One of the area’s premier dance studios is celebrating 25 years of bringing the joy and art of dance to local students. The Ballet & Performing Arts Centre in Winston-Salem marks its anniversary celebration by presenting an updated performance of The Nutcracker. The BPAC has been performing this magical ballet annually for 23 years. This year’s Nutcracker will present updated choreography, designed in part by very talented BPAC instructors Natalie Calvano, Margaret Forsh, Donna Franklin, Nicole Lawson, and Meghan Wham. New costumes will grace the performance, including in the opening party scene and also for the Snowflake and Icicle characters. And special guest artist, Rashod Wells, will perform the roles of Snow King and Sugar Plum Cavalier.
As has been the tradition for 20 years, the BPAC performance of The Nutcracker will be held at Reynolds Auditorium. The first of three performances will be a matinee on Friday, December 13th, an hour-long abbreviated version of the ballet to which the BPAC encourages local schools to attend. Tickets for this performance are $10. Interested schools can contact the BPAC for group packets via their e-mail address, [email protected]. Traditional two-hour performances will also be offered Friday, December 13th at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, December 14th at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for these performances will be $18 for children and seniors and $28 for adults. Tickets may be purchased online at balletandperformingartscentre.org.
The mission of the Ballet & Performance Arts Centre is to encourage individuality, creative expression, and an appreciation for the art of dance, while promoting positive personal growth and providing unparalleled instruction and performance opportunities to students of all ages and abilities. Started in Lewisville 25 years ago by artistic director and owner, Natalie Mizell Calvano, the Centre moved to its current location on Robinhood Road in Winston-Salem 18 years ago. The staff at BPAC is carefully chosen by Natalie and each instructor is professionally trained, many of them having earned their BFA or MFA degrees in dance. These talented instructors instill the love of dance into the students while offering superior instruction in a diverse array of disciplines. The BPAC offers instruction in Classic Ballet, Pointe, Variations and Partnering, Progressive Ballet Technique™, Jazz, Contemporary, Tap, Hip Hop, and Stretch & Conditioning.
Students enjoy a 5,000 square-foot facility, containing three dance studios with portable barres and sprung floors for comfort and safety. The Centre offers a school-year program that runs from August to June and includes the performance of The Nutcracker as well as a Spring program consisting of performances in Jazz, Hip Hop, Tap and Contemporary. The next Spring program will be Friday, May 22nd, 2020, so mark your calendars and stay tuned for an announcement of the theme for this exciting performance.
Natalie also offers a preschool creative movement and pre-ballet class, called Little Leapers. It is available to interested preschools and is currently being taught at the St. Paul’s Episcopal Preschool. It consists of a once-a-week thirty-minute class for preschool age students. Interested preschools can contact Natalie via e-mail to learn more.
BPAC is also represented by a competitive dance team which will perform at the Spring Program. The competition team consists of students who audition, and once chosen, are divided into duets, trios, quartets, and other groups based on age, ability, and strength.
Dance instruction at BPAC enhances discipline, structure, muscle development, physical grace, and motor skills. Students also benefit from learning to work in groups, as well as gain confidence to perform individually in front of live audiences. Character development through the discipline of dance instruction serves BPAC students throughout their adult lives, whichever careers they choose. “We are so very proud of the many bright young dancers who have graduated from our studio with a solid work ethic, personal integrity, and a positive sense of self,” says Natalie.
The Ballet & Performing Arts Centre invites you to visit their studio at 5365 Robinhood Road, Suite E, Winston-Salem. Call 336-923-2585 to schedule a free trial class in your child’s area of interest, or register online at balletandperformingartscentre.org. The Nutcracker will be presented at Reynolds Auditorium, 301 North Hawthorne Road in Winston-Salem. For more information about The Nutcracker, or any other programs and offerings at BPAC, call or e-mail the school at [email protected].
The BPAC wants to thank this year’s sponsors of The Nutcracker performance: Phoenix Packaging, Presenting Sponsor, River Birch Lodge, Goin’ Postal, Classic Dance Wear, Stocked Wood Fire Pub and Social Southern Kitchen.
