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Former MYB Dancer Among Best in the World Kyle Davis, who danced the part of the Cavalier in The Makaroff Youth Ballet's Nutcracker in December of 2007, has proven to be one of the finest dancers in the world. On February 3, Davis won a Grand Prize at the Prix de Lausanne in Lausanne , Switzerland . The Prix is one of the premier dance competitions in the world. By winning a grand prize, he has received an apprenticeship with The Royal Ballet of London and about $15,000. Read more Makaroff Youth Ballet's Inaugural Nutcracker Ballet a Complete Sell Out!
Both performances of the Makaroff Youth Ballet's inaugural production of The Nutcracker Ballet were completely sold out. According to representatives at Heid Music, MYB's ticket outlet, ticket sales for The Nutcracker generated more foot traffic into their store than any other event for which they have sold tickets. In addition, there had been such high demand for tickets to MYB's The Nutcracker Ballet that a third performance would have sold out as well. Board President Jennifer Edmondson stated, “We are absolutely thrilled. It confirms what we have always suspected – the community appreciates the superior quality of a Makaroff ballet production, and they want to participate in a wonderful holiday tradition.” “Both performances culminated in uproarious standing ovations for our dancers. They were very happy with their performances and the audience's show of appreciation. These dancers all worked extremely hard in order to execute the ballet with technical and artistic excellence.” This year's production featured collaborators from the Fox Valley , including Adagio Dance Club, Lawrence University , Renaissance School , and other local schools. The production featured cast members whose ages crossed three generations, and featured dancers representing all three levels of competency – beginning, intermediate, and advanced. Ballet legend Juanita Makaroff returned to the stage, after an almost 50 year absence, to play the role of Grandmother. Her entrance on stage during both performances generated loud and enthusiastic applause from the audience. The principal roles were danced by local dancers Kyle Davis (as Cavalier) and Joanna Michelic (as Sugar Plum Fairy), both former students of Jeanette Makaroffs. Both dancers currently attend the renowned North Carolina School of the Arts, pursuing professional ballet careers. Both have bright futures in the ballet profession. “To have these two highly talented, wonderful dancers return to their home region, the Fox Valley, to dance in our production – we couldn't have asked for more. We are proud of our local talent, and it is our hope to continue to showcase the wealth of young talent that we have here in the Fox Valley .” Ballet Legend Juanita Makaroff Returns to the Stage Juanita Makaroff will join the MYB company dancers onstage for The Nutcracker Ballet. Three generations of the renowned Makaroff Family to play pivotal roles. Read more about this . Makaroff Youth Ballet Awarded Community Foundation Grant for The Nutcracker Ballet Appleton, WI – Today, it was announced that Makaroff Youth Ballet (MYB), Northeast Wisconsin's only nonprofit youth ballet company, has been awarded a grant by the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region for MYB's upcoming performance of The Nutcracker Ballet . The $4,000.00 award is a project grant from unrestricted funds within the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region. “We are deeply grateful and thrilled that an organization of such importance as the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region is providing Makaroff Youth Ballet with this financial support. Even though we continue the Makaroff family legacy of excellence in ballet, celebrating 47 years this year, we actually are a very new organization. We have come a long way since July 2007, and with the continued support of organizations such as the Community Foundation, we feel the sky's the limit as far as our fulfilling our mission to the community and our dancers”, stated Jennifer Edmondson, board president. This inaugural performance of The Nutcracker Ballet will feature new choreography by Jeanette Makaroff, Artistic Director, as well as new costuming. Many local performers will join the more than 20 MYB company dancers on stage, including young dancers from the Makaroff School of Ballet, adult ballroom dancers from Adagio Dance Club, and local actors. In addition, local area students will assist with technical aspects of the production. “Our hope is to someday soon present a Nutcracker Ballet that will showcase as many local performing arts groups from the Fox Valley region as possible. We are very fortunate in our area to have so many talented artists.” In other MYB news, it was learned that local ballet legend Juanita Makaroff, founder of the Makaroff School of Ballet, the region's oldest ballet school, and founder of the former Children's Ballet Theatre, will join the cast of The Nutcracker Ballet, performing the role of the Grandmother. Juanita Makaroff was trained at the School of American Ballet (SAB) as a professional level ballet student. The SAB is the official ballet school for the New York City Ballet, one of the country's top professional ballet companies. She and husband Nikolai Makaroff founded the Makaroff School of Ballet, the region's oldest ballet school. In the 1960's Nikolai taught ballet to the Lombardi Packers. In 1980, Juanita founded the former Children's Ballet Theatre, which has since disbanded. “This will be a historical event”, according to Edmondson. “We are honored that Juanita Makaroff will be joining our dancers on stage. We will have three generations of the renowned Makaroff ballet family integrally involved with The Nutcracker Ballet. Juanita in the role of Grandmother; Jeanette as choreographer and Artistic Director; and third generation Makaroff family member Madeline Schoch (Jeanette's daughter, Juanita's granddaughter) will dance the roles of the Rat Queen and Moor Doll.” “It is an honor for our young dancers to share the stage with the woman who is responsible for starting the Makaroff family legacy, without which Makaroff Youth Ballet would not exist.” Tickets for the performance can be purchased at Heid Music, 308 E. College Avenue , Appleton . The prices for the reserved seats are $15 for adults, $12 for senior citizens over age 60, and $10 for students. MYB is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to make the fine art of ballet accessible to the Fox River Valley community through its young, advanced dancers. It is the only non-profit youth ballet company in the area. MYB's website is www.makaroffyouthballet.org. ### Makaroff Youth Ballet Performance with Fox Valley Symphony a Success Many thanks to the Fox Valley Symphony for inviting Makaroff Youth Ballet to perform at their 2007 Holiday Pops Concert. The November 29th performance was hailed as a huge success by audience members and performers. The Holiday Pops concert marked the world premiere of Jeanette Makaroff's choreography for Henry Purcell's “The Gordian Knot Unty'd”. Audience members described the performance as ‘breath taking', ‘elegant', and ‘beautiful'. In August of this year, Makaroff, Artistic Director for MYB, started choreographing her work. The MYB dancers began rehearsing for the Holiday Pops concert in September, simultaneously rehearsing for MYB's own production of The Nutcracker, which will be performed December 15th and 16th in Appleton . Many of the MYB dancers will be dancing multiple roles, requiring them to learn choreography for 2-3 different characters. Ballet is an athletic endeavor much like other sports such as soccer, football, or basketball. It requires a great deal of endurance, strength, flexibility, as well as mental strength. Notable professional athletes, such as former Pittsburgh Steeler Lynn Swann, and Heisman Trophy winner Herschel Walker, credit their ballet training with their abilities to control their bodies, sense of time, balance and sense of rhythm. The Makaroff Youth Ballet will perform their inaugural production of The Nutcracker Ballet on December 15th ( 7 PM ) and Dec. 16th ( 2 PM ) at the Stansbury Theatre of Lawrence University. Tickets are available at Heid Music, 308 E. College Avenue , Appleton , WI . For more information, call MYB at 920-257-8288. ### Read about us in the Post Crescent:
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