Jordan and the Trainees at Assemblée Internationale

Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 | All Posts by Jordan Hammond | 1 Comment

Canada’s National Ballet School brought together 13 ballet schools from around the world. The experience included seven ballet classes, 15+ hours of rehearsal, three dress rehearsals, and four performances, all in just one week, but the memories and knowledge will last me a lifetime. I took too many pictures to count, in order to help me remember all of it.

Day 1: Heading to orientation where banners hung along the streets in honor of the event and the National Ballet School’s (NBS) 50th Anniversary!

Day 1: At orientation, waiting to meet with a student of NBS who showed us a tour of the incredible six-floor building where all the events would be taking place

Day 2: Myles Thatcher, Jean-Yves Esquerre, and Lola de Avila watching rehearsal for the existing repertoire performances where the Trainees performed the 2nd and 3rd movements from Helgi Tomasson’s “Haffner” Symphony, as well as Parrish Maynard’s Fractals

Day 3: Dress rehearsal time for the existing repertoire performance! Ingeniously, the school set up a projector so we could watch the rest of the performance while we warmed-up in the studios down the hall!

Day 4: The Trainees after the performance of Tomasson’s “Haffner” Symphony

Day 5: Rehearsing Words Unsaid in the afternoon and later, performing Fractals in the second existing repertoire performance that evening

One of my favorite memories of the Assemblée was working on the choreographic workshop performance, because that was when I truly was able to work and interact with other students at the event. Prior to arriving in Canada, we received a video from a student choreographer at another school and we were each assigned to learn one of the roles in the piece, from the video. The idea was that when we arrived in Canada, we could become an international cast of students dancing together in one student choreographer’s piece. I learned a beautiful work choreographed by a student at the Hamburg Ballet School: Words Unsaid. His ballet was about the lack of relationship people have when they pass each other, without saying what’s on their mind or making a point to look them in the eye, and how we could all interact more when we take the time to notice the people around us. I was extremely inspired after working with the cast of students in this piece from all over the world, including the Hague, Stuttgart, Royal Ballet School, and NBS, not to mention the choreographer himself. In order for the piece to come together, we really had to feel and dance as one during each every movement of this ballet.

Day 6: After the first performance of the choreographic workshop presentation, the cast of Words Unsaid

Day 7: A final group picture after the last choreographic workshop performance, where all the Trainees danced in different pieces by international student choreographers

On the last day of the Assemblée, a Student Forum was held to discuss topics such as what students believe artistic directors are looking for in a dancer, as well as what dancers might expect from artistic directors. I thought it was really interesting, considering that many of us will be auditioning for jobs this upcoming year. It was also nice to hear from one artistic director, David Nixon of Northern Ballet Theatre, regarding different attributes he looks for in selecting dancers. At the same time, Mavis Staines of Canada’s National Ballet School spoke and encouraged all of us to reach for our dreams, and stay true and confident with ourselves. The final person who spoke was Cuban ballet forefather Fernando Alonso, who shared his story and his thoughts on how the body should be trained for ballet. But my favorite quote from him would was when he said that he has “never worked a day in his life.” I loved hearing that because I feel that if you have a true passion for dance and a love for ballet, then it should never feel like a job. I mean how lucky are we that we get to do something we love every day?

It’s still hard for me to wrap my mind around all that happened that week and how much of the international ballet world I was able to see, meet, and work with. I’m so thankful to have been a part of this great experience and I would like to thank Canada’s National Ballet School for inviting our school to take part in such an incredible project that has greatly inspired and impacted me in so many ways.

Tags: San Francisco Ballet School, Trainee Program

Trainee Update

Friday, October 23rd, 2009 | All Posts by Jordan Hammond | No Comments

So far this year the Trainees have had a lot on our plates! Upon returning from China, Bryn and I headed straight back into rehearsals. While we were gone, the other Trainees had been working hard to prepare for our upcoming shows that were only a few short weeks away.

Our first performance of the year was just last weekend, and surprisingly, it was not in San Francisco! In fact, we were invited to perform Parrish Maynard’s Fractals down in Southern California with the Festival Ballet Theater (fellow trainee Bryn’s old studio), at the Irvine Barclay!

(front to back) Bryn, Jordan, and Nicole in Parrish Maynard’s Fractals. Photo Credit: Dave Friedman

So we hopped on a plane Saturday morning, and arrived an hour later where we then headed to the theater, did a quick, on-stage rehearsal, and went on to dance in the evening performance at 7pm. On Sunday, we performed in the 2pm performance and hopped on a plane to San Francisco that night! It was a quick trip, but the performances were so much fun and it was wonderful to see so many familiar faces (I am also from Orange County). I was delighted to see former San Francisco Ballet Principal Dancer Evelyn Cisneros (she staged a piece by Val Caniparoli for Festival Ballet Theater), because she was a former teacher of mine and is someone I truly look up to. And a big thank you to Salwa Rizkalla, director of Festival Ballet Theater: without her, our trainee trip to perform in Orange Country would not have been possible!

Waiting at the airport with Francisco

After the show of Fractals

Our next performance is this Friday at Convent of the Sacred Heart, where we performed last year. We’re so happy to be invited back to perform again at such a beautiful school. We are doing a morning assembly performance for the students, with a longer performance later in the evening. The pieces we have been working on so far this year have included Helgi Tomasson’s Haffner Symphony (2^nd and 3^rd movement) and a pas de deux from 7 for Eight, the Bluebird pas de deux (from Sleeping Beauty), Fractals, fellow trainee James’ piece Down, and apprentice Myles Thatcher’s choreography Time Piece. We’ll also be performing solo variations from La Bayadere, Grand Pas Classique, and Don Quixote.

Well that’s all for now but more to come very soon because next month the Trainees will hop on another plane to… Canada!

Tags: Parrish Maynard, Trainee Program

Finally, Summer Break!

Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 | All Posts by Jordan Hammond | 4 Comments

Beautiful, sunny Southern California... I finally get to sink my toes into some sand!

I’ve been on a break since the Summer Intensive and have been experiencing what it’s like to be a normal kid during summer! I’ve been to the pool a few times, seen old friends that I went to school with, and have spent a lot of time with my family, which I love because I miss them so much throughout the year when I’m away! But approaching my last week of vacation, I can honestly say I’ve been feeling pretty antsy to get back to the city I love and the ballet school I love even more. It’s always hard during the summer to find open classes to take ballet, but I’ve been pretty lucky that there are a lot of ballet schools in Southern California that offer classes. But there is nothing like dancing in San Francisco, so needless to say I’m very anxious to get back! The School starts again on Monday, meaning the second floor will be packed once again with all of the students and faculty. I’m also looking forward to finding out all that Jean-Yves has planned for the Trainees this year and what repertoire he has chosen for us to begin rehearsing.

My cousin got married this summer and I got to be a bridesmaid!

Besides getting back to rehearsing with the Trainees, I’m also extremely excited because I have been asked to go to China this year with the Company to perform Swan Lake along with a few other girls from the School/Trainee program. Words can’t even begin to describe how much I am looking forward to everything that this trip will offer. I still can’t even believe that I’m going. I feel like it won’t hit me until I am actually sitting on the plane enduring the 14+ hour flight ahead!

On another note, lately I’ve been finding myself watching way too many YouTube videos of dancers all over the world. There is so much you can learn from watching another dancer; especially professional dancers who, in my eyes, have reached a level of perfection some people say can’t even be reached in ballet. But out of all the videos, I always find myself watching ones from dancers in this company and that is when it hits me: I realize how lucky we are here at the San Francisco Ballet School. We don’t have to watch the videos online, but we can merely walk up two flights of stairs where we are given the privilege to watch the dancers we idolize in person. I find myself on the 4^th floor a lot because I am truly inspired after I watch the Company in rehearsals. I’m easily awed by their artistry, footwork, and strength, and they inspire me to want to work harder each day.

Sarah Van Patten is one of my favorite dancers to watch in rehearsal. Here she is rehearsing Tudor's Jardin Aux Lilas. (© Erik Tomasson)

Tags: Trainee Program

The Dancing Days of Summer

Friday, July 24th, 2009 | All Posts by Jordan Hammond, SFB Scene | 1 Comment

Most normal teenagers look forward to summer as a vacation from school; a time to work on their tan at the beach, hang out with friends, and stay up into all hours of the night only to sleep in ‘til lunchtime the next day. But for young dancers, summer definitely takes on a whole new meaning. It’s a chance to attend a Summer Intensive Program where you spend the entire day dancing in the studios, learning from new teachers, being in a new environment, and ultimately, strengthening and improving your technique each day.

Students in class during the 2009 Summer Session. (© Erik Tomasson)

This summer is my 3^rd summer with the San Francisco Ballet School, and needless to say this program definitely lives up to the name of a “summer intensive”. We begin the day with either a Pilates or floor-barre class beginning at 9:45 am, leading into a two-hour technique class, a small lunch break, an hour-long pointe class/repertory class, and we end the day with either pas de deux class or artistic analysis class, wrapping up at around 6 pm. Just in time to go back home, where all you want to do is eat some dinner and go to sleep!

Students in class during the 2009 Summer Session. (© Erik Tomasson)

As Summer Session comes to an end, I look back amazed at all we’ve learned. Not only have we danced variations and pas de deux excerpts from the classical ballets like Don Quixote, La Bayadere, and Sleeping Beauty, but we’ve also had the opportunity to dance very neoclassical pieces, too, like a pas de deux from Parrish Maynard’s Secret Places, as well as sections from William Forsythe’s Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude. Besides being able to dance such an array of repertoire, I’ve personally enjoyed taking technique class from a variety of unique teachers who all possess such a wide and incredible knowledge of ballet. Each teacher has their own way of helping us find and use the correct muscles in class, learn how to approach and execute a step more efficiently, and understand the importance of musicality and artistry. I only hope to use all that I’ve learned this summer and apply it to my dancing everyday as I continue training!

Tags: Summer Session, Trainee Program