November 25, 2007 at 6:24 pm · Filed under ballet, dance, savannah, Nutcracker, VERONICA, the STUDIO, performance, companies, alston, columbia
Columbia City Ballet has been performing the Nutcracker in Savannah for about the past 18 years. Every year they audition local dance students and give them the opportunity to perform with the company. This year Alston was chosen to play Clara! What an incredible experience for her-the first of many I am sure! She gave a magical performance-just the way Clara should be played. She did some demanding choreography for a 10 year old-pulling off multiple turns and hops on pointe, like a pro. I am not used to not being backstage with her when she performs-so I snuck back there and helped her do her make-up and got her warmed up. She had been there since 10:30am she had come down with laryngitis and her feet hurt!
Getting some notes from William Starrett.
We went onstage for some last minute practice.
Isabel and Florrie were adorable mice and Karilena was a bon bon.
Evan, Linzy and Alston as Angels
Looking very Clara-like
I hated having to go out to watch in the audience! But she was ready as always! It was nice to get to see them all perform from a different view! I was so proud of all of them!
Recent Posts by veronica moretti niebuhr
April 12, 2007 at 1:06 pm · Filed under teaching, savannah, students, studios, VERONICA, alston
Posted by Veronica Moretti Niebuhr
If any of you ever wondered if you wanted to teach………….here is a reason why.
This is Alston Macgill, she is 9 years old. I met her when she was almost 5. I immediately knew she was not like the other children in the class. It’s like she was born to dance. Everything is automatic for her - pure lines, perfect turn-out, you name it she’s got it. When she moves everything is so put together - transitions are seamless. Every time she comes to class I remember why I do this. And believe me she gets me into a lot of trouble too.
Owning a studio is a tricky business, one student like this can send 20 packing. A lot of people cannot understand what makes her so special. Some of them think I torture her and make her dance every day - I in fact frequently force her to take days off, but it is difficult to keep her out of the studio. She takes class with the older girls and is also an extremely intelligent and sweet young girl. She recently won a city-wide essay contest. They had to write an essay on how they would change the world. Alston’s essay was of course about how she will change the world through dance………..I know she will.
Recent Posts by veronica moretti niebuhr
