ABT Gillespie School at the Center Begins Second Year

Veteran American Ballet Theatre dancer and internationally recognized dance teacher Kenneth Easter will join the faculty of the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center for the Arts for the 2016 - 2017 fall semester, which begins on Monday, September 12.

He will teach pre-professional levels, partnering and boys classes. Easter will also be an instructor for some adult classes. Easter recently retired from ABT after dancing with the company for 13 years. During that time, he appeared in nearly every ballet in the company's repertory. Center President Terrence W. Dwyer said, "Segerstrom Center is thrilled to welcome Kenneth Easter to our ABT Gillespie School faculty. His experience as a dancer and teacher will be invaluable to our preprofessional students as they progress into their advanced training." Dwyer added, "This past year was a great success, and the 2016 - 2017 school year will be even stronger. It's exciting to see these children and dancers so engaged and committed to their lessons and enjoying this wonderful art form."

Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre said, "How wonderful that the ABT Gillespie School will have Kenny Easter as an addition to its teaching staff for the fall! He brings with him a deep knowledge of ABT history and standards and a very positive energy. I think his students will gain a love of dancing as well as some very sound technical instruction."

ABT Gillespie School Principal Alaine Haubert said, "This year, we are adding pre-professional training. We are thrilled to welcome Kenny Easter to our faculty. He brings years of professional and artistic experience. Kenneth is an accomplished dancer and an exceptional teacher. In addition to the technical foundation, Kenny will impart an aesthetic and musicality that will inspire our students to reach their full potential."

During his early career, Kenneth Easter trained and performed with San Francisco Ballet and the Boston Ballet. He was a principal dancer with Miami City Ballet prior to joining ABT in 2003. He was featured in two ABT film projects, Swan Lake and Don Quixote and appeared in the movie BLACK SWAN with Natalie Portman. Easter guest teaches throughout the world and has been a guest instructor for ABT's Summer Program. Final Auditions for the 2016 - 2017 School Year - August 21, 2016 Final auditions for the 2016-2017 school year for students ages 8 and older with prior dance experience will be held on Sunday, August 21 in the Judy Morr Theater.

Further information about the school, curriculum and auditions can be found on the Center's website at http://www.scfta.org/Engage-andLearn/ABT-William-J-Gillespie-Dance-School/Overview.aspx or by calling 714/556-2122, ext. 4100.

September 23, 2016 Beyond the professional training that they receive, students in the ABT Gillespie School are offered many additional opportunities to enrich their ballet studies: priority opportunities to audition to appear in ABT performances at the Center, including Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker December 9 - 18. Auditions for children's roles in The Nutcracker will be held on Friday, September 23. Students also participate in the ABT Summer Intensive, master classes, meet-and-greets with visiting companies, backstage tours and special ticket offers for dance performances at the Center.

Adult classes have been expanded to every weekday morning from 10 - 11:30 a.m. They are intended for advanced intermediate level dancers, recent graduates of college dance departments, dance instructors, professional and pre-professional dancers and retired dancers. Classes are held in the Center's Judy Morr Theater and taught by ABT Gillespie School Principal Alaine Haubert and Michel Gervais. American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School at Segerstrom Center for the Arts The ABT Gillespie School is one of the cornerstone of the Segerstrom Center's Center for Dance and Innovation (CDI). The CDI offers new ways of engaging with and meeting the needs of the community through an array of programs and partnerships with both arts and non-arts organizations.

For the ABT Gillespie School, The Combined resources of American Ballet Theatre, America's National Ballet Company® and Segerstrom Center, one of the world's leading presenters of dance, offer unrivaled opportunities for training and nurturing future generations of dancers and dance audiences as well as furthering the development and evolution of dance. Teachers are certified in the highly respected ABT National Training Curriculum, the same program used at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York. The teaching methods include elements of the French, Italian and Russian schools of training and include classical ballet technique, pointe, boys class, character, modern, dance history and body conditioning.

Classes focus on building a solid ABT Gillespie School SCFTA.org foundation in ballet technique with an emphasis on proper placement and safe progressions of movement while remaining sensitive to the needs of younger dancers. Segerstrom Center for the Arts The Center is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School, where students ages 3 - 14 are taught by acclaimed teachers utilizing the renowned ABT National Training Curriculum in studios utilized by the world's greatest dancers and choreographers. The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, familyfriendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events.

The Center's education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year. In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

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