“They're a great group–so smart and - Denver Ballet Guild

Fall 2015

Denver Ballet Guild Introduces Debutantes and Young Men of Distinction

5 Questions for Jean Armstrong. . . . . page 2 A Taste For Dance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 3

O

Denver Ballet Guild by the Numbers. . page 3

drop for the honorees and their families as they celebrated their outstanding achievements

Monica Hill - Living Legend . . . . . . . . . page 5

with congenial conversation, hors d’oevres and a string quartet.

Meet Nina Bartell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 6

“It felt so emotional for me to see them all together for the first time,” says Christian Reid, co-

2015 Fall Luncheon. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 6

n a warm late September evening, the Denver Ballet Guild introduced 32 Debutantes and 34 Young Men of Distinction at the Cherry Hills Country Club. As befitting the theme of

the 48th Annual Le Bal de Ballet, 2016, Mountain Majesty, the Rockies were a perfect back-

chair of Le Bal de Ballet. “This has been two years in the making.”

A Talented Group

Les Cygnettes & Les Demoiselles. . . . page 4

2016 Debutantes and YMOD. . . . . . . . page 7 Colorado Gives Day. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 8 Call for Volunteers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 8

2016 HONOREES:

They’re a great “ group–so smart and interesting. ”

- Christian Reid

Our 2016 Debutantes and Young Men of Distinction

The young women and men represent 10 high schools and 14 Metro Denver cities. They exemplify excellence in academics, community service, athletics, art, music and theater.

The mission of the Denver Ballet Guild

The honorees will have a jam-packed year of parties and events planned by more than 120

shall be to stimulate interest in ballet and

volunteers. The year will culminate with the Presentation and Grand Ball on June 18, 2016, at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Le Bal is the signature program fund-raiser for the Denver Ballet

other forms of dance; to promote dance at

Guild and its many programs supporting Colorado dance.“For these young men and women, it’s

all levels; to conduct dance education; to

a special year,” Christian says. “They are poised on the brink of adulthood and are stepping out

develop audiences; to conduct fundraising

into a bright future.”

activities to support and promote dance and to disburse funds for such purposes.

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5 Questions for Denver Ballet Guild President, Jean Armstrong Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family. A: I grew up in New Jersey and lived in New York City before we moved to Colorado in 1994. I’m a certified public accountant and worked at Price Waterhouse with my husband, Hugh. I have two daughters, Alison, a freshman at Texas Christian University and Katie, a junior at the University of Missouri.

Q: How did you get involved in the Denver Ballet Guild? A: Both my girls were in Les Cygnettes, Les Demoiselles and

finally, as honorees in Le Bal. I was roped in to be treasurer of the Guild and I’ve been busy volunteering ever since! I love the Guild, the programs and the people.

Jean Armstrong, her daughters, Alison and Katie, and her husband Hugh enjoy Le Bal 2015

Q: What was the best part of being the mom of a Le Bal honoree?

Q: What are some of your plans this year as Guild president? The best part was spending time with my daughters during A: I’d like to use my experience to help move the Guild forward, A: the year – especially at the mother/daughter events. It was such a to get our name out there and show the Denver community all the great programs we support. I want to continue our work to promote excellence in performance and increase the size of dance audiences. But we need our members’ help. Attend dance performances. Check out our Facebook page and website, and share our great work with your friends. If you’ve been a member in the past and haven’t renewed your membership, it’s easy. Just go to the Denver Ballet Guild website, denverballetguild.org. And don’t forget to support the Guild financially, by attending our events and making an online contribution on Colorado Gives Day, Dec. 8, or through our website. We need your participation!

Madams & Martinis Set for Feb. 18, 2016 Shake your glass and mark your calendars to attend the sixth annual Madams & Martinis event to benefit the Denver Ballet Guild on Feb. 18, 2016. Tickets will be $75 for great food, champagne, cocktails, and of course, martinis! Pamela Adams hosts the event at her 1884 historic Denver home, where she will offer tours and a warm atmosphere for Guild members to gather.

Ladies only! Stay tuned for more information.

fun experience for our whole family.

Q: What do you do for fun? A: I love to entertain, especially during the holidays. My husband’s from Belfast, so I’ve learned to make delicious Irish Soda Bread! For questions, suggestions or if you’d like to volunteer for the Denver Ballet Guild, please contact Jean at [email protected].

Like Us On Facebook Did you know the Denver Ballet Guild has a Facebook page & a website full of great information? Learn more about the Guild and take time to Like our work on Facebook. We need your support. The website is denverballetguild.org and look for the Denver Ballet Guild on Facebook.

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Join the Party! A Taste for Dance 2015 Join the Denver Ballet Guild for a

relaxing evening with good friends, fabulous food and wine pairings, 6:30-10 p.m., Nov. 6 at the Wellshire Event Center. A Taste for Dance is not only a great party to greet old friends and meet new ones, the money raised supports Showcase for Dance, the Young Dancers Competition, and in-school dance performances, Denver Ballet Guild programs to increase the spread of dance in Colorado. “Taste for Dance is an important fundraiser for the Guild, but most of all, it’s an event you can’t miss,” says Helene Schmidt, the event chair. “It’s a celebration of the great work of the Guild and an opportunity for people to give more to their favorite programs, like Showcase of Dance.”

Party for a Cause

Time for Wine

For the cost of $75 per person, or $150 a couple, you’ll have the opportunity to imbibe a variety of red and white wines paired with delicacies chosen to inspire your taste buds.

We also need donations of wine for our signature auction item – the exceptional 52-bottle wine cellar. You can either donate from your own collection or contact our sponsoring partner, CornerStar Wine and Liquor (located on the southwest corner of Arapahoe and Parker) or call (303) 360-9463. All bottles should be valued at $25 or higher.

In addition to great food and drink, you can dance the night away accompanied by top musicians from Jerry Barnett’s orchestra. The evening will feature an auction and special appeal with fun games to raise money for specific programs. We’ll have the Paddle Raise again this year to raise money for Showcase for Dance, a program that pays for 6,000 schoolchildren to see live dance performances. Last year, we raised nearly $6,000 for that program – we’d like to make even more money this year.

It’s not too late to sign up! Go to the Denver Ballet Guild website, denverballetguild.org or contact Helene Schmidt, 720-339-1411, co_schmidt@ comcast.net.

Volunteers needed! Please contact Helene Schmidt to help with the auction: 720-339-1411, co_ [email protected].

Denver Ballet Guild: By the Numbers Your donations to the Denver Ballet pay off in a variety of outreach efforts that support dance and the arts in Metro Denver. Thank you for your support.

$85,000 Provides grants to nine Metro Denver Dance companies, including 3rd Law, Ballet Ariel, Boulder Ballet, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Colorado Ballet, Hannah Kahn Dance, Kim Robards Dance, Wonderbound and Zikr Dance Ensemble.

$28,000 Gives 6,000 elementary school children the opportunity to see live professional dance performances, often for the first time in the three-day Showcase of Dance in a theater.

$20,000 Supports the Young Dancers Competition, a statewide program that had more than 250 participants in 2015. $22,000 Funds further ballet training for 35 promising Denver dancers. $4,000 Brings professional dance companies into Metro Denver schools, impacting more than 1,500 students. In addition, the Denver Ballet Guild has: • 507 active members. • 109 Les Cygnettes (6th, 7th and 8th grade girls from 27 middle schools) and 71 Les Demoiselles (from 16 high

schools), who participate in a wide range of theatrical, cultural and social events during the school year. • Le Bal de Ballet honors high school seniors for their accomplishments and commitment to their communities. The 2015-2016 season will honor 32 Debutantes and 34 Young Men of Distinction.

4 d A Great Start to the Year for Les Cygnettes & Les Demoiselles!

O

ur Les Cygnettes and Les Demoiselles and their mothers kicked off the 2015-16 season with cupcakes and a tour of the “In Bloom” exhibit at the Denver Art Museum. The girls saw Matilda in September and will see The Lion King at the DCPA’s Buell Theater later this fall. They also participated in the Punch Bowl Social in September, a fun Father/Daughter event. It’s going to be a great year!

Nominate a Talented Teen If you currently hold a paid membership in the Denver Ballet Guild, you’re welcome to nominate a current high school junior to be presented as a Debutante or honored as a Young Man of Distinction for Le Bal de Ballet 2017. Nominees should display outstanding achievement in academics, athletics, conduct, extracurricular activities, community service and the arts. Their families also reflect concern for, support of and involvement in the community. Membership and participation of the parents in the Denver Ballet Guild are encouraged. Honorees will be presented in June 2017, the year of their high school graduation. In addition: • Nominations will be accepted until 5 p.m., Feb. 15, 2016. • Equal consideration is given to every nominee and the form should be filled out as thoroughly as possible to ensure the nominee’s best possible chance of selection. • The Guild sponsor should ensure the interest of both the nominee and his or her parents before submitting the form. Please see the enclosed nomination form for details about the timeline and cost of participation in Le Bal. • Should the nominee be accepted, there is a non-refundable presentation/activity fee of $2,750, which includes a two-year membership in the Denver Ballet Guild. Fees will be due April 10, 2016. • Honorees’ families are also expected to fill a table of at least 10. All proceeds from Le Bal de Ballet go toward funding the Denver Ballet Guild’s philanthropic activities. For more information, please read the enclosed insert, or contact the 2017 Le Bal de Ballet chair, Jane Buckley, 303-204-1555, or [email protected].

University of Denver Names Monica Hill Living Legend As Monica Hill watches from the sidelines of the stage at the Denver Ballet Guild’s Young Dancers

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A Mother’s Wish Monica, who was born in Wauwatosa, Wis., was one of five children, including four girls. She started ballet at age four and when the family moved to Denver in 1960, Monica and her sisters took ballet classes at the Westminster Ballet Theater, near her father’s office. “Mother always wanted to dance so she made sure we all got lessons,” says Monica. “Marnie Cooper, the wonderful artistic director of the Westminster Ballet Theatre, took me to the next level.”

Artistic Director Monica Hill congratulates Heather Capen, a two-time Florence Ruston Medallion winner for overall excellence.

Competition, she remembers what she felt as a young dancer ready to emerge into the spotlight. “I see these wonderful young dancers with their excitement and nerves so palpable, and it’s very rewarding to see them finish with happiness and relief,” says Monica, who has been the competition’s artistic director for the last 16 years. Monica, a former dancer with the Denver Civic Ballet and a longtime advocate for dance programs in Colorado, will be honored as one of the 2015 “Living Legends of Dance in Colorado,” Oct. 18 by the University of Denver’s Carson Brierly Giffin Dance Library. The annual award was established in 2004 to honor “individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to dance” and to “preserve the rich dance heritage of Colorado,” according to the library.

She attended Loretto Heights College on a full-ride scholarship, studying both dance and biology. She traveled to Europe to audition for ballet companies. Although she was offered a job in a Vienna musical theater troupe, Monica decided to come home to Colorado. “Finding a secure, well-paying job in a classical ballet company was just as challenging then as it is now, so with my other love of sciences and my biology background, I applied to the newly-established CU Dental School and was accepted into the Dental Hygiene program,” she says. Monica has been a successful, practicing dental hygienist for 40 years.

Love for Dance But she never gave up her love for dance. In addition to her dental career, Monica danced in the corps of the Denver Civic Ballet. One year she had five different parts in The Nutcracker. “I was a very busy girl,” she laughs. “I was as exhausted from the costume changes and I was dancing! One change was so quick there was no time to get back to the dressing room.

Monica Hill as a Denver Civic Ballet dancer.

They just put up a sheet in the back of the wings so I could change in and out of tutus.” She retired from professional dancing after she had children, but her dedication to ballet never wavered. She has taught dance and for the last 16 years has been artistic director for the Young Dancer’s Competition. More than 250 Colorado students, ages 10-18, compete for $22,000 in scholarships and awards during the annual event. The dancers also have an opportunity to take a master class with a renowned ballet teacher. As artistic director, Monica organizes and plans the event down to the smallest details. Monica says she’s grateful to be recognized as a living legend of dance, but she adds, “I was quite surprised to learn of the award because this is a full team effort made successful with all the volunteers from the Denver Ballet competition committee.”

6 d Meet Young Dancer Nina Bartell When Nina Bartell gets on stage, it all comes together for the 16-year-old dancer. “You work so hard to get to that point,” says Nina, a junior at East High School. “Once you’re there, you can experience the moment and take it all in.” Nina started dancing at age three, and is accomplished in ballet, lyrical, hip hop, jazz and tap. Says Nina, “I really love ballet, but I like the diversity of all the different styles of dance.” Nina placed in the top 10 in the 2014 Young Dancer’s Competition, sponsored by the Denver Ballet Guild. This year the

New York City Dance Alliance named Nina as the outstanding teen dancer and she is now part of their national tour. She plans to attend college and continue her dance training with the goal of dancing professionally. In the meantime, she practices 23-26 hours weekly with Denver’s Sweatshop Dance and still finds time to volunteer, teach dance to young children and be a top student. “The feeling I get on stage is inspiring because I learn from everyone around me,“ she says. “I love performing.”

Photo credit: Chris Reilly/Sweatshop Dance

Guests Enjoy DBG Fall Luncheon It was more summer than fall as 60 people gathered for the Denver Ballet Guild fall luncheon at the Cherry Creek Country Club. Guests took in a beautiful performance by the Zikr Dance Ensemble with David Taylor, the artistic director. Thank you to Jean Smooke and Annie Cordova, social vice presidents, for their hard work in putting together such a wonderful event.

7 d Congratulations to the 2016 Debutantes and Young Men of Distinction!

Debutantes Miss Christine Nicole Anderson Miss Katherine Ann Bearup Miss Marguerite Ann Buchmann Miss Addielee Hannah Bush Miss Áine Sofia Daley Miss Hailey Kathleen Egelhoff Miss Isabelle Patricia Fries Miss Isabella Wells Gervasini Miss Sarah Barbara Goldman Miss Devyn Alexandra Haecker Miss McKinley Jennifer Mildred Hamilton Miss Madeline Irene Heath Miss Alexis Caroline Hutchison Miss Audrey Elizabeth Johnson Miss Caroline Christine Kawula Miss Ariana Byrne Kemp Miss Teagan Mira Aragones Kim Miss Elise Evelyn Korneffel Miss Carlin Katherine Laney Miss Sarah Millett Lawrence Miss Olivia Marie Leoni Miss Melissa Sage Lochhead Miss Catherine Chrissan Mead Miss Jacqueline Noelle Melberg Miss Molly O’Meighan Murphy Miss Phoebe Jane Nielsen

Miss Katherine Hope Podolak Miss Haley Nicole Post Miss Kathryn Caroline Reid Miss Jordan Nicole Solich Miss Isabel Beatrice Tangel Miss Hannah Lee Young

Young Men of Distinction Mr. Blake Kendrick Arnold Mr. Christian Michael Barlock Mr. John Peter Barron Mr. Michael Even Bealer Mr. Cole Luke Boland Mr. Bennett Kipling Breitenwischer Mr. Oliver Noble Breitenwischer Mr. Joseph Steven Buckley Mr. Harris Haynie Butler Mr. Jonathan Patrick Fagan Cook Mr. William Forrest Creedon, 11 Mr. Conor Michael Dooley Mr. John David Durham Mr. Joshua Ellis Fernalld Mr. William Stanley Flanagan

Mr. Nicholas James Hecht Mr. Jacob Colby Hibben Mr. Gabriel John Kortz Mr. George William Maguire Mr. Charles William McDonald Mr. Davis Wood McDonald Mr. Wyllis Steven McKissick Jeffrey Ryan Mecklenburg Mr. Winston Weiss Palmeri Mr. Andrew Angell Parsons Mr. Blake Valenti Parsons Mr. Jack Henry Roswell Mr. Oliver Daniel Round Mr. Nicolas Milford Seby Mr. Turner Howard Williams Selby Mr. Elton Edward Springman Mr. Elliott Andrew Taylor Mr. Jerrad Robert Voboril Mr. Skylar Christian Whinery

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DENVER BALLET GUILD P.O. Box 2656 Littleton, CO 80161 www.denverballetguild.org

Volunteers Needed for Showcase of Dance Do you remember how excited you were when you saw a ballet for the first time? Get the feeling again by volunteering to usher at the Showcase of Dance 2015, held Nov. 4, 5 and 6 at the Colorado Heights University. The Denver Ballet Guild’s annual Showcase of Dance is presented free of charge to children in grades 1-5, mostly from Title I schools in Metro Denver.  The 921-seat theater is “sold out” for the two performances each day. The children will experience different types of dance at each show with performances from the Colorado Ballet, Boulder Ballet, Ballet Ariel, Hannah Kahn, Kim Robards, Cleo Parker Robinson, Celtic Steps and Mudra Indian Dance. Peter Davison will be the emcee.

DBG members are needed to serve as ushers and help students find their seats. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Missy Stolberg at [email protected].  Volunteers must be at the Theatre from 8:30 am to 1:00 pm and can volunteer for one or more days of Showcase.

Support the Denver Ballet Guild on Colorado Gives Day If you’re looking for a fast and easy way to contribute to your favorite non-profit – especially the Denver Ballet Guild – participate in Colorado Gives Day, Dec. 8. Colorado Gives Day is an annual online giving event to increase philanthropy statewide. This is the sixth year FirstBank and Community First Foundation have partnered to provide this 24-hour online opportunity. So make a note on your calendar to go to ColoradoGives.org on Dec. 8. If you want to donate sooner than December, go to our website, denverballetguild.org. We need your support to make an impact on the dance and arts community in Colorado!

Denver Ballet Guild members are welcome to come and watch Showcase, standing room only.

Editor: Kathleen Bohland Photography: Courtesy of Doug Wells Photography and Kathy Wells

On Your Toes is a newsletter published three times each year by the Denver Ballet Guild, a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation.

Send change of address to: Donna Rodden • P.O. Box 2656 Littleton, CO 80161