Nan Klinger Excellence in Dance

Answers to Our Most Frequently Asked Questions!

What is the Excellence in Dance Studio?

The Excellence in Dance Studio was founded by the late Nan Klinger. Nan was involved in dance education since 1953 when she began her first studio in the basement of her home. In 1966, she was chosen as one of forty ballet teachers nationwide for a Ford Foundation project to develop young ballet talent. This project brought her in close contact with George Balanchine, the New York City Ballet and many prominent artists in the dance world. The experience inspired Nan to start her own youth ballet company in 1975. Since that time, the Excellence in Dance Studio has been the home of the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet Company, one of the first pre-professional youth ballet companies in the nation. Mia Klinger-Welch, the current artistic director, continues the tradition of excellence to this very day.

I see different schedules for the “Community School” and “Professional School”, what is the difference?

The “Community School” is the first level of dance instruction at the Excellence in Dance Studio. Children dancing at this level take one ballet class per week. At the end of each academic year, students are recommended to new levels in the Community School. If a child seems to be physically and cognitively ready, the teacher may recommend that the child audition for the “Professional School”. At this level of instruction, the children begin to take more than one class per week, and the dance instruction becomes more technical. During the audition, held in the spring of each year, children are given a typical ballet class and their ability to attend and focus on this level of ballet instruction is assessed. Students ready for this type of experience are then admitted into the Professional School. In some cases a child may be ready for the Professional School but does not have the time and/or interest to pursue this level of dance. These children are more than welcome to remain in the Community School.

Once they are in the Professional School, do they begin to dance with the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet?

No, the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet (CVYB) requires a separate audition. Once the children have been in the Professional School for one year they may begin to audition for the CVYB---if they are interested in this type of experience. This audition is held in late April or early May of each year and is open to the public. The students must be 8-years-old as of September 1st of that calendar year and must be taking at least two ninety-minute ballet classes per week. The audition is judged by dance professionals from outside the studio and scoring is ranked. Dancers invited to join the CVYB as apprentices must agree to participate for a full calendar year. The CVYB is a demanding responsibility! Dancers must take 4-5 ninety-minute classes per week during the school year and most take much more. They must participate in some form of summer study and many also audition to perform children’s roles with professional ballet companies (i.e. The Kirov, Houston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and New York City Ballet). They must also attend all CVYB weekend rehearsals and performances. CVYB members perform each March at the Civic Theatre and also perform throughout the school year for local schools in the CVYB On Tour. In addition, some years CVYB dancers provide special performances for select groups. For example, last year CVYB was featured at the Children's Concert Society at Civic Theatre and this October they will be providing 6-8 performances at Cleveland Playhouse Square. Dancers miss up to ten days of their own schooling to provide up to thirty performances for other school children, so they must be organized and committed to both their dance instruction and their schoolwork. We are proud that so many CVYB dancers not only manage this schedule but also are honor students and leaders in their schools and communities!

This seems so serious! What if my child is not interested in a dance career---is there still a place for them in this dance studio?

Definitely! It is true that many of our students are very committed to pursuing a professional dance career. Because we are lucky enough to enjoy this caliber of a studio just minutes from our homes, we attract large numbers of serious students from the surrounding regions. This does not mean, however, that all our students will choose dance as a professional career. Just like scores of children participate in Little League or softball and will never be professional ball players, many of our students will never be professional dancers.

If many will never be professional dancers, why waste all this time and money on dance instruction?

It’s a valid question! Many children participate in sports and never go on to play at a professional level. The time and money is not considered wasted, though, because they benefited so greatly from the experience. It is the same with a dance education. We are just beginning to understand how profoundly music and movement influence brain development, but it is clear the benefits are great! Did you know that music combined with movement has proven to be one of the most beneficial experiences possible to develop neurological networks for math and reading (from How the Brain Learns by David Sousa, 2001)? This cognitive growth combined with the self-discipline, attention skills, confidence, poise and love of the arts learned by our students makes dance one of the best experiences you can give your child. We will post more of the latest “brain research” related to dance in the studio during the year, but for now know that while we provide ample opportunities for students to pursue professional careers in dance, our main goal is to develop young adults with “professional” characteristics. Regardless of where your child uses these skills in the future, their time and effort will not be wasted!

So the CVYB performs at the Civic Theatre in March… Don’t they also do the Nutcracker there?

No, several other schools with performing groups operate in the area. The CVYB is very different from these groups because they are one of the few youth companies in the nation to develop and perform original ballets for children. While we do teach and perform many traditional ballets (e.g. Nutcracker) we place great emphasis on adding to the dance repertoire of the nation. We bring in world-renowned choreographers and composers almost every year to develop new ballets designed for the young dancer. What an amazing experience it is for our company members to spend weeks with highly regarded professionals while they create the new ballets (and sometimes the music) right in front of their eyes! Our productions are so valued in the dance world that they are professionally videotaped each year and archived by the New York City Dance Library.

I mostly know the classic ballets; Swan Lake, Nutcracker… What are other ballets do you perform?

The question would be easier to answer if we told you what we DON’T perform! We try to give our dancers a broad dance education, so our ballets range from modern to classical. We put special emphasis on making ballets for children that are danced by children. In keeping with that goal, our ballets are based on child-friendly themes. For example, favorite books and stories such as “Miss Spider’s Tea Party”, “The Princess and the Pea" and “Mole Music” have served as the basis for ballets in the past. One of our newest ballets, to be highlighted March 12 & 13, 2005 at Civic Theatre, is based on the popular Madeline book, “Madeline and the Gypsies” by author Ludwig Bemelmans.

That sounds wonderful, but I’m not too sure my child would be able to sit through that type of a ballet …

You would be surprised at how attentive children are at our productions. Since the stories are so visually appealing, short in length and center around themes interesting to young children, most do just fine. For example, the March 12 & 13, 2005 production will include a new ballet by Michael Vernon tentatively titled, School Daze. This ballet follows young students through a day at school. Also appearing will be the ballet, I Love Shapes, by Tom Evert, a ballet that explores basic shapes using imaginative movements and energetic music. Lastly, one of our newer and most popular ballets will be returning! The ballet, "Madeline at the Circus", by Francis Patrelle, features those beloved little girls in "two straight lines", Madeline, Pepito, Miss Clavel AND the circus---a story ballet to be enjoyed by any child!

It is amazing and somewhat surprising that so much can be going on in this small space in the center of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio! How can I get more information on both the studio and the CVYB?

There are many ways you can get information. The most accurate answers will come from your child’s dance instructor, so please don’t hesitate to speak with them! Mia Klinger, the artistic director, is also happy to answer any questions you might have. Additional information and photos are available at www/klingerdance.com and www/CVYB.org. If you have time, take a moment and read the articles on the bulletin boards. Additional articles are saved in the “Media Binder” in the magazine basket in the lobby. Copies of last year’s ballet program can be informative, so we have placed some in the magazine basket as well. In addition, videos of the CVYB will be available for you to watch while you are waiting in the lobby during your child’s class. We have included the CVYB 25th anniversary video, a wonderful way to learn the history and amazing scope of the CVYB, and videos of some of the past ballets (and if appropriate, the books they were based on) for you and your child’s enjoyment. Lastly, we will be posting information concerning the CVYB as it becomes available. After all, the Excellence in Dance studio is YOUR studio and the CVYB, in turn, is YOUR ballet company! We will make every effort to keep you informed of the newspaper articles, T.V. shows and other media events related to both!