Leader look to expand ballet
By Hilary Funk
Elie Lazar believes the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery Ballet is a golden opportunity to set the stage for a greater future.
The new artistic director envisions a time when the ballet can take its professional dance company on more regional tours. He has plans for audition tours that would introduce more residents to the world of dance. And he hopes to expand the season by a month.
The changes have already started. This season, Lazar instituted two new events: Lectures at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts and the Tuesday Club at the ballet studio. The events provide the public a chance to observe and interact with the dancers -- at no charge. And during the spring, he plans an audition tour.
"It's an incredible way to introduce the city to the world of dance," he said. "This should be about creating pride in Montgomery."
Next year, Lazar will lengthen the season from 28 weeks to 32 weeks and add performances outside the city of Montgomery. The dance company now performs at the Troy University Montgomery's Davis Theater for the Performing Arts and at the Wetumpka Civic Center.
The goal of all his plans is to get more people involved in ballet, both adults and children. The professional dance company has 11 members this season.
Ambitious? Yes. But more established artistic endeavors such as the Alabama Shakespeare Festival grew over time, said Lazar.
"There's no reason why it can't happen with the symphony, or the ballet," he said.
Getting children involved in the ballet can build long-term support, according Lazar, the former artistic director of the Joffrey Ensemble Dancers, a performance group associated with the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. Kids as young as 4 can start ballet classes.
Katie Slawson has four daughters in ballet classes. Suzanna, 10, and Emma, 9, started when they were 4. Julie Cowden's 7-year-old daughter, Catherine, also started when she was 4.
Most students are girls, said Lazar. Having a male student is rare enough that the ballet offers them 50 percent off regular lesson prices.
Mary Jo Scott's 6-year-old son, John, has been dancing for two years. Her 11-year-old daughter has been dancing for five years.
John enjoys the classes, Scott said, particularly because this year he has two other boys in class with him. He got to perform in "The Nutcracker" over the Christmas holidays.
Scott said ballet has really helped John's coordination. She has seen a difference in the way her son carries himself since he started dancing.
"I can't say enough about Elie Lazar," Scott said. "Especially, with 'The Nutcracker.' He really expected a lot from the kids, and they delivered."
Lazar has 25 years experience teaching ballet to children. Members of the professional dance company also serve as ballet teachers, so the youngsters have the best mentors possible.
"All are inspiring the next generation of dancers, audience members, and even the parents," Lazar said of the teaching process. That fits in well with his mission to create more professional dancers at the Montgomery Ballet.
Cowden said the exposure to the company's dancers is a special treat for her daughter, Catherine.
"She enjoys perfecting the technique, and watching the older classes. It's beneficial to see the professionals, for all the children," she said.
MaryKathryn Samelson, 9, has been dancing for two years at Montgomery Ballet.
"She loves it, that her teachers are also professionals," said her mother, Suanne.
When MaryKathryn saw her teacher perform as the Snow Queen in "The Nutcracker," she knew it was "Miss Alex" -- Alexandra Giuffre, who is in her second season with the ballet.
"Recently, (MaryKathryn) told me that 'The Nutcracker' was the best thing she'd ever done in her whole life," Samelson said, which underscored how important collaborating with the professional company was to her.
"She does this two days a week. It's her main activity," Samelson said. "I like it because it's physical exercise, and that it's classical ballet. She gets excellent training from the professionals. They don't push them too hard at this age."
Lazar always has a smile on his face, even as he is correcting a professional dancer's misstep. Parents said he maintains high standards while delivering appropriate amounts of critique and advice to dancers. He will not settle for mediocrity, but he is quick to applaud progress and hard work.
Parents like the way he approaches his job. Slawson said her four girls would continue dancing for the foreseeable future.
"They're going to stick with it," she said. "We've tried other things, but this is just something they really love."
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