The 2011 Summer Intensive Program is in full swing! The students have adapted to the schedule and their new teachers, and are feeling at home in sunny South Beach!
Meet Ashley and Erick, two of the Advanced students in the program. They will be checking back with us again through the end of the Summer Intensive to share their thoughts on their training and time here at Miami City Ballet School. Stay tuned!
So far the Company’s tour to Paris has been a huge success! If you weren’t able to travel to France, have no fear. Zoe Zien has already started giving us the play-by-play on the tour. The second installment of Zoe’s Paris coverage takes us into the dressing rooms, reveals what the dancers do on their free day, and listens in on conversations!
Check back with us for more Paris happenings!
As you may have heard, MCB is currently on a three-week tour in Paris! Corps dancer Zoe Zien is bringing us all the action and keeping us in touch with the Company! Follow Zoe and the rest of the dancers through her virtual tour journal. Stay tuned for more!
In just 24 hours the Company will be boarding a plane to Paris! There has been so much excitement about this tour and it doesn’t end here. Zoe Zien, corps dancer and our Paris correspondent, will be bringing us all the Parisian happenings through iPhone videos, photos, and blog entries.
Zoe began her Paris coverage recently in the studios with some pre-tour action.
Stay tuned for more!
A three-week tour to Paris is oh-so glamorous — but it is also a huge behind-the-secenes undertaking! We took a couple minutes from Production and Lighting Director John Hall’s busy schedule for a Q&A on the Paris tour.
MCB: What will Production be taking on the Paris tour?
John: We are carrying all the costumes, scenery, props, dance floor, music, and supplies we need to perform the 14 ballets in the repertory for the three weeks in Paris. Due to the difference in electrical power between the United States and Europe, our lighting system is not compatible and will stay home.
MCB: How are you getting it all there?
John: All the equipment was previously loaded into two 40’ cargo containers at our warehouse. It was taken to the Port of Miami on June 1st and loaded on an ocean freighter that sailed to Le Havre, France. From there it cleared customs and was placed onto a tractor trailer to be taken by truck to Paris. The ocean part of the trip is about 20 days. The rest will be trucking. It will arrive at Le Théâtre du Châtelet on July 2 for our load-in. The return trip is the same.
MCB: What is Le Théâtre du Châtelet like?
John: The theatre was built in 1862 and it’s right on the Seine. My impressions after the February scouting trip I took to Paris is that Le Châtelet is a well run professional facility that is well equipped to handle MCB. The performance space will be comparable to the Broward Center, while the auditorium seats approximately 2,000 people. The theater got a renovation in 1999.
MCB: How will it be different working in a foreign theater?
John: The first difference will be language, of course. There was a lot of English spoken when I went in February, but I’m sure there will be a lot of finger pointing and head nodding! We are learning the basic theatrical terms in French to try to help the process; we are in their country after all! After that there are work rule differences and different departments have different responsibilities. For example, in the U.S., our props department is responsible for the orchestra pit setup among many other things. At Le Châtelet, the props department only handles actual performer used props. There is a separate department for the orchestra pit.
MCB: How many people from Production will be traveling to Paris?
John: We have seven members of the Production team coming along: myself, our stage manager, carpenter, head props, head electrician, electrician, and head sound. Two members of the Wardrobe department will travel with us as well: the costume designer/director and the wardrobe master.
With the Paris tour just a hop, skip, and a jump away, everyone is doing all they can to prepare — including brushing up on their French!
MCB will perform in Paris during the popular dance festival Les Etés de la Danse at Théâtre du Châtelet July 6-23, 2011.