WESTERN BALLET
Announces THE NINA NOVAK BALLET SCHOLARSHIPS
for Young Children from Underprivileged Families.
The first audition will occur on Saturday, August 28,
2010 at Western Ballet.
Up to 50 scholarships will be awarded within the next few years.
Mountain View, CA (July 13,
2010) – Western Ballet Company & School announces the Nina Novak
Ballet Scholarships for young children with low socioeconomic
backgrounds and personal characteristics extremely promising for ballet.
The scholarships are modeled
upon national programs in Europe, Asia and Latin America, which have
produced internationally renowned artists such as Jose Carreño
of Cuba (a former principal dancer of the American Ballet Theatre) and
Gustavo Dudamel of Venezuela (the music director of the Los Angeles
Philharmonic).
Alexi Zubiría,
Artistic Director of Western Ballet, explained, “Great talent exists in
all parts of society. We want children who have talent for ballet, but
who cannot afford to study it, to have the opportunity that other
children have."
The scholarships are
dedicated to Nina Novak, a key mentor of Zubiría's, whose
accomplished dancing career began in Venezuela and culminated with San
Francisco Ballet (1986-1994).
Novak danced with the Ballet
Russes de Monte Carlo and founded a company and school in Caracas in
1964, after marrying a Venezuelan. Nearly two decades later, when
Zubiría was 21, he trained for three months with Novak prior to
the 1982 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi,
where he won a silver medal in the senior division. The award launched
Zubiría's international career.
The first audition for the
Nina Novak Ballet Scholarships will occur on Saturday, August 28, 2010
at 1-3 PM at Western Ballet. We welcome girls between 6 and 10 years
old and boys between 6 and 12 years old.
About Western Ballet Company & School.
Founded in 1976, Western Ballet makes the performing art of classical
ballet accessible to the general public. As a non-profit institution,
Western Ballet performs regularly in theaters and public venues such as
schools, libraries and museums. Western Ballet has a youth program with
13 levels for children and pre-professional teenagers and an adult
program with the largest selection of classes in the San Francisco
Peninsula and South Bay. On Friday, July 23, 2010 at 8 PM, Western
Ballet Company debuts under Artistic Director Alexi Zubiría in
“Danzón!" a performance of neoclassical ballets by Latin
American choreographers and composers.
Contacts:
Camilla Kao
(650) 906-5267
camillakao@gmail.com
Robin Zeleznik
(650) 968-4455
info@westernballet.org
