Hello all. This is Rachel Norfleet, Studio Manager, writing to you from the front lines of Nashville Ballet and the School of Nashville Ballet. We all enjoyed a few quiet and relaxing days off last week for Spring Break, and now we’re back in the swing of things without having missed a beat.
Our company is currently rehearsing like mad for our upcoming Spring Series, Carmina Burana. There’s something incredibly satisfying about having “O Fortuna” as background music as we go about our day here in the office. And the dancers – they are just doing a phenomenal job, carrying out the movements choreographed by Paul Vasterling with a graceful, yet commanding and intimidating, presence. The rehearsals alone are amazing to watch; I can only imagine how the finished product is going to shine once on stage, surrounded by the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, the Nashville Children’s Choir and the Belmont University Oratorio Chorus. The thought is goosebump-inducing!
Our students at the School of Nashville Ballet have been doing their fair share of rehearsing as well. Dancers in our Upper Division have been tirelessly honing the steps they will be performing at our end-of-semester concert. Costumes have been selected, music has been set and pieces have been choreographed by our very own internationally-renowned faculty. Our students have been working hard the past few weeks, and it’s all going to pay off beautifully.
Also in rehearsal are some of our dancers from levels 3A and up. They’re practicing for performances that will be held in celebration of National Dance Week at Barnes & Noble in Cool Springs. What a great combination of culture, right? You’ve got your literature and you’ve got your dance…a perfect alternative to staying in and being glued to the tube all weekend (as my mother would say).
And not to be outdone, students in our Primary Division are going to be working on their own show. Dancers in our Joy of Dance, Creative Movement and Pre-Ballet classes will be practicing their balance, movement and dramatics for Observation Week. This is a special week, usually at the close of each semester, when parents and friends are invited into the studios to watch their dancer while they are in class. Our Lower Division will be having an Observation Week, as well.
So it would seem “practice” is our running motif, here. Months of training are culminating into spectacular works of art, and it’s amazing to witness. I feel truly fortunate to be in the midst of such an exciting time for so many different and talented people.
Be sure to check in with us next week for more news on the school and the company. Until then, keep stretching those muscles!
-Rachel Norfleet
