Meet Ira White- Richmond Ballet II Company . Comment with your most interesting fact from the article to be entered to win 2 tickets to the show on 3/24 2 pm. Winner notified Thursday am
2. How did you get involved in dancing? The Richmond Ballet's outreach program Minds In Motion is what got me involved in dancing. All Fourth graders in Richmond Public Schools had to participate in the program which was a great way for me to interact with all of my classmates and not just my close friends. At first I was skeptical, which is fairly common for boys at that age, but after some time I got more comfortable and fell in love with moving with the music and being part of a group effort.
3. What is a typical day like? On a regular day The Richmond Ballet Company dances from 10am in the morning to 6:30pm in the evening, five days a week. We start off our day with an hour and a half long Ballet class to get our bodies moving and ready for the many rehearsals we have throughout the rest of the day. In our rehearsals we work on the many ballets that we perform in our season; from classical ballets such as Swan Lake to more contemporary works like The Rite of Spring.
4. Your favorite performance? My personal favorite performance I've been in would have to be Djangology. It's a fun and crazy piece but at the same time requires a sense of technical prowess.
5. How do you get ready for a performance? Many people have their own personal routine to get ready for a performance. For me I like to have time to myself to go over the choreography or reflect on any corrections given to me on past run throughs. If I have any partnering in the piece, I like to go over some of the choreography with my partner so that we both feel comfortable about the show. In a physical aspect I like to make sure that my muscles are warm and prepared for the amount of dancing I'd be doing.
6. Tell us something we do not know about ballet?Something people may not know about ballet is the amount of work that goes into each ballet. All the audience really sees are the dancers but behind the stage there are countless workers doing a wonderful job to make everything run right; from the wonderful women in the costume shop to the hardworking production crew. Without them none of our productions would be as wonderful as they are.
7. How long did it take you to get to this point?It took me ten years to become a Professional Dancer. I officially started taking ballet classes when I was eleven years old and I've stuck with it ever since.
8. Can you share your secrets/ tips?I don't know if I would call them secrets, but I do have advice for young aspiring dancers. Know what your strengths and weaknesses are as a dancer so that you can show off what you're good at and also be able to work on things that you feel need improvement. If you show your teachers you care about growing as a dancer, they will want to help see you to your goals. Another tip I'd like to give is to listen to the music you're dancing to. The more in tune you are, the easier things will seem.
9. What do you like to do when you are not dancing? Whenever I'm not dancing I love finding and listening to new music, and even though I'm a bit older I can't resist a good cartoon show. Deep down inside I'm a big kid.
10. When did you know you wanted to dance professionally? I knew I wanted to be a Professional Dancer when I saw how happy I made people feel when I performed. I may not have been the most technically proficient but I was always able to put a smile on the audiences face and in the end of the day; it's all about how you make the audience feel with your dancing.
11. What is your favorite ballet? My favorite classical ballet would have to be Sleeping Beauty. I was lucky enough to be a part of the Richmond Ballet's production of Sleeping Beauty in 2005 and the memories from that experience have stuck with me ever since. The story and choreography are both engaging and entertaining but it’s the music that's made me fall in complete love with the ballet; I will never grow tired of it.
12. Share a really proud moment?My proudest moment and biggest accomplishment would have to be being awarded the Malcolm Burn Award in 2010. I felt like I had truly proven myself to our Ballet Master and to my teachers. It was a gracious moment that I will hold dear to my heart.
13. Tell us something about this show? This performance is a celebration of the relationship between Richmond Ballet and The Royal Ballet School. Richmond Ballet's Leap Week is a celebration of all that is Richmond Ballet and why not end the week with a spectacular performance with the future of the Ballet world? In the show The Royal Ballet School will be performing with both The Richmond Ballet II and Richmond Ballet Trainees for a performance that will truly be inspiring.
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