November 10, 2015
By Celine Kiner
Monday’s repertory class barely left time for introductions; Tobin Del Cuore (who has danced with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, BalletX, Aszure Barton, and more) launched immediately into the choreography from Alejandro Cerrudo’s Lickety Split. The movement was detail-oriented, softly punctuated, smoothly shaped, and sentimental. Employing these many facets at once took every ounce of mental engagement, but it was well worth the exertion–Cerrudo’s choreography is notorious for its subtle, yet fluid beauty.
November 7, 2015
By Celine Kiner
Tiler Peck is barely more than five feet tall. Upon her arrival in our studio in PED 207, of course we were starstruck by her presence. Of course a series of gasps burst out at first sight of her, and of course we automatically assumed our best ballet positions when she took her place at the barre to begin teaching our class. But the most shocking thing about her presence was her being barely more than five feet tall.
October 31, 2015
By Celine Kiner
So many things were happening at once.
Class, rehearsal, costumes, trying to fit in a decent dinner break, rolling out our muscles as much as humanly possible, warming up; suddenly, everything came to a standstill. We, the USC Kaufman BFA class of 2019, gathered into a circle in PED 207 (summoned by Professor Grimes’ cypher call, of course), and we created our pre-show ritual.
October 13, 2015
By Celine Kiner
Paulo’s first thought as he finished his last reverence on Tuesday was, “I just took a master class with one of the most influential figures in ballet today.” It’s not every day a thought so awe-inspiring crosses your mind, but it seems that in our first two months as BFA students at USC Kaufman have us thinking this almost every day. Our calendar last week was loaded with incredible events; on Tuesday morning, we took a master class with the Mariinsky’s acting head, Yuri Fateyev.
September 29, 2015
By Celine Kiner
Let me begin by saying that the commanding presence of Desmond Richardson is enough to turn a room silent in a single second. Enough to turn an entire theater silent, actually, as Complexions audiences very well know. Once he enters the studio in the morning, you can feel the entire room shift focus: all 33 USC Kaufman BFA students become silent.
September 24, 2015
By Celine Kiner
Alonzo King walked into the studio and immediately turned off the fans, asked us to put the ballet barres away, and told the class to start on the floor. Yes, this morning we began our class with a series of abdominal exercises. Probably the most difficult series I’ve ever had to do. Alonzo King meant business, that was for sure.
September 15, 2015
By Celine Kiner
On September 9, we got to browse a beautifully diverse array of dance merchandise, all supplied by Josephine Lee and the mobile version of her store, The Pointe Shop. With the guidance of Vice Dean Jodie Gates, we were fitted for every type of dance shoe imaginable, as well as leotards, tights, and everything in between.
September 2, 2015
By Celine Kiner
Wow.
I meant to post about week one of USC Kaufman classes when it actually ended, but time has made itself scarce this first month. When we’re not in class, I spend most of my time trying to remember what happened in class; there’s so much valuable information to absorb that I’ve found myself constantly living, eating, sleeping, breathing dance, all just to retain as much as I can. And I absolutely love it. We absolutely love it.
