Community Corner
Malibu High Grad, Now An Acclaimed Dancer, Returns To SoCal Stage
Adrian Blake Mitchell fled Russia at start of its war against Ukraine.
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Malibu High School alumnus Adrian Blake Mitchell, the first Black student accepted to the world famous Vaganova Academy, is among the professional guest artists dancing in Westside Ballet of Santa Monica's “Masters of Movement: Ballet through the Centuries” Soirée special event on Friday evening, May 26.
Adrian and his Slovakian wife Andrea Laššákova will perform Christopher Wheeldon's "After the Rain" — the Westside Ballet premier of one of the most celebrated contemporary pieces (by also one of the 21st century's most acclaimed choreographers) — on Friday May 26th. The pair recently performed this renowned piece to a sold out house in November at a fundraiser for fellow Russian ballet exiles, presented by the Henry T. And Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation, at the Segerstrom Centre.
Performing as soloists with Mikhailovsky Theatre Ballet Company in St. Petersburg for seven years, Adrian and Andrea fled both their company and Russia, in a move spurred by the invasion of Ukraine. Partners on stage and off, have since been interviewed by international and national press about their experiences, and have performed in New York City at the “iHeartDance NYC: Benefit for Ukraine fundraiser” April 2022 as well as with their fellow Russian exiles at the Segerstrom Center’s “Reunited in Dance” Gala, November 2022. They also performed with Westside Ballet in a very special performance at The Broad Stage in May 2022.
Adrian, a Westside alumnus, is now the company’s associate executive director. He works closely Westside founder Yvonne Mounsey's daughter, Allegra Clegg. He also is leading the company’s DEI initiatives, which include the Ballet Dance to Dreams community outreach classes and workshops. He is also one of the leaders for a new trainee programme being launched by Los Angeles Ballet (now led by Melissa Barak, another Westside alumni) — in collaboration with Westside Ballet.
Adrian has also brought five "ballet boys" to YAGP regional and national finals — with several being offered top scholarships at renowned pre-professional programmes. Two of these young male dancers are performing their solos at the Soirée, with the younger boys dancing in the Saturday Spring Showcase on May 27.
A cast of over 80 student dancers are preparing to perform in Westside’s spring show, returning for the ninth year at The Eli & Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center.
The five-decades-strong nonprofit performance company’s annual Soirée special event will include cocktails, appetizers, awards, and one-night-only guest artist performances. In addition to Adrian and Andrea, the professional performers wil include Maté Szentes and alumna Lyrica Woodruff, who will dance George Balanchine’s dazzling “Stars & Stripes”. Repertoire also includes a suite from Marius Petipa’s “Raymonda” and a newly commissioned contemporary work, “Color of Spring” by Vanessa Van Wormer. Both contemporary works feature live music.
On Saturday, May 27, the festivities continue with repertoire featuring the Westside Premiere of George Balanchine’s “Emeralds Pas de Trois”; excerpts from “Sleeping Beauty”; “Handel Dances” by resident choreographer Sophie Monat; and concluding with audience favorite “A Chorus Line”. Saturday’s pre-professional showcase includes divertissements from Marius Petipa’s “Raymonda”, as well as Ms. Wormer’s piece, again with live music.
Many student dancers through the years at Westside Ballet have driven many miles to receive top tier training there. One of those students is Oxnard resident Ava Renshaw (16), a sophomore at Ventura High School.
Ava will be performing in “Raymonda”, “A Chorus Line” and “Color of Spring” on Saturday.
Next year she will join the Miami City Ballet professional training program.
“I’ve always been a very active person and it's very hard for me to sit still,” Ava says. “Ballet has given me an outlet in life where I can still be active but also be very focused on what I’m doing. It's the best part of my day and I don’t know what I would do without it.”
Ava is in the first scene of this trailer the performance company created for the performance, in partnership with Santa Monica College Film School.
Contemporary Ballet & Jazz Pieces
For the second consecutive year, Westside's advanced pre-professional dancers will perform Van Wormer's original work to live music. Ms. Van Wormer has choreographed her piece to music by Manuel de Falla, “El Paño Moruno, Canción Asturiana,” performed by two sopranos (Brenda Osorio and Angela Rhodes) with guitar by Ken Rosser.
Concluding the Saturday performance is Jazz Director Ms. Bachar Mendicelli’s staging of the Michael Bennett classic A Chorus Line, a sensational audience favorite. “I grew up dancing in the 1970’s and 80’s, so it was really fun bringing back some of those classical jazz steps from that era,” shares Mendicelli. “That choreography always looks best when using dancers with a solid foundation in classical ballet, which we pride ourselves on giving to our students.”
Community Engagement
Westside Ballet's 2023 Spring Soirée special event honors Ralph and Eileen Horowitz with the Bravo! Award, and Morley Builders with the Huntley Santa Monica Beach Community Arts Award.
Ralph and Eileen Horowitz have been valued patrons and promoters of the performing arts in the ballet and greater SoCal community for decades. Westside Board President and Spring Performance Producer Judith Meister says, "The Horowitz family have been champions of Westside Ballet and shared a deep friendship with our founder Yvonne Mounsey. We are thrilled to recognize their long-standing generosity and guidance."
During the first year of pandemic shut-downs, the Westside Ballet Volunteer Guild recognized the need to bring people together in-person but safely. Thanks to the huge support of local contractor Morley Builders, materials and labor were provided in early Fall 2020 to build an outdoor dance studio.“Each week, classes were held for all to see and know that the beauty of dance and the arts would not be vanquished,” shares Allegra Clegg, Westside School of Ballet owner and daughter of co-founder Yvonne Mounsey.
Under an education initiative, Westside is partnered with Santa Monica College. By being concurrently enrolled in SMC's choreography course with Vanessa van Wormer, Westside’s dancers who are high school students will receive college credits—transferable to any of California’s public four-year colleges and universities.
Westside Ballet established an Endowment Fund to expand both merit and need-based scholarships. Pre-COVID, Westside Ballet provided approximately $100,000 in scholarships annually. The Chow Family Scholarship Fund was established in 2018 and over $150,000 has been raised to date; major donors of this fund requested the funds be used to actively recruit People of Color. In Summer 2020, a scholarship was established by a new nonprofit, Dance in Color, and founded by Westside Alumnus Adrian Blake Mitchell. Several young Westside dancers have received this scholarship every year since the 2020-21 school year.
The biannual Westside Ballet productions are made possible in part by grants fromLos Angeles County, the City of Santa Monica, Pacific Palisades Woman’s Club –– and sponsorships from local Santa Monica individuals, businesses, and organizations such as Santa Monica College Public Policy Institute, The Huntley Hotel, Urth Caffe, Morley Builders, Lyft Scooters, and more.
Past Performances
Many professional dancers have made their debuts in Westside’s stage performances. A few of them include Monique Meunier (NYCB, ABT), Anna Liceica (ABT), Martine Harley (Houston Ballet), Melissa Barak (NYCB, Los Angeles Ballet, Barak Ballet), Andrew Veyette (NYCB), Stayce Camparo (Kansas City Ballet) and Francis Veyette (Pennsylvania Ballet). Recent successes include Molly Novak (Boston Ballet); Lucia Connolly (Joffrey Ballet of Chicago); Samuel Melnikov (New York City Ballet); Sarah Hurty (Nashville Ballet); Shelby Tzung (National Ballet of Canada); Giorgia Martelloni Zabriskie (Dance Theatre of Harlem); and Severina Wong (Ballet West).
Friday, May 26, 2023, 6 pm Soirée reception and awards, followed by the 8 pm “Masters of Movement” with special performances; -and- Saturday, May 27, 2024, 1pm and 5 pm shows of the “Masters of Movement” pre-professional Spring Showcases. Both at The Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St, Santa Monica, CA 90401. Saturday Showcase tickets are $45. The Soirée Friday reception and special performance are $100-300. Tickets for this must-see dance event of the season may be purchased online at westsideballet.com/springtix or by phone (additional fees apply) at (800) 595-4849 (4TIX).
About Westside Ballet of Santa Monica
One of the nation's premier pre-professional ballet training companies, the nonprofit organization’s mission is to give promising young dancers the performance opportunities crucial to their development and make dance more accessible to local children and families. Westside Ballet of Santa Monica was created by Yvonne Mounsey (New York City Ballet) and Rosemary Valaire (Royal Ballet) in 1973. Westside Alumna Martine Harley (Houston Ballet) took over as Artistic Director in 2013. Based in Santa Monica, California, the company comprises approximately 80 dancers, ages 8 to 18.
The sister entity, Westside School of Ballet, distinguishes itself as a non-audition dance academy where all are welcome to study ballet and train to the most refined pre-professional level. Nearly all the artistic staff are graduates of the school, bringing a consistent approach to the school’s classical ballet training. Ms. Mounsey and Ms. Valaire opened the school in 1967, six years before founding the performance company, and have produced many of classical ballet's luminary performers known worldwide.
For more information, visit www.westsideballet.com
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