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A Note From Kathy Crade Read her story and vision for the Maple Conservatory of Dance
News & Press Coverage
Save-The-Date: Loverboy Coming On March 1st!
Loverboy, one of the hottest rock bands will be performing in a benefit concert for the Maple Youth Ballet on Sunday, March 1st at the fabulous House of Blues at Downtown Disney in Anaheim.
Maple Conservatory Student Invited To The 2009 Prix de Lausanne
The Maple Conservatory of Dance is pleased to announce that one of its students, Karen Johnson, has been selected for the annual 2009 Prix de Lausanne, which will take place from January 27- February 1, 2009 at the Beaulieu Theater in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Maple Youth Ballet Receives Grant From MetLife
October 30, 2008
The Maple Youth Ballet is proud to announce that it was awarded a $500 Volunteer Ventures Grant from MetLife (the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company). This grant was a result of a proposal that was submitted by Yelena Quiroz, whose daughter is a student at the Maple Conservatory of Dance.
Maple Conservatory Students Accepted Into San Francisco Ballet Trainee Program
May 8, 2008
The Maple Conservatory offers dance training for students who are interested in pursuing a career in dance, and we are proud to announce that two of our students, Jordan Hammond and Steven Morse, accepted offers to become trainees with San Francisco Ballet!
Maple Conservatory Student Wins Bronze Medal At YAGP New York Finals
May 8, 2008
The Maple Conservatory of Dance is proud to announce that Conservatory student Steven Morse tied for the bronze medal in the Senior Men's division at the Youth America Grand Prix Finals, which took place at City Center in New York City in April. Steven was the only dancer from the U.S. to place in the top three in the Senior Men's division!
Long Beach resident's company joins 'Ballet Russe Remembered'
Press-Telegram, April 24, 2008
By Carley Dryden, Staff writer
Natasha Middleton, artistic director of Media City Ballet of Burbank, likens the heightened expressions of Sunday's season-opening program, "Ballet Russe Remembered," to those of a silent film. "We're not trying to step in anyone's shoes, we're just keeping it alive," Middleton said. "Nobody can be like the Ballet Russe."
Joining Media City Ballet for the tribute performance will be Charles Maple and his Irvine-based Maple Youth Ballet. The company will perform Balanchine's "Valse-Fantaisie," an eight-minute ballet of nonstop waltz-rhythm dancing. "Valse-Fantaisie" is close to the heart of Long Beach resident Maple, who years ago was seen by an American Ballet Theatre scout performing the ballet and as a result was invited to join the company.
Read the full article on PressTelegram.com »
Maple Conservatory Student Chosen As OC Performing Artscenter's Tomorrow's Stars 2008 Winner!
March 24, 2008
This past January, four of our Professional Division students competed in Orange County Performing Artscenter's Tomorrow's Stars scholarship program in which they performed two different classical ballet variation solos in front of a panel of judges, and three of our students made it to the Semi-Final round. We are proud to announce that one of our students was chosen as a Tomorrow's Stars 2008 winner in the Classical Ballet category!
The Maple Conservatory of Dance Participating In ABT's National Training Curriculum
March 13, 2008
(Updated April 21, 2008)
© American Ballet TheatreThe Maple Conservatory of Dance is pleased to announce that four of its ballet faculty will be participating in American Ballet Theatre's National Training Curriculum. These faculty members are: Charles Maple, Gilma Bustillo DeQuattro, Chris Martin and Laura Martin.
Announced by ABT in December 2007, ABT's National Training Curriculum is a program for the development and training of young students that embraces sound ballet principles and consists of a comprehensive set of age-appropriate, outcome-based guidelines, consistent with the best practices in the fields of sports psychology, child & adolescent development, nutrition and training. ABT's National Training Curriculm incorporates elements of the French, Italian and Russian schools of training and is currently in place at The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT in New York.
Update (21 April 2008): Our Conservatory faculty members, Chris Martin, Gilma Bustillo DeQuattro and Charles Maple have been officially certified as ABT National Training Curriculum Teachers in Primary through Level 3. These levels directly correlate to our Conservatory program's Primary through B5 levels. The ABT National Training curriculum for Primary through Level 3 has been implemented into our Conservatory program's training structure, and plans are underway to complete our ABT certification in the remaining, upper levels.
Congratulations To Our YAGP Participants & Finalists!
March 13, 2008
The Maple Conservatory of Dance congratulates our Conservatory students who participated in this year's Youth America Grand Prix regional ballet competition and those students who placed in the Top 12 Classical Senior division and qualified for YAGP's Finals to be held on April 27-May 1 in New York City.
The Arts Blog, Orange County Register
South Bay Ballet, Maple Youth Ballet share concert
Laura Bleiberg, OC Register Dance Critic, February 28, 2008
"Competition among dance schools is a fact of live. It doesn’t have to be that way, is the philosophy of Charles Maple…When Ballet Pacifica went under last spring, he and administrator Kathy Crade started the Maple Conservatory in Ballet Pacifica’s former Irvine digs…One of the first things he did was to call up other teachers and say, in essence, Let’s collaborate in some way; it will benefit us both. Diane Lauridsen, who runs Torrance’s South Bay Ballet where Maple taught, agreed…"
Read Laura Bleiberg's article on OCRegister.com »
Maple Conservatory Student Selected As Finalist For LA Music Center's Spotlight Awards!
February 22, 2008
This past October, five of our Professional Dance Division students competed in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards' Ballet category in which they performed two different classical ballet variation solos in front of a panel of judges, and three of our students made it to the Semi-Final round. We are proud to announce that one of our students was chosen as a Spotlight Award Finalist in the Ballet category!
Announcing Our Conservatory Students' 2008 Summer Program Acceptances!
January 5, 2008
The Maple Conservatory congratulates our Conservatory students on their acceptances to the following 2008 summer programs.
All of these summer programs had multi-city, national audition tours throughout the U.S. and other countries in which our students auditioned with hundreds of ballet students from across the country in order to gain entry into these prestigious programs. These summer programs range from three to six weeks long and will enrich their education with a concentrated experience in a professional classroom atmosphere.
Three Maple Conservatory Students Chosen For Spotlight Awards Semi-Finals!
January 5, 2008
This past October, five of our Professional Dance Division students competed in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards' Ballet category in which they performed two different classical ballet variation solos in front of a panel of judges. We are proud to announce that three of our students made it to the Semi-Final round!
Between the Steps
Dance Teacher Magazine, November 2007 Issue
By Kathleen Edens
The ability to make every movement matter—even the linking steps—is what distinguishes great dancers from good ones…Charles Maple, director of the newly opened Maple Conservatory of Dance in Irvine, California, recommends using the barre to refine transitions and set the stage for work in the center. "If the foundational elements aren’t taught at the barre, dancers will have sloppy transitions when they come out to the center," he warns. "Plan your barre combinations to alternate between those emphasizing quick movement patterns, such as dégagés en croix, and exercises like fondus that use the floor’s resistance to articulate the feet."
Read the full article on Dance Teacher Magazine's website »
Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards News
October 22, 2007
Six of our Professional Dance Division students have been hard at work preparing for the upcoming Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards audition. The Music Center Spotlight Awards program is a nationally-acclaimed recognition and scholarship program for Southern California high school performing and visual artists. Our students will be competing in the Spotlight Awards' Ballet category in which they will be presenting two different classical ballet variation solos in front of a panel of judges.
Announcing the Maple Youth Ballet!
October 12, 2007
The Maple Conservatory of Dance is pleased to announce that Charles Maple and Kathy Crade have been elected to the board of directors of the Golden State Dance Company, a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation and the Golden State Dance Company has established under its umbrella the Maple Youth Ballet.
Maple Conservatory Acquires All Costumes & Sets From Golden State Dance Company
September 12, 2007
The Maple Conservatory was chosen to be the recipient of all of Golden State's costumes and props and the Maple Conservatory will bring them back to life through our brand-new production of the Nutcracker and other dance and ballet productions.
Announcing A New Partnership With South Bay Ballet and the Lauridsen Ballet Centre
August 22, 2007
I am thrilled and honored to announce a new partnership between the Maple Conservatory of Dance and South Bay Ballet and its resident ballet school, the Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance, California! I have had the privilege of working with South Bay Ballet's Artistic Director, Diane Lauridsen, for over 12 years as a teacher and as South Bay Ballet's Associate Director and Resident Choreographer…
The Arts Blog, Orange County Register
New conservatory in Ballet Pacifica digs.
Laura Bleiberg, OC Register Dance Critic, July 12, 2007
"Charles Maple, former soloist with American Ballet Theatre and principal dancer with Basel Ballet, has opened his own ballet school, the Maple Conservatory of Dance, at 1824 Kaiser in Irvine, the studios of the late departed Ballet Pacifica…"
Maple Conservatory of Dance
Southern California's premiere classical ballet school in Irvine and home of the Maple Youth Ballet, Orange County's pre-professional dance company
1824 Kaiser Avenue • Irvine, CA 92614 • Tel 949-660-9930 • info@mapleconservatory.com
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