A Note From Chris Martin

Assistant Director and Ballet Master, Maple Conservatory of Dance

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August 10, 2007

My apartment in New York City contains a mini-metropolis of half-packed boxes. The inhabitants of this Lilliputian landscape are in tears. My daughter Lucy's monkey has fallen behind the couch and my wife Laura is packing the wedding glasses we unwrapped here 12 years ago. I will miss the carousel in Central Park, movies at the Zeigfeild and meeting a friend on Sixth Avenue and then another friend on Fifth.

The city's constant flux tests your perspective. One day, the subway is packed with frustration and the next day, it's a smooth ride gliding under skyscrapers filled with a cast from some kind of funky circus. I cannot wait to leave. But will I feel like a quitter? Sam Shepard, Lou Reed, Phil Glass and Mikhail Baryshnikov all have the moxie to stay. Will I miss something by not drinking the water?

I travel three hours a day to teach ballet in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. On the train going out, I go over the details of my class plan and on the way home, I take notes on how the class should be approached the next time.

Even with all this preparation, class remains a spontaneous experience motivated by the students. My responsibility as a teacher is to refine what the students already know. Just watch any child when they dance. They put their arms out (port de bras) and change directions and levels, all within a rhythm that mimics the ebb and flow of nature. Ballet technique refines and codifies this experience. It is a craft and a means to expression.

Ballet class for me is an opportunity to focus on the subtle foundations of alignment. The rules of proper alignment are simple. You do the steps, the steps don't "do" you. All of us spend the first nine months of our life developing this principal. Watch any toddler and you will understand that upright movement, no matter how crude, is captivating and beautiful. Ballet refines this potential.

The ballet studio is where we speak an elite language. The dialogue between the teacher and students is about developing a personal point of view while adhering to the specific rules of the syllabus. It is my desire to reinforce the students' strengths while presenting options for individual growth.

For over 20 years I have established an equilibrium between the high cost of living in New York City and the benefits of living amongst its artists. I had come to terms with the possibility of serving a life-long sentence in this city with its own plans. Then one day, I got a call from someone who said, "Hey buddy! How would you like to come to California?" Three weeks later, I was at New York's JFK airport on my way to Long Beach with a small army of stuffed animals and a yard of string cheese.

I felt at home the moment I stepped into the studios at the Maple Conservatory — largely because Charles' and Kathy's vision for the school provides students the opportunity to thrive as dancers and as people. This combination of qualities along with the beautiful dance complex at Kaiser Avenue will produce influential people. Charles and Kathy understand that the walls need to be alive with potential and they are creating a nurturing space that will feed off the energy of its students.

Laura and I already found a home in Long Beach with both a front and a back door, which is something we didn't have in our New York apartment. Lucy now wakes up in the morning in our new home and says, "I want to go outside." Laura is beautiful even while sitting in traffic on the 405 freeway. And I have the opportunity to work in a supportive atmosphere that continues the influential conversations of the greatest dancers, artists and people in history.

I am expecting butterflies in my stomach during my first few weeks in the studio. But all I have to do is remember that my boss starts most conversations with "Hey buddy!" which will put me at ease.

I am honored that Charles, Kathy, the Maple Conservatory faculty, and the students and their families are welcoming me to the table.

Chris Martin
Assistant Academy Director and Ballet Master,
Maple Conservatory of Dance
Email: sidirector@mapleconservatory.com