Irish Ballet Forum

Irish Ballet Forum Master Classes (2009)

Irish Ballet Forum (IBF) was established last January by a number of organisations and people from the professional ballet community. It’s aim is to serve and advance ballet in Ireland. The very first meeting was attended by Anne Maher Ballet Ireland acting chair, Alan Foley Cork City Ballet, Katherine Lewis INYB, Judith Sibley Chrysalis Dance, Joanna Banks The College of Dance, Monica Loughman Irish Youth Russian Ballet, Patricia O’Riordan Irish Youth Russian Ballet, Ingrid Nachstern Night Star Dance Company, Gavin De Paor (via video link) Pasados, Emma Martin Individual Dance Artist, Grant McLay Rex Levitas, Leighton Morrison Chrysalis Dance, Stephen Brennan Ballet Ireland.

Chief amongst our aims is to unify individuals and organisations working in classical dance, to create a strong and cohesive voice and to promote ballet in Ireland and Irish ballet.  IBF’s core focus is on the strengthening of the fundamental framework and infrastructure for Irish ballet. Ultimately, we exist to assure ballet professionals can train, create, perform, and excel without having to leave Ireland in the future.

IBF’s first event will be Master Classes given by Alan Foley and Anne Maher. Talented students will have an opportunity to dance alongside professional dancers from Ballet Ireland and Cork City Ballet. This event is being supported by Dance Ireland and will be held at DanceHouse on October 26th at 1pm – 4pm. Students aged 14 and over, who are of Intermediate standard or above, are invited to attend. The Master Classes are free, but places are limited. Students must apply individually for a place by phoning 046 9557585 or by emailing us at balletireland@eircom.net. Teachers are invited to attend the Master Classes to observe.

This is the first in a series of Master Classes which will be facilitated by IBF over the coming year. We look forward to welcoming the ballet community on October 26th 2009.

Click here to download the Masterclass brochure.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing on behalf of a new resource organization whose mission would be to aid all parts of the ballet community including students, teachers, dancers, emerging and established organizations, and everyone in between. This organization would address a variety of issues and concerns facing the ballet sector in Ireland. It would strive to introduce a range of advocacy, education and training, performance, networking, creative exchange and open discussion initiatives.

The organization proposed would be called Irish Ballet Forum and would be run by a board of governance comprised of highly regarded professionals working within Irish ballet. The roots of the proposed idea come from within the professional community, which for the first time has come together with the singular purpose of working together to forward ballet in Ireland. Although it is proposed that Irish Ballet Forum (IBF) will be run independently, the organization will be presented to the Arts Council in October 2009, to begin operations in the winter of 2010.

IBF would be an active body of ballet dancers and organizations in the country. As a unified body, IBF would work as an advocate for classical dance. IBF would be an open platform for discussion and new collaborations. The core objective of IBF would be to further the development of ballet in Ireland by building a cohesive infrastructure. To this end, IBF would work to benefit all groups within the ballet community. Alongside advocacy, IBF would like to provide new resources in teacher training, youth performance opportunities, participation and audience development programmes, a discussion about educational standards in the country, and a national database of ballet teachers. IBF sees a large amount of projects in its future including linking the community together to foster new and innovative efforts to nurture existing practices. The heart of the organization is a belief in mutual beneficial objectives for all members.

I am circulating this letter and an attached survey to assess the ballet community’s thoughts about the establishment of such an organization. In order for IBF to reach its full potential, and allow all areas of the ballet community to profit from it, there has to be a desire for the organization to work, and a willingness to work with it. Therefore, your input is imperative in the formation and development of IBF.

IBF anticipates the launch of its own website in the near future, but is currently accessible online through Ballet Ireland’s homepage, where a copy of the attached survey can be found. This survey is being distributed through the RAD, the ISTD, the IDTA and Dance Ireland networks. We would be grateful for your assistance in informing fellow colleagues, who may not receive regular information from these organizations, of our proposal and survey, as their comments would be much appreciated.

Due to the essential need of participation in the formation of IBF, I would be obliged if you could take the time to fill out the attached questionnaire. Please send all correspondence (via post or email) by 24 April to:

Irish Ballet Forum
c/o Ballet Ireland
Agher
Summerhill
Co Meath
irishballetforum@gmail.com

Please click here to download the Survey