Win a season pass to Straw Hat Theatre at the Spring Dance Concert this weekend

 

Come and see Fly On this weekend, and you might win a season pass to Straw Hat Theatre 2019! We’ll draw two season pass winners at each performance of the spring dance concert this weekend. Fly On runs May 3-5, Friday & Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets, call (440) 964-3396 or order online. Fly On features choreography styles ranging from classical ballet to contemporary dance to musical theater, set to music by Chromatics, Coldplay, Shostakovich, Philip Glass & Blondie, and more. This is the show that demonstrates everything dance can be, in all its varied, innovative, and beautiful forms.

Hip Hop teacher Ryan Rosinski is back at AAC this summer

Ryan Rosinski, professional Hip Hop dancer and a finalist on So You Think You Can Dance, is returning to the Arts Center to offer a new experience: a series of summer Master Classes, as well as a special Choreography Workshop! This Workshop will offer an in-depth exploration of Hip Hop choreography and staging. Participants of the Workshop are invited to perform on July 27 in the Wine and Walleye Festival on Bridge Street in the Historic Ashtabula Harbor. PLEASE NOTE: anyone who wants to participate in the Choreography Workshop is required to attend all 3 Master Classes. If you are not taking part in the Workshop, the Master Classes can be taken either individually or as a series. Open to ages 7 through adult. No dance experience needed — beginners welcome!

Dates: Sunday, May 19; Saturday, June 29; Saturday, July 13. Master Classes: 1-2:30 p.m. Choreography Workshop sessions: 2:30-4 p.m.

Master Classes: $20 each
Choreography Workshop: $120 (includes 3 Master Classes & 3 Workshop sessions)

Call (440) 964-3396 to register.

Wine tasting event before the Spring Dance Concert on April 27

Make reservations now for this special event: sample wines from Markko Vineyard, The Lakehouse Inn, Hundley Cellars, and Laurello Vineyards before seeing the 7:30 p.m. performance of Fly On, Ballet Theatre Ashtabula’s 2019 spring dance concert. Tickets are $35 and include 8 2-oz. samples as well as your seat at the concert. Appetizers and desserts will be served, and bottles will be available for purchase. The wine tasting begins at 6 p.m. in the Arts Center gallery. Call (440) 964-3396 to make your reservations — space at this event is limited.

The annual spring dance concert by Ballet Theatre Ashtabula is a celebration of movement and creativity, featuring choreography styles ranging from classical ballet to contemporary dance to musical theater. This is the show that demonstrates everything dance can be, in all its varied, innovative, and beautiful forms. Fly On will feature music by Chromatics, Coldplay, Shostakovich, Lauv, Philip Glass & Blondie, and more.

Tickets on sale now for Sugar Plum Luncheon

Get your tickets now for the Arts Center’s sweetest event of the year! The Sugar Plum Luncheon will be Saturday, December 8 — doors open at noon. Step inside the Land of Sweets for a holiday feast dressed in sparkling pink! Our elegant luncheon will feature live holiday music and a menu of chicken salad on croissant, snowflake finger sandwiches, toasty tomato soup, rich mac & cheese, salad, and assorted beverages, followed by a dazzling dessert table with enough scrumptious sweets to feed an army of toy soldiers. Kids can learn about the story of The Nutcracker and get a dance lesson from the Sugar Plum Fairy herself! Afterwards, the winter fun moves into the theater for the 2 p.m. performance of The Nutcracker, presented by Ballet Theatre Ashtabula. Tickets include both the luncheon and your seat at the ballet. Call early for reservations — this event sells out quickly! Adult $35, Senior/Student/Military $33, Child 2-12 $28. Tickets are non-refundable. Call (440) 964-3396 to make reservations.

AAC Teaches Confidence, Sparks Tiara Collection

By Paris Wolfe, Contributing Writer

When Robin Vogel was two or three years old, her mom enrolled her in a class at the Ashtabula Arts Center. She continued taking classes every summer through her late teen years. Not only did she enjoy the experience, she came away with more confidence and a tiara collection.

“I could write a novel about the benefits of taking art and theater classes,” she says. “To keep it brief I learned self-discipline and commitment. I learned to be creative and think outside the sphere.”

Rather than narrow these experiences to one favorite, she says, “I don’t believe in favorites. I’ve had so many wonderful experiences that are all so different, I couldn’t begin to compare them. My highlights reel includes working on The Nutcracker, creating props for plays, running tech, and helping with Kid’s Day Out.”

Robin encourages others to enroll in the fine arts classes for entertainment and skill developmentand to become part of a caring community where lifelong friends are easily made.

“We are so fortunate to have this resource in our community. In all the places I’ve been or lived I have never encountered another facility with dance, theater, music and visual arts under one roof, let alone one that consistently holds classes and puts on productions of such high quality,” she says. “Through the Arts Center I’ve taken class with individuals who have gone on to become professional dancers and been part of theater productions with cast members who are now acting on Broadway. Outside of select schools in New York and California, where does onefind those opportunities?!”

As for the tiara collection? Robin has participated in The Nutcracker Party Scene for years. She says, “It seems that every year I find at least one new tiara to freshen up my costume.”

Robin’s experience performing in The Nutcracker is one that will be open to the entire community this year, as Ballet Theatre Ashtabula is offering a Nutcracker Production Experiencethis fall, in which participants will be cast in various roles in the Party Scene, Battle Scene, and more. Anyone interested should call the Arts Center at (440) 964-3396 to register.

Robin lives in Ashtabula and is Council Coordinator for the Ashtabula County Family and Children First Council.

Join us in celebrating Shelagh!

There will be a retirement party for Shelagh Dubsky, Dance Director at the Ashtabula Arts Center, on Saturday, August  4 at the AAC, 2928 West 13th Street, Ashtabula. Please join us in celebrating Shelagh’s many years as a teacher, mentor, choreographer, and director. Call (440) 964-3396 for more information, and to RSVP if you’ll be attending.

Try a dance class for free!

Try a dance class for free! From 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 9, our Director of Dance Shelagh Dubsky will offer a sample beginning-level ballet class. If your son or daughter is interested in dance, but would like to try a class before committing to an eight-week session, this sample class is for them. Call (440) 964-3396 to sign up. Students should wear clothes that are comfortable to move in and thick socks. (Ballet slippers are not required for this class.)

See Ballet Theatre Ashtabula’s full schedule of winter classes here.