Manhattan Youth Ballet and MMAC announce Auditions for THE KNICKERBOCKER SUITE

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As a dancer you are always in need of Empowerment, especially when it’s time to test your will to succeed. With MYB and MMAC having auditions for “The Knickerbocker Suite”, Dance Mogul Magazine thought it would be beneficial if the dancers coming to the audition got some insight and words of encouragement. It takes a lot to continuously go to audition after audition and hear hundreds of No’s before you hear that one YES! We hope that this brief interview with Director of Programming ” Erin K. Fogarty” can put some of the participants at ease, but still empower them to give their all.

Dance Mogul: Besides dance skills, what do you look for in an audition candidate?

Erin K. Fogarty: We are looking for a level of artistry in their approach to the choreography.  To add a level of character development even in the early stages of learning the steps. We are also looking for a level of heart and passion.

Dance Mogul: How do dancers use an opportunity like this to enhance their future?

Erin K. Fogarty: Young dancers can take an audition opportunity to work on applying what they learn in the classroom with regard to both their technical skill as well as their individual sense of artistry and performance quality. In any audition, you are attempting to introduce yourself as an artistic personality to your audition panel.  So, in a way, auditioning is a lot like performing and all performance experience enhances a young dancer’s future and helps them grow.

Dance Mogul: Any words of encouragement for the dancers auditioning?

Erin K. Fogarty: Auditioning can be extremely racking although we try to create a nurturing auditioning environment here at MYB. We are looking for dedicated young artists who love to dance that are looking to learn through process.  As we say here, the reward is in the process.  The performances are a gift we give to the audience and they feed our artistic soul.

MYB Graneiro-1

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 17, 2014

Manhattan Youth Ballet and

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center announce

Auditions for The Knickerbocker Suite
Saturday, September 20, 2014 at 4pm

Manhattan Youth Ballet and Manhattan Movement & Arts Center announce Auditions for The Knickerbocker Suite on Saturday, September 20, 2014 at the Manhattan Movement & Arts Center, 248 West 60th Street, NYC (between Amsterdam and West End Avenues) in the Lincoln Center area.  Registration opens at 4pm, with auditions at 4:30pm (7-9 years), 5:15pm (10-13 years), and 6pm (14 years and up). Audition fee is $20, payable by cash, check or credit card.  If selected, there is no participation fee, only a costume fee of $50.

The Knickerbocker Suite will be performed from December 12-14 and December 19-21, 2014 at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center. The Knickerbocker Suite features New York City landmarks, such as The Statue of Liberty, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and NY sports teams, weaved into the time-honored holiday tale of The Nutcracker. Classic Nutcracker scenes like “The Land of the Snow” are transformed into a snowy frenzy of shoppers dancing in and out of stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s for last minute gifts. Perhaps one of the more well-known scenes, “Mother Ginger and her Polichinelles,” will be played by the Statue of Liberty and dancing immigrants who just arrived from Ellis Island.

With scenes of shoppers on Fifth Avenue, the angels at Rockefeller Center, the Statue of Liberty, NY sports teams and the romance of Central Park in the winter, The Knickerbocker Suite is a celebration of New York City, its culture and the magic of the holiday season. The production features the choreography of Deborah Wingert, Daniel Ulbricht, Brian Reeder, Marina Stavitskaya and Natalia Boesch with a story by Rose Caiola and Elliott Arkin, as well as a photo project by acclaimed photographer, Erin Baiano and illustrations by artist Katy DeHay.

For more information about The Knickerbocker Suite, visit www.manhattanyouthballet.org.

About Manhattan Youth Ballet

Modeled with an emphasis on European classical ballet, Manhattan Youth Ballet (MYB) offers world-class training in a nurturing environment focused on discipline, precision and artistry.  MYB is the culmination of Ms. Rose Caiola’s effort for the past seventeen years to create a viable, curriculum-based ballet academy in Manhattan in order to serve the needs of the multifaceted community.  Principal members of the faculty have received their training in schools such as the The Kirov Ballet, School of American Ballet, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.  The faculty strives to bring out the individual potential of each student with an emphasis on artistry as well as technique to create truly versatile dancers for the current dance world. Manhattan Youth Ballet has acquired a reputation for excellent teaching in an intimate and individually supportive environment. The school’s graduates have danced professionally with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet de España, San Francisco Ballet and Complexions.

Education is a top priority at Manhattan Youth Ballet and the school has numerous community outreach programs to promote dance education.  Since moving to its new home at Manhattan Movement & Arts Center in September 2008, over 2,500 New York City school children have participated in lecture demonstrations and/or been MYB’s invited guests at full-length performances.  For more information, visit www.manhattanyouthballet.org.

About Manhattan Movement & Arts Center

Manhattan Movement & Arts Center was developed by Rose Caiola as the home of the Manhattan Youth Ballet.  Ms. Caiola, a former dancer and actress, founded the academy in the fall of 1994 as Studio Maestro at 48 W. 68th Street, and today serves as the youth ballet’s executive artistic director.  As the ballet academy grew, the search for a larger space inspired in Ms. Caiola a highly personal vision of a studio and theater complex that would encompass all aspects of dance education and performance.

mmac opened its doors in June 2008, occupying a dramatic bi-level space within The Element, a luxury high-rise condominium. mmac’s theater, has become a popular off-broadway venue for both sit down and limited run productions. mmac’s studios host a variety of classes including open ballet and fitness, a full mmac kids curriculum, as well as a number of Broadway Workshops and rehearsals with stars such as Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Natalie Portman, and Alec Baldwin.

For more information about mmac, visit www.manhattanmovement.com.

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