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Boys' Scholarship Program In the News
Article in The Philadelphia Inquirer
from Peabody Magazine
“We’re bringing Billy Elliot to Baltimore,” says Carol Bartlett, artistic director of Peabody Dance. Not the film or the musical, but the spirit of the concept. Ballet is for boys, too; they also have dreams to fulfill.
Seeking to encourage boys in Baltimore—especially those who love to dance and probably would not have the opportunity to begin their training—Baltimore’s Estelle Dennis Scholarship Trust and Peabody Dance, a division of the Preparatory, have launched a partnership. On September 12, the first group of 25 boys arrived at Peabody with a parent or guardian for an initial orientation. The students, all between the ages of 9 and 15, and a large percentage African American, have received full scholarships for a year of study. The scholarships are underwritten in large part by the trust named for the late, well-known leader of dance in Baltimore.
Auditions were held last May at Roland Park School, Mount Royal School, and Peabody. Bartlett, artistic advisor Barbara Weisberger, faculty member Timothy Rinko-Gay, and guest faculty member Meredith Rainey worked with more than 50 applicants, looking for “exceptional boys with the raw ability, physical facility, and real desire to dance,” as specified in the recruitment materials.
Many of the boys were wary at first, reports Weisberger, but then became caught up in the exercises and routines of the auditions. Declaring that she saw “at least two extraordinary talents, naturals,” Weisberger, a former Balanchine protégée who founded the Pennsylvania Ballet, says, “I wanted to take them all.”
Over the longer term, the Peabody team plans to develop a fresh approach for teaching dance to boys, one that takes into account their backgrounds and culture and “keeps the joy,” in Weisberger’s words. Motivated by this initiative, Lazlo Berdo, a faculty member at the renowned Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, will teach a demonstration class, Training the Male Student, at Peabody Dance’s Ballet Teachers’ Seminar, scheduled for November 8. The new class of boys, Baltimore’s own “Billy Elliots,” will participate in that popular annual event, which also includes the ninth year of morning master classes taught by distinguished guest artists.
— Richard Selden
