SUMMER EDITION
April/May/June 2023
The Akhmedova Ballet Magazine is a product of the collaborative efforts of the students of the Akhmedova Ballet Academy. We wish to spread our ideas and knowledge to connect with others in this uncertain time.
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Every year, ABA selects a ballet for its annual end-of-year spring performance at the Montgomery College Cultural Arts Center in which all dancers are given an opportunity to showcase their work over the school year. This year, we performed a ballet that is not extremely well-known, but a worthwhile experience nonetheless. Originally named “Die Puppenfee", Fairy Doll is a one-act ballet composed by Josef Bayer and choreographed by Joseph Hassreiter. Premiered in 1888 at the Vienna State Opera, it has been said to be one of the most successful productions of the late 19th century, as it takes the audience through a delightful story of toy shop dolls that come to life at twilight after all customers have left. The ballet features two scenes, with the first a mime scenario of a busy day in the shop. It consists of various contrasting personalities that add sophistication and color to the performance, from the frantic shopkeeper and air-headed apprentice to eager children pulling along their finicky parents. A few dolls are placed in the shop and dance for the customers, who react and dance along, eventually closing out the day with all of the children taking home a doll of their own. In our production, a twilight fairy bridges the first scene to the second, symbolizing the last light before nightfall. In the second scene, the dolls come to life, and the fairy doll, essentially the queen of the dolls, invites the other dolls to dance, presenting dolls from many countries, including a Chinese doll, Austrian doll, Spanish doll, Canadian doll, and more. When the dolls come to life, the style of dance changes as well, becoming more human and less doll-like as characterized in the first scene. The ballet finishes with a lively coda as the dolls come together for a grand ending.
Throughout the show, ABA showcased many elaborate costumes that highlight key characteristics of each country’s culture using patriotic colors, props, and traditional clothing/headpieces. Many of these high-quality costumes were newly ordered for the show with custom measurements to best fit the dancers wearing them, as well as to accurately reflect the doll’s role. The Japanese doll wore a kimono and held a fan; the French doll carried a French flag and wore red, white, and blue. From the costumes, the audience members are able to identify each role and it also brings our production to life.
However, the costumes were not all that made our show as successful as it was, and countless hours of rehearsals and preparation took place before reaching the stage. Before rehearsals began, the students took time to understand the plot, then learned several roles to assist the teachers in choosing the cast. Even after the cast was released, students were encouraged to learn as many parts as possible in case of change. In early stages of rehearsal, multiple classes took place at once to learn choreography quicker, until we were eventually able to run through full scenes at a time. Fortunately, our hard work paid off and we were able to present a satisfactory performance for the audience as well as ourselves. It has been a special experience for me to perform this magical ballet and it is a memory that I will cherish forever.
-Elaine
FAIRY DOLL
WITH ELAINE
The duet piece I will be performing in the upcoming competition is called “My Shadow Self” choreographed beautifully by Ms. Jessica Novakovich. The shadow self is like the dark side of a person, and every single person has it, even if you try to ignore it. It is an analytical psychology created by Carl Jung as it explains the part of us that we try to hide from others such as sadness, laziness, rage, and cruelty. In short, it is the other side of ourselves that we're afraid will be rejected if it's ever exposed. The shadow in the piece expresses all the negative feelings a person can have. And so, the story of our duet is about a girl who is introduced to her shadow self, as she feels as if she is trapped inside a swirl of extreme terror and desperation as the shadow takes its first step to take her over. Throughout this dance, both the girl and the shadow struggle to be one unit and at the same time want to be separated from one another, the girl trying to maintain her place and forget about her dark side and the shadow trying to overpower the girl. Towards the end, the girl realizes that her shadow self can never be separated from her, as it is also a part of herself and should never be ignored. As this is my first contemporary duet, this is a whole new adventure I have never experienced. Throughout rehearsals, I realized that sometimes duets are much harder than solo or group pieces because you have to communicate and interact with the other dancer and still remember the important technique, unlike solos where you are the only one onstage or group pieces which might not be as noticeable when you make a mistake. In other words, you actually have to dance with that person and think of them as another you, which was also very challenging for me. If you make a mistake, it can ruin the whole thing. Even if we have the same height or leg length, things won’t work if we don’t interact with each other. Sometimes, you might have to match the other person even if they make a mistake, and that is the same for the other person. During performances, someone cannot do more or less than they did in rehearsals, as it also can make it harder for the partner. Thankfully, I have learned how to interact with my partner through the process of many rehearsals and the past classical duet, we can almost read each other’s mind! This piece requires a great amount of partnership and technique, along with a significant amount of expression. These are all things I need to work on a lot, and it is a great chance to learn how things work in duets. My partner and I are very excited to perform this piece as it took much effort, repetition, and patience to come this way. I am thankful for all the teachers that have supported us and gave us a chance to learn from a great experience. I will continue to work hard to make the teachers of ABA proud.
-Ella
QUANTUM INTUITION
Quantum Intuition is Akhmedova Ballet Academy’s newest contemporary piece choreographed by Jessica Novakovich. This piece tells a story of a group of friends who take care of each other and look out for one another. The dance shows the evolution and growth of friendship through the group’s hard times as well as good times together. Throughout the dance, the group learned to have a better understanding of each other and the world around them. I thoroughly enjoyed learning this piece and the process of getting to perform Quantum on stage. I especially enjoyed the editing and cleaning process during rehearsals. This experience has taught me the process of embodying a character and putting emotions into a piece. Additionally, through this group piece, I am learning the importance of connection and unity as a group to dance as one. I look forward to performing Quantum Intuition with my ABA friends at the International Dance Talent Competition in Mesagne.
-Eliana
INTO THE VARIATION
WITH ELLA AND ELIANA
MY SHADOW SHELF
I feel inspired the minute I walk through the doors of the ABA studio. The endless trophies and awards on the wall, and the talented students, encourage me to work hard to achieve my goals. I start my day with stretching in the “Just Do It” room and focus my mind to get ready for class. We start every class with barre and center work. I really like the technique training and hands-on support I receive from my instructors. All of my teachers are very encouraging and always gentle when offering corrections and positive praise.
I have enjoyed learning new choreography from my regular instructors as well as guest teachers. The choreography is challenging, but the instructors are motivating and walk us through each step. I have also enjoyed learning different forms of dance like contemporary, character, and polka. Mime is another fun technique that I have learned and will be useful in stage performances. Not only is ABA Summer Intensive great for learning ballet, but it’s also a great place to make friends! I look forward to continuing to grow and learn at ABA and hopefully have a career in classical ballet when I grow up.
-Charlotte
