On the Edge of a New Ballet Generation

A unique generation of ballet dancers has been born.

The Straz Center’s Patel Conservatory has launched its newest company: Next Generation Ballet (NGB). The company was created by Wendy Leigh, the Patel Conservatory’s vice president of education, and Peter Stark, chair of the dance department.

Stark had a vision and with NGB, it has finally come to fruition.

Before Patel, Stark instructed at the Orlando Ballet School.

When he arrived at the Conservatory, he put the wheels in motion and formed this one-of-a-kind professional company for pre-professional dancers.

The company is comprised of advanced students, trainees and apprentices.

The majority of the dancers are between the ages of 16 and 22.

Friday, March 11 was the company’s second performance titled “On the Edge.”

The premier performance was “The Nutcracker” this past December.

Aside from beautiful dancing, there were a few deeper concepts in “On the Edge.”

Audrey Richter from the University of South Florida choreographed and performed a solo “inspired by her experiences with having epilepsy” according to Leslie Farrell, of Farrell Communications.

Another piece was dedicated to a beloved member of the University of Tampa community.

Senior Meagan Nagy performed a solo created by UT professor and choreographer Ya-Ju Lin.

Nagy dedicated this moving solo to UT Freshman Tessa Byers, who recently passed away in a car accident.

Drew Nelson added a touch of comic relief to the show with his piece “Bed Bugs.”

Nelson’s facial expressions and sharp isolation fully engaged the audience from beginning to end.

He even danced off-stage, scratching the “bed bugs” in his bright red pajama set.

Sofia Saari, 16, performed an upbeat neoclassical piece choreographed by Adam Hundt.

In her energetic solo, Saari displayed refined technique and effortless extensions.

Another outstanding performance was by one of the youngest dancers, Hannah Bettes.

At the age of 14, Bettes performed her solo titled “Broken Night” with the confidence of a professional ballet dancer.

Hannah danced this stunning lyrical piece with clean turns and incredible arabesques, her legs easily stretching to remarkable heights.

Although Bettes has been dancing since she was eight years old, this is only her first year at Patel.

In the words of Peter Stark, Next Generation Ballet is the “launching point” for these talented young dancer’s careers.

Ellis Endsley is 19, but he’s been dancing since he was three.

Although he loves dancing with NGB, he has been offered a spot to start training with professional companies in the near future.

Undoubtedly, Endsley’s time with both the Orlando Ballet School and NGB will benefit him in his future as a professional ballet dancer.

Another member of the UT community who played a key part in “On the Edge” was Glynn Owens, who choreographed the finale titled “Xurgency.”

Owens is a teacher and dancer at the Patel Conservator and recently debuted his exceptional choreography in a piece titled “Palidless” for the 2011 UT Spring Dance Concert.

Watching “Xurgency” felt as if a unique generation of ballet dancers was on display for the very first time.

Classical ballet conventions were definitely present and the dancers were all well trained, but there was nothing traditional about this piece.

Males and females dressed alike, all in black, drawing attention away from the individual dancer and towards the lines of their bodies and the movements they made.

The pas de duex sections had surprise hints of Pointe, and the partnering was visually exciting to watch—pirouettes followed by dips, pauses and exceptional leg extensions.

High energy and rapid formation changes were prevalent throughout the dance and although it frequently went from the whole company on stage to just a single dancer or a duet, a strong feeling of unity came through from this

new company of gifted dancers.

For more information on upcoming performances, contact Leslie Farrell at lesliebethfarrell@hotmail.com.

Sophie Erber can be reached at serber@spartans.ut.edu.