane Eskenazi produced Beauty and the Beast, directed by Masakazu Higuchi and Chinami Namba, for Golden Films in 1993. The film, which relied on moderate animation techniques but was mostly faithful to the original tale, featured classical compositions as opposed to an original soundtrack, featuring the works of many well-known popular composers.^[14]
The theme of the music video "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)" by Meat Loaf released in 1993 is adapted from Beauty and the Beast.^[15]
A 2003 Viking period film directed by David Lister was alternately known as Beauty and the Beast and Blood of Beasts.^[16]
A dark version^[17] of the fairy tale updated to modern times,^[18] director Robert Beaucage's 2008 film Spike^[19] was described (at its premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival^[20] where it was chosen as part of the Best of the Fest)^[21] as "Angela Carter rewriting La Belle et la Bête as an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer".^[22]
Another modern take on Beauty and the Beast is Beastly, starring Alex Pettyfer as the beast (named Kyle) and Vanessa Hudgens as the love interest (named Lindy). Directed by Daniel Barnz and based on the novel by Alex Flinn, it was released on 18 March 2011. The story places the basics of the original fairy tale in the context of a contemporary American high school. The film also features Neil Patrick Harris as Kyle's blind tutor, Mary-Kate Olsen as the girl responsible for cursing Kyle and causing his subsequent transformation.^[23]
George C. Scott appeared as the Beast in a made-for-TV rendition in 1976, with his second wife, Patricia "Trish" Van Devere, co-starring alongside him as Belle in the film, which aired as part of the "Hallmark Hall of Fame." Scott was nominated for an Emmy for his performance.
In 1984, Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre aired Beauty and the Beast starring Klaus Kinski and Susan Sarandon. The script, sets, makeup and costumes were based on the 1946 film.
Beauty and the Beast, a television series which owed as much to detective shows and fantasy fiction as to the fairy tale, was originally broadcast from 1987 to 1989. This was centered around the relationship between Catherine (played by Linda Hamilton), an attorney who lived in New York City and Vincent (played by Ron Perlman), a gentle but lion-faced "beast" who dwells in the tunnels beneath the city. Wendy Pini created two issues of a comic-book adaptation of the TV series. The series was cancelled when ratings fell after Hamilton decided to leave the show at the end of the second season.
Beauty & the Beast (2012) is a reworking of the 1987 TV series with Jay Ryan and Kristin Kreuk reprising the roles that Perlman and Hamilton, respectively, had originated in that production.
Both ABC and the CW have ordered pilots for television shows based on the classic fairy tale with the CW version being a remake of the 1980s television series..^[24]
A variation of the story was incorporated into an episode of the ABC TV series Once Upon a Time entitled "Skin Deep" in which Beauty/Belle is played by Emilie de Ravin and the Beast is Rumpelstiltskin, as played by Robert Carlyle.
The Disney film was adapted for the stage as Beauty and the Beast by Linda Woolverton and Alan Menken, who had worked on the film. Howard Ashman, the original lyricist, had died, and additional lyrics were written by Tim Rice.^[25]
A hidden object game Mystery Legends: Beauty and the Beast was released in 2012.^[26]
Fashion Beast, a 1980s screenplay by Alan Moore that was adapted into a graphic novel in 2012
The Quantum Rose by Catherine Asaro is a science fiction retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It won the 2002 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 2001 Affaire de Coeur Award for Best Science Fiction Novel. The first third of the novel appeared as a three-part serialization in Analog magazine in the 1999 May, June and July/August issues. Tor Books published the full novel in 2000.
In The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski the story "A Grain of Truth" is very similar to Beauty and the Beast, though the beast enjoys being a beast and the daughters of various merchants willingly live with him in exchange for money.
Tanith Lee's short story, "Beauty," is a science fiction retelling of Beauty and the Beast, which appeared in her anthology, Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer, published in 1983. The heroine is named Estár; the Beast, a catlike telepathic alien, is never given a name that can be written or spoken in any human language.

UPDATED Nutcracker Children's Party

2013-11-29T11:32:00.000-06:00

Google+

+ November 29, 2013

Artistic Director Laura Reinschmidt and the wonderfully talented dancers of Ballet North are pleased to present the Nutcracker Children's Party Performances coming up on Saturday, December 7 2013 at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm.

Featuring Act II of that beautiful, classic masterpiece of Tchaikovsky with choreography by Artistic Director Laura Reinschmidt, The Nutcracker Suite!

Come and see all those famous dances: Russian, Chinese, Spanish, Arabian, Candycanes, Clowns, Sugar Plum, Waltz of the Flowers and Grand pas de deux. Performance length is just about 45 minutes making this a very fun and totally family friendly event suitable for all ages.

After the performance, take pictures with the Sugar Plum and the Dew Drop and children may decorate cookies.

Reservations are required in advance and are $10 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under. Hurry, space is VERY limited!

(Use the buttons to the right of this post to select which time and type of reservation you need.)

Ballet North performances of Act II of the Nutcracker Suite - The Nutcracker Children's Party is sponsored in part by the Arts Council of Kansas City, ArtsKC and the Missouri Arts Council - MAC.

#ballet #Nutcracker #balletnorth

Ballet North to premiere Beauty and the Beast coming June of 2014

2013-09-30T12:30:00.000-05:00

Google+ September 14, 2013 Ballet North and Artistic Director Laura Luzicka Reinschmidt announce the premiere of the all new and full length Beauty and the Beast set for performances on Friday and Saturday June 13 and 14, 2014 at the Liberty North Performing Arts Center! Sure to be a captivating experience for audiences young and old, Beauty and the Beast will feature beautiful classical ballet technique as well as "...a lot of stagecraft and f/x tricks" necessary to bring this epic fairy tale to life. Did you know? The first known publication of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale was in France in 1740! Tickets will be available in April of 2014 at www.balletnorth.com and will be reserve seating.

Ballet North is supported in part by the Arts Council of Kansas City - ArtsKC

NEW Pre-Ballet Class Ages 5 and Up!

2013-09-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

Google+ September 20, 2013

Ballet North has cracked the code!

A BRAND NEW Pre-Ballet class will be offered at an easy to get to time!

Pre-Ballet Ages 5 and up: Tuesdays from 5 pm - 5:45 pm

We know that busing and school schedules have played havoc with everyone's weeknight scheduling, so we are pleased to start this time for NEW STUDENTS who want to start ballet but cannot make it to an earlier time during the week due to those doggone buses!

Tuition is $55 for this new class and the class will most likely be extended to one hour after a few sessions just so we can allow these still young students to get used to their new ballet class! Once the class is extended to 1 hour the tuition will be the usual rate of $65 per month.

NOTE: this class is for NEW STUDENTS ONLY or for missed class make-ups, but is NOT available for transfers from existing classes until this new class gets started for 1 month.

Register online for this class 24/7 by clicking the Class Registration button to the right of this post!

Pre-Ballet Ages 5 and up will start Tuesday October 8th, 2013.
Please register at least 24 hours in advance!

As always and as we were the first to do, you are guaranteed age appropriate music, movement and costumes PLUS actual, correct classical ballet instruction so you avoid spending the same money twice.

(Ballet North Pre-Ballet 2 for 5 year olds on stage in 2005)

Newform Adult Conditioning at Ballet North

2013-09-17T10:51:00.001-05:00

Google+

New!

Ballet North NEWFORM for Adults

Exercise for Adults who want to:

+ Increase flexibility & Stamina

+ Strengthen core muscles

+ Improve Balance and Coordination

6-week Introduction to Yoga Class

Taught by: Laura Reinschmidt

Saturdays 9:00 – 10:00 am

October 5^th – November 9^th*

^$60.00

6-week Introduction to Ballet for Adults

Taught by Matthew Reinschmidt

Mondays 6:10 – 7:10 pm

October 7^th – November 11^th*

^$60.00

*Registration Deadline October 1^st.

6-week Winter & Spring sessions January 4-February 8 , and April 5 – May 10th

Register online BEFORE October 1 using the Newform Yoga or Newform Ballet items to the right of this posting!

Ballet North Announces The Calendar For 2013-2014

2013-09-02T13:38:00.001-05:00

September 2nd, 2013

Ballet North now has the full year's calendar for 2013-2014 ready to go. An image of it appears on this blog post, and all calendar details will also be available 24/7 at balletnorth.com in addition to a large copy permanently affixed to the main bulletin board in our studio facility. In an effort to go and stay green, publishing hundreds of pages of print - which uses paper which cuts down trees, including calendar printing - is something we try to avoid if at all possible!

Copies can be easily emailed as well in .pdf format - just contact us at ballet.north@gmail.com and we will be happy to transmit one to you!*

*Current students only

Flip Flops Are HAZARDOUS...

2013-08-20T08:16:00.002-05:00

NEVER Wear Flip-Flops!

Quite possibly the worst thing you can do for the structure of your foot - short of running your feet over with a car or dropping a sledge hammer on them - is wearing the flip-flop type of sandal. In order to walk around in flip-flops all the lower leg muscles have to tense up a bit, the toes must knuckle under all the time to hold on to the sandal, and the arch is given no support while all the lower leg tenses and the toes knuckle under. The result? Dropped arches, stressed ankles and Achilles tendons, and very bad habits with the toes all being caused or reinforced at the same time.

If you are at a summer camp or in a college dormitory or otherwise where a shower facility must be shared with other people then flip flops are golden because wearing them in the shower can avoid your feet getting planters' warts, athletes foot infections, and other types of spreadable infections. But other than using them to avoid shower and locker room borne infections, flip flops will definitely stiffen and interfere with the structure of the foot in all the wrong ways. So, do not wear them to walk around in at school or work or going to the movies, wear shoes or real sandals!

KC Dance Festival Coming Soon - Check Out These Videos!

2013-05-25T23:39:00.000-05:00

It was really great to host KC Dance Festival today at the Ballet North Studios as they prepare for their first annual event at the Spencer Theater, UMKC, on June 28 & 29 at 7:30 pm.

KC Dance Festival is being worked on by Anthony Krutzcamp, Jill Marlow, Rachel Coats and Jon Upleger during rehearsal today, and we filmed a couple of real short clips to tease you with what dynamic and enthralling material they are working on.

PLEASE NOTE: KC Dance Festival is NOT per se a family event, it is a performance all about the range and expression professional dancers can create with their art.

Go to http://kcdancefestival.com to find out more!

For tickets to KC Dance Festival, click this: https://tickets.cto.umkc.edu/public/show.asp

Check out these two short clips to get a taste of the awesome dance pieces they are preparing while doing their rehearsal at Ballet North Inc today:

Boys Can Dance Phase 2 - Boys Take Class!

2013-04-28T00:30:00.000-05:00

April 28, 2013
Updated: July 7, 2013

HALF OFF ONE MONTH'S BALLET CLASS FOR BOYS!

NO REGISTRATION - A $30 VALUE!

The Boys Can Dance Phase 2 - Get Your Son Involved With This Awesome Classical Art Form!

Ballet North Exclusive Facebook Web Offer To Start Ballet For Young Men Ages 6 - 10:

This offer is good through July 25, 2013

SELECT AND PURCHASE 1 OR MORE OF THE "BOYS CAN DANCE WEB OFFER" ITEM LOCATED IMMEDIATELY RIGHT OF THIS POST USING OUR SECURE SHOPPING CART.

Some conditions that apply:

1) Offer applies ONLY to new students ages 6 - 10.

2) Offer may be purchased by current students as a gift to new students only!

3) Minimum taking of 2 months of lessons required. The second month will be at the normal tuition rate.

4) NO REFUNDS, NO EXCHANGES, ALL PURCHASES FINAL.

((Tuition for class will be at the normal rates upon the end of the 4th lesson))

OFFER EXPIRES JULY 25, 2013 -

YOU MUST COME TO YOUR FIRST CLASS BY JULY 25TH, 2013!!!

Here's what men look like doing ballet:

Cinderella tickets now on sale at balletnorth.com

2013-04-16T15:33:00.002-05:00

April 16, 2013

We are very pleased to announce that tickets to Cinderella are on sale starting today (right now) at balletnorth.com - simply go to the site, click on the "CINDERELLA TICKETS" link and you will be taken to our online reserve box office where you can pick exactly what seats you want for the Friday or Saturday, June 14 and 15 performances!

The Boys Can Dance Initiative - Phase 1 by Ballet North

2013-03-28T07:49:00.000-05:00

The Boys Can Dance Initiative - BCDI - Phase 1:
Ballet is Awesome!

Published by: Ballet North in Gladstone, Missouri

Here are some examples of men doing ballet, two are from major international stars and one is from a man from Missouri. We think it is awesome to watch and a blast to do! Ballet does NOT mean "girls only". Sure, you have to practice and get sore to dance like these clips show, but how is that different from overheating and passing out wearing pads and helmets, with perhaps a lot of other sweaty players piled on top of you? Yes, men do wear tights on stage but then so do football players, wrestlers, gymnasts, nearly all athletes except swimmers who wear even less than that. Just saying. So, come on dads, get over this prejudice!

PLUS there is no problem with concussions, brain damage, criminal thug behavior, or a 65%+ bankruptcy rate among retired ballet dancers like there is among some other pursuits people seem more than willing to sacrifice their boys to...the chances of anyone in little league ever being a pro are even more remote than the chances of a ballet student becoming a professional dancer, so any way you look at it this idea that your son should not do ballet is highly mistaken!

The added benefits of all that flexibility and agility also mean your hamstrings and lower back stay flexible later in life and so in your 40's you don't have chronic back problems and blown hamstrings like a lot of former jocks out there. Hardly something to dismiss!

Ballet North has classes available for all age ranges beginning Saturday July 6, 2013 INCLUDING boys! Get your sons involved in ballet and trust us, you won't be sorry!

Check our class schedule for all the available class times at http://www.balletnorth.com and clicking on "Website" then "Menu" then "2014 Class Schedule".

Cinderella Masquerade Ball A Big Success

2013-01-27T13:14:00.005-06:00

January 27, 2013

The Cinderella Masquerade Ball was held at Ballet North on Saturday January 26 and Sunday January 27, 2013. Lori LeMunyon worked with Ballet North extensively and developed the concept of how the event would run - Ballet North sends a very big thank you to Lori!

Pictured below Ballet North Artistic Director Laura Reinschmidt, Meredith Crouch as Cinderella, and event organizer Lori LeMunyon; Laura Reinschmidt with Meredith Crouch as Cinderella, and Kristin Smith as Cinderella

Please find below the images from the Ball. Definitely peruse through them all because there are some fun surprises waiting in there! They are broken up into five segments:

Saturday Company Practice

Saturday Pictures with Cinderella

Saturday May Pole

Sunday Pictures with Cinderella

Sunday May Pole

Also, Ballet North extends the sincerest thanks to the following persons who greatly assisted with this fantastic event (in no particular order):

Jennifer McIntire, Ty Ho, Stephanie Soltis, Lauri Robertson-Ortiz, Kathy Smith, Mark Hawkins, Hannah Luzicka, Luke Luzicka, Angela Rice, the Mendoza family, Tammy Peoples, Debby Gupta, Barbara Volz.

A fun, wonderful time was had by all - BRAVO to everyone!

Ballet North presents Cinderella Friday and Saturday June 14 and 15, 2013, at the Liberty North Performing Arts Center. Tickets available on or after April 14, 2013!

How Are Pointe Shoes Made?

2012-11-22T18:59:00.000-06:00

It is a major rite of passage for the ballet student to finally get their pointe shoes and to begin the study of pointe work. Pointe shoes are themselves fascinating pieces of foot ware which have evolved for a century and require a high level of craftsmanship to make, but it is hard to visualize what all goes into the making of the diminutive symbol of the art of ballet. So here is a great video by the series How It's Made showing the process from raw materials to finished product. It also reveals a bit about the reason pointe shoes must be broken in following a specific method unlike flat shoes which can be worn right out of the box. Enjoy!

Nutcracker And Cinderella Excitement Building

2012-10-08T09:48:00.000-05:00

Nutcracker School Tour 2012 presented by Ballet North is now well underway to being performed, and 1/2 of the available times are already taken so, if your school would like Ballet North to bring a fully produced ballet and complete traveling stage directly to you this Fall, please contact us now! 816-454-4859 or via email ballet.north@gmail.com

For those that do not already know...

This year the Ballet North company and the School of Ballet North will present the full-length classical ballet Cinderella on June 14 and 15, 2013, at the Liberty North Performing Arts Center.

Ballet North features a full-service ballet school offering pre-ballet classes for all ages, pre-professional training for advanced students, and performance opportunities through our performance company Ballet North Inc.

Ballet is a classical art and so we run year-round because taking months off at a time from any art is far more trouble than it is worth, so students may enroll any time during the year to begin their journey through the marvelous world of classical ballet. We do take a short break from late June into the July 4 holiday, but then for July and August we have all classes running.

The only cut-off is for costumes so, for any new student out there thinking about how awesome it could be to perform in the ballet Cinderella with Ballet North, make sure you enroll BEFORE January 15, 2013 so you are in time for the costume order!

Ballet North is located at 6308 N Prospect Avenue, Gladstone, Missouri 64119-1825.

The original and only non-profit ballet company and school in the Northland region of Kansas City Missouri, originally Laura Luzicka Classical Ballet founded in 1977, Ballet North was begun in 1994 under the direction of Laura Luzicka Reinschmidt.

Find us on Google+

Ballet North Welcomes New Students!

2012-08-30T10:53:00.001-05:00

Ballet North welcomes our new students for the 2012-2013 year and we are looking forward to some wonderful times this season - the Nutcracker Children's Party in December is a great family friendly way to capture that holiday feeling with the magic of ballet; Cinderella will be a truly grand experience for all students, plus Dance Camps and perhaps even some other 'surprise' events to boot all coming down the pike this year!

To register for class please click the grey "Registration Payment" button to the right of this post and proceed through the checkout.

Thank you, and we look forward to exploring the wonderful world of the ballet this year!

(Below: Images from Sleeping Beauty presented in June of 2011.)

Congratulations to Ballet North student Kristin Smith

2012-08-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

August 30, 2012

Ballet North congratulates Kristin Smith of Smithville, Missouri on her acceptance to the top level of the Kansas City Ballet School year-round program on scholarship for 2012-2013. Kristin trained with Ballet North since she was 4 years old and this marks another significant step in her goal of becoming a professional dancer.

She will perform with Ballet North as well as the Kansas City Ballet Youth Company this year, making for a very exciting time for Kristin!

Bravo!

Pictured: Kristin performing the Diamond Fairy during the Ballet North production of Sleeping Beauty in 2011 above and in an Arabesque below.

Ballet North Quick Calendar

2012-08-19T21:25:00.003-05:00

Ballet North at a glance Quick Calendar for 2012 to 2013:

Enroll NOW for ballet classes!

NO classes for Labor Day Break Monday August 27th - Monday September 3rd, classes resume Tuesday September 4th at their normal times

NUTCRACKER School Tour 2012 sponsored by Target Stores coming up on
Friday November 30th, Friday December 7th and Friday December 14th, 2012. Contact us at ballet.north@gmail.com to set up performances in your gymnasium or multi-use space!

(Some space constraints apply...and as always first come, first serve.)

NUTCRACKER Children's Party Performances Saturday December 1st, 2012 at 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm. $10 for adults, $5 for children, tickets will be available on this site starting November 1.

CINDERELLA by Ballet North, sponsored by the Missouri Arts Council and ArtsKC, presented 7:00 pm on Friday June 14 and Friday June 15, 2013. Reserve seating, $20 for adults and $15 for children/seniors. Available through the Ballet North Box Office starting April 20, 2013.

Ballet North Receives Support From Target Stores Inc

2012-07-31T09:51:00.000-05:00

July 31, 2012

Ballet North is very excited and truly grateful to Target Stores Inc for their support of the Nutcracker School Tour 2012 coming up this November and December 2012. A very big thank you to them!

On the web at http://www.target.com