DALA Director Jonathan Guise and four of his dancers, Anabel Irving, Margaret Kelly, Ciara Hinrichs and Allyson Harbert, speak to members of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos during a club meeting Dec. 6 at the United Church. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Rotarians listen to DALA Director Jonathan Guise and ballerinas during a club meeting Dec. 6 at the United Church. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
By LINDA HULL
Outreach Coordinator
Rotary Club of Los Alamos
Just days after celebrating the “smashing success” of another annual Nutcracker on the Hill holiday performance at Duane Smith Auditorium, Jonathan Guise, director of Dance Arts Los Alamos (DALA), spoke at the Dec. 6 meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos held at the United Church. A special guest himself, he brought his own special guests: four ballerinas from the dance studio.
Guise, DALA director since 2013, and the dancers, captivated Rotarians with engaging stories about ballet and the DALA studio. The dance performances were exquisitely executed on the wide floors of Graves Hall.
Guise began by describing DALA. “DALA isn’t a typical dance studio. We actually teach many genres of dance including classical ballet, Italian (‘Cecchetti’) and Russian ballet style, modern, jazz, flamenco and swing.”
Guise also teaches ballroom dancing classes at Los Alamos High School. DALA has over 300 students and 10 highly qualified instructors.
The popular Nutcracker on the Hill, written as a trilogy with the series performed in Los Alamos in a rotation of three years, won the Dorothy Woodward Award for Excellence, given by the New Mexico Historical Society.
DALA’s Nutcracker on the Hill honored for bringing a Manhattan Project perspective to the traditional staging of Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece, The Nutcracker. It was written and directed by Guise with the support of the Los Alamos Historical Society. The remaining ballets in the trilogy, which were also written and directed by Guise, are entitled Ratcracker on the Hill and Sugar Plum on the Hill.
In addition to Nutcracker on the Hill, one of DALA’s other major performances this year was the romantic ballet, Giselle, held in the spring. The studio will present another full-length ballet in May 2024: The Tales of Don Quixote. Guise noted that each minute of choreography requires an hour of preparation; it takes six to nine months to choreograph and rehearse to have stage ready for one dance for one dancer.
In February, select students were chosen to represent DALA at the 2023 Youth America Grand Prix competition in Denver. “Ensuring the future” of dance, it is the largest network of student dancers in the country. Four to five industry professionals serve as judges and carefully rank dancers on criteria that include technique, alignment, artistry and spatial use.
As part of the Rotary program, DALA ballerinas performed for the Club. Anabel Irving danced the part of ‘The Bridesmaid’ from The Tales of Don Quixote; Margaret Kelly performed ‘Odalisque’ from the swash-buckling pirate ballet, Le Corsaire, and Ciara Hinrichs danced ‘Swanhilda Wedding’ from the ‘Coppélia’ ballet. In a nod to Nutcracker on “the Hill”, Allyson Harbert performed the ‘Spanish Dance’ in full costume.
In a lengthy Q&A period, Guise and the ballerinas spoke about dancing and stretching daily to strengthen their form. Guise quoted studies that demonstrated that “full-time dancers usually have seven to eight stress fractures consistently while working.” At one time, ballet dancers simply “pulled out the duct tape (to wrap their ankles and feet) and sucked it up (the pain),” but today there are many “new gadgets and gizmos,” such as therabands and balance boards, that enhance conditioning. Medical advancements and better understanding of the holistic nature of the body have improved the care and treatment of dancers’ vigorous bodies. Ballet’s many benefits include better balance and posture, the healing movement of joints, and restorative mental health.
The student ballerinas had a great deal to say when asked about pointe shoes. There are over 800 brands to choose from, and each pair will routinely last for only one performance at the advanced level. Apparently, they can be cushioned with some success with lambswool, toe covers, second skin, and silicone padded wraps. Suffolk Dance Pointe Shoes company in Texas is now designing pointe shoes that could last up to six months.
In general, a career in ballet is short-lived. Students may begin studying ballet and other dance forms in pre-kindergarten, but realistically a ballet dancer’s life is so rigorous that professional dancing usually ends by age 35.
To learn more about Dance Arts Los Alamos, please contact staff at 505.672.9462; https://danceartslosalamos.org/
Studios are located at 1650 Trinity Dr., Suite 115 in Los Alamos and 111 Longview Drive in White Rock.
Jonathan Guise, who began his dance career in Colorado Springs at the age of 15, has performed with the Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Boston Ballet, and the Eugene Ballet, and has taught in “numerous studies, companies, and universities around the globe.”
DALA ballerinas Anabel Irving, Margaret Kelly, Ciara Hinrichs and Allyson Harbert perform for the Rotary Club during a club meeting Dec. 6 at the United Church. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Rotarians watch performances of DALA ballerinas during a club meeting Dec. 6 at the United Church. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Margaret Kelly performing ‘Odalisque’ from the swash-buckling pirate ballet, Le Corsaire during the Dec. 6 meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Anabel Irving dancing the part of ‘The Bridesmaid’ from The Tales of Don Quixote during the Dec. 6 meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Ciara Hinrichs dancing ‘Swanhilda Wedding’ from the ‘Coppélia’ ballet during the Dec. 6 meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
Allyson Harbert performing the ‘Spanish Dance’ in full costume during the Dec. 6 meeting of the Rotary Club of Los Alamos. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
DALA ballerinas Anabel Irving, Margaret Kelly, Ciara Hinrichs and Alison Harbert perform for the Rotary Club during a club meeting Dec. 6 at the United Church. Photo by Carol A. Clark/ladailypost.com
About the Rotary Club of Los Alamos:
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos, through its 1312 Club Foundation, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and one of over 34,000 clubs worldwide. Rotary, which now has 1.5 million members, was founded in 1905; the local Club was chartered in 1966. Rotary areas of focus include promoting peace; fighting disease, particularly polio; providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene; supporting education; saving and enhancing the lives of mothers and children; growing economies; and protecting the environment.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos meets in person 12-1 p.m., Tuesdays, in the Community Room, Cottonwood on the Greens, at the golf course. A Zoom option is available by contacting Linda Hull, 505.662.7950. Hull is also happy to provide information about the Club and its humanitarian service. The community is cordially invited to attend meetings and consider joining us in our projects, service, and friendship activities.
The Rotary Club of Los Alamos thanks the United Church for use of Graves Hall when the community room at Cottonwood on the Greens is unavailable.