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Ballet, other dance styles prevalent in central Illinois

We asked one of the top experts in the nation whether it was unusual for a city the size of Peoria to have more than one dance company dedicated to ballet.

Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts didn't hesitate. "It is extremely unusual for a city of Peoria's size to have one ballet company, let alone two. But given the passion of those involved in the arts in Peoria I can't really say I'm surprised," he said in a recent interview with The Peorian.

It wasn't long after Landesman was in Peoria last, in late August 2011 on a trip where he visited Peoria Ballet and saw a brief performance, that Rebekah Von Rathonyi left her position as artistic director of the ballet. She and ballet instructor Jennifer Reiter formed a new organization, Cornerstone Academy for the Performing Arts in Peoria, with ballet the top form being taught.

The reason for the departure has not been discussed but Von Rathonyi and Reiter have said they do not plan to try to compete head-to-head against the more-established Peoria Ballet Academy, but they will perform around the area and give patrons of the arts more than one ballet company to follow.

Peoria is home to many other dance studios, as well. They teach most forms of the art of movement and accept students of all ages, some even getting toddlers involved. Space, however, limits us to briefly profiling only a few.

PEORIA BALLET

As it approaches 50 years in business, the Peoria Ballet continuously strives to deliver the top performance it can from its student dancers. With top professional instruction, it always succeeds.

The Ballet, founded in 1964, has been bringing to Peoria stages "The Nutcracker," the Christmas favorite, each year at the Peoria Civic Center Theatre and will do one or two other major performances at other venues during the year. During the last season the ballet performed "Art That Rocks" at Five Points in Washington.

The mainstay of the Ballet is the academy, which annually teaches ballet and other forms of dance to more than 300 students from age 3 and up.

"Peoria Ballet Academy identifies and fosters Peoria-area talent, ensuring that the art of dance, particularly ballet, continues to be strong and vibrant long into the future," the academy website states.

Servy Gallardo, a native of Venezuela, is the artistic director of The Peoria Ballet. He has taught dance at many ballet companies in the United States and abroad and many of his students have gone on to professional careers.

Other instructors are Tamra Challacombe, Pat White, Diane West and Elizabeth Blackaby.

For more information about the ballet and the academy visit www.peoriaballet.com.

CORNERSTONE ACADEMY

The Cornerstone Academy for Performing Arts is still in its infancy but its small studio on the second floor of the Cornerstone Building in Peoria is filled during its summer classes.
The reputation of its chief instructors, long-time ballet teachers Von Ranthonyi and Reiter, is a good part of the reason.

Within its mission statement Cornerstone says it will instill "a quality of thought and action that enhances the lives of all the students regardless of their ultimate careers. The Cornerstone is committed to enriching the quality of life in the central Illinois area by providing opportunities to all through community outreach."

While the organization's main focus will be ballet, its website said instructors will also incorporate various dance styles and genres.

Registration is open year-round and scholarships are available.

The first performance by Cornerstone Academy will be "Alice in Wonderland: A Children's Ballet." It is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Aug. 12 at the Cornerstone Building.

Von Ranthonyi has danced professionally and has been teaching more than a decade, including in Peoria since 2002. She has danced, taught and choreographed throughout the United States and in Mexico.

Reiter, the Cornerstone Academy director, has been dancing since age 6 and earned her masters degree in dance from the Tisch School for the Arts in New York City.

Other instructors are Josh Gullett, Rhea Keller, Taylor Nieman, Justin Hand, Mary Reiter and Karie Bencz.

For more information about
Cornerstone Academy visit
cornerstoneacademyballet.org.

CITY DANCE

Go to the website for City Dance Peoria, www.citydancepeoria.org, and you are struck by the site of a young person doing what appears to be a hand spring in the middle of railroad tracks at the intersection of Main and Water streets.

It is not your typical dance scene. Then again, it is part of what they teach at City Dance Peoria. The photo actually starts a two-minute video of the kinds of dance the organization teaches. It specializes in hip-hop, street jazz and breakdance.

But there is something else that sets it apart. City Dance is not just an arts education center; it also is a community outreach organization that offers opportunities with other outreach programs to students to pursue their passion in a safe environment.

City Dance is also in its infancy, owned by instructors Tyler and Amanda Relph, and its mission statement is brief but to the point. "City Dance is a nonprofit organization committed to changing lives through dance and creative arts mentorship programs," it says.

The Relphs have both been trained in Los Angeles and have danced professionally, as has artistic director Joshua Dick. Other instructors are Tabitha and Napoleon D'Umo, Chris Jones, Cedric Gardner and Wade Robson.

For more information visit
www.citydancepeoria.org.

TAZWOOD DANCE COMPANY

For 23 of its 30 years Illinois Central College has been the residence of the TazWood Dance Company, but that doesn't mean it is for ICC students.

Rather, the TazWood Dance organization opens its dance and instruction to the public, choosing its members through auditions for its various concerts. While company dancers must be 15 years or older, the company often will audition children for its various shows. Through the years more than 2,400 children have danced in those shows, according to the ICC website.

The company dancers are advanced in their training, with strong backgrounds in ballet and either jazz, tap or modern.

The TazWood Dance Company is a nonprofit organization founded by Mary Dexter in 1982. She remains the artistic director and through Illinois Central College, the Company gives classes, rehearsals, and performance opportunities to advanced dancers from the greater Peoria area.

For more information, call Mary Dexter, artistic director, at
(309) 367-9754 or (309) 367-4644.

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