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| History of Eastern Connecticut Ballet Eastern Connecticut Ballet is proud to celebrate its 14th anniversary year marking thirteen years of growth and sparkling accomplishments. Established in 1992 by Lise Reardon, Eastern Connecticut Ballet is Southeastern Connecticut’s only fully non-profit ballet school and pre-professional training company. Under the early artistic direction of Debra Collins-Ryder, ECB set high standards for its students who consistently rose to superior levels of achievement. As a result, ECB earned the reputation as the region’s premiere school for dance education with a commitment to superb training and artistic vitality. In 2003, Adam Miller joined Eastern Connecticut Ballet as Artistic Director. After a distinguished career as a leading professional dancer, performing around the world with major companies and as a guest artist, he went on to become a director, choreographer and teacher. Along with his position at ECB, Mr. Miller is the Director of his own professional company, the Adam Miller Dance Project and serves on faculty at the Hartt School of Performing Arts. Last year, Krystin McClure joined the staff of Eastern Connecticut Ballet after graduating with a BFA in Dance Pedagogy from the Hartt School. Distinguished teachers come to ECB from all over the world and share common experiences, which include performing careers with national and international companies and extensive work as teachers and coaches. Faculty members appreciate the serious responsibility of developing fine, young dancers and decent, conscientious citizens. In a structured, yet nurturing atmosphere, teachers encourage all students to reach their maximum potential. The artistry and discipline acquired through the study of dance provides students with the confidence, grace and focus for success in any field. ECB’s most accomplished dancers are members of the select regional Junior and Senior Ballet Companies and are completely dedicated to their work and community service. They spend anywhere from 12-18 hours a week in classes and rehearsals and are honor students who carry enormous academic loads. All company members have scholarship assistance. ECB students are regularly accepted into nationally competitive summer programs such as The Julliard School, American Ballet Theater, Atlanta Ballet, The North Carolina School of the Arts, Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Boston Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Walnut Hill, Chautaugua Festival, and the Kirov. Upon graduating, past ECB dancers have attended respected secondary and college dance programs such as the National Ballet of Canada, University of Utah, University of the Arts, Boston Conservatory, and Butler University. Others have gone on to well-known universities such as Princeton, Duke, and Mt. Holyoke. Many are on academic or dance scholarships. Company members are the finest examples of scholars, artists, and leaders. ECB’s commitment is not just to its student body, but also to the community that has supported its growth. Generous sponsorships by area businesses and foundations, such as the Community Foundation of Southeastern Connecticut, the Bodenwein Public Benevolent Foundation, the Frank Loomis Palmer Fund and The Kitchings Foundation, have enabled ECB to perform for over 35,000 Southeastern Connecticut school children. Children are never charged for these presentations which enhance the curriculum framework of arts and literature developed by the Connecticut Department of Education. ECB teachers regularly conduct workshops for children in after-school programs and actively seek recommendations from public school teachers for potentially talented scholarship students. ECB is especially proud of its Nutcracker, which heads into its 5th year! This Nutcracker has become the region’s favorite new holiday tradition. The production celebrates both the season and New London’s great nautical tradition. The production is proud to have as its partner, the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra, directed by Maestro Xiao-Lu Li. By bringing together two of the region’s cultural treasures at Southeastern Connecticut’s premiere theater, ECB is increasing its investment in the creation of the highest caliber production by and for the Southeastern Connecticut community. ECB’s faculty, staff, Board of Directors, family volunteers and financial sponsors have been a constant source of strength, inspiration and motivation. They have demonstrated that by working together there is no limit to what can be accomplished. Eastern Connecticut Ballet Board Members Liz Binger Kevin Buchanan Molly Cole Angela Haggerty Christy Hammond Bonnie Kramm Kelly Reardon Lise Reardon Nancy Ross Colleen Shay Honorary members: Howard and Manon Tingue |
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