MASTER CLASS SERIES
Every year, CCB hosts a series of master classes taught by dance professionals. This series provides the perfect opportunity to learn from and share experiences with leading dance artists. Master classes are open to students from all schools and studios, but we require that you pre-register. We have live piano accompaniment for all in-studio master classes.
FORMER MASTER CLASS GUESTS:
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Wendy Whelan, Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet & former principal dancer with New York City Ballet
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Skylar Brandt, current principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre
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Ashley Bouder, current principal dancer with New York City Ballet
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Katherine Williams, current soloist with American Ballet Theatre
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Luciana Paris, current soloist with American Ballet Theatre
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Zhong-Jing Fang, current soloist with American Ballet Theatre
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Tamako Miyazaki, current company dancer with The Washington Ballet
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Alexandra Basmagy, current company dancer with American Ballet Theatre
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Chandra Moss-Thorne, former dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem & Cincinnati Ballet
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Brian Carey Chung, former dancer with LINES Ballet & Complexions Contemporary Ballet
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Karissa Horowicz, former dancer with Pennsylvania Ballet; MFA in Teaching & Choreography
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Annalise Woller, former dancer with Dayton Ballet
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Maggie Kurdirka (Bald Ballerina), former dancer with Joffrey Concert Group
HOW TO REGISTER
(please read carefully)
CURRENTLY ENROLLED CCB STUDENTS
Please register directly through the Portal in the events section.
PREVIOUSLY ENROLLED CCB STUDENTS (from any time period)
Please email charmcityballet@gmail.com before registering so we can reactivate your Jackrabbit account to allow you to register through the Portal in the events section. (Do not create a new account in order to register!)
NEW TO CCB
To pre-register for a class, click the "Master Class Registration" button below. You will be directed to our master class calendar. Click on a listed master class to register, and add "Family" and "Student" information.
*Please note that you will not be pre-registered until payment is complete. As soon as we receive receipt of your registration, we will charge the credit card on file for you, and you will receive receipt of payment via email.
2022-23 Master Class Guests
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TAMAKO MIYAZAKI
(Company member with The Washington Ballet)
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2022
2:00 - 4:00
$40/dancer
CCB Dancers: Ballet 4 through adult
Non-CCB Dancers: experienced ballet dancers ages 13 through adult
Observation Seat: $20/person
Ages 8 through adult
A limited number of observation seats will be available for those who would like to solely observe the class.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS OPEN AND REQUIRED TO TAKE OR OBSERVE THE CLASS (see instructions above)
Tamako Miyazaki of Tokyo, Japan, is in her 10th season with The Washington Ballet after dancing with Columbia Classical Ballet. Prior to that, Miyazaki was a member of The Washington Ballet Studio Company for two seasons. She has studied at Kaneta Kono Ballet Academy, Michiko Aoyama Ballet Studio, and the Reiko Otsuka Ballet Studio.
Her many awards include: first place in the Youth America Grand Prix finals in 2002, the silver medal at USA International Competition Jackson, Mississippi in 2014, second place at the YAGP regionals in Toyko in 2004 and second place in the All Japan Ballet Union Competition and YAGP finals in 2006. Miyazaki has earned full scholarships to many recognized programs, including Canada National Ballet School’s Summer Program, Briansky Saratoga Ballet’s Summer Program, The Washington School of Ballet’s Summer Intensive, and La Scala Ballet School in Milan, Italy for two years.
She has performed principal roles as Medora in Le Corsaire, Gamzatti in La Bayadére, Sugar Plum and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, and the Pas de Trois in Swan Lake with Columbia Classical Ballet. She was invited to perform in several galas as a guest artist with Japan Ballet Association, International Ballet Festival in Miami, Associazione Culturale Artedanza Rossana in Italy in 2009, All Stars of Dance gala in Orlando in 2011, The Dream Celebration dance gala co-produced by Rasta Thomas, the International Ballet Gala in homage to Alicia Alonso in Johannesburg and Chicago Dance Festival 2013. Miyazaki was recently featured in a web commercial by the Japanese telecom company KDDI.
Ms. Miyazaki’s performances with The Washington Ballet are sponsored by Judith Alison Lee.
BETSY MCBRIDE
(Soloist with American Ballet Theatre)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2022
2:30 - 4:30
$45/dancer
CCB Dancers: Ballet 4 through adult
Non-CCB Dancers: experienced ballet dancers ages 13 through adult
Observation Seat: $20/person
Ages 8 through adult
A limited number of observation seats will be available for those who would like to solely observe the class.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS OPEN AND REQUIRED TO TAKE OR OBSERVE THE CLASS (see instructions above)
Betsy McBride is originally from Coppell, Texas. She began her training at the Ballet Academy of Texas. At age 14, she continued her training at Texas Ballet Theater’s School. She performed Clara in The Nutcracker with Texas Ballet Theater and joined the company under O.B.E. Ben Stevenson at age 15.
McBride was an American Ballet Theatre National Training Scholar and performed in George Balanchine’s Mozartiana during ABT’s tour of Texas at age 11. She was awarded the Grand Prix at the 2007 Youth American Grand Prix Regional Competition and was a finalist at the 2012 Helsinki International Ballet Competition.
McBride danced for Texas Ballet Theater from 2007 to 2015, rising through the ranks to principal dancer. Her principal roles included Ben Stevenson’s Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and The Nutcracker, Ronald Hynd’s The Merry Widow, Svetlana in Stevenson’s Dracula, Green Lady and Solveig in Stevenson’s Peer Gynt, Waltz Girl and Dark Angel in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Solo Girl in Balanchine’s Rubies, pas de trois in Glen Tetley’s Voluntaries, and Stevenson’s Sylvia Pas de Deux, as well as roles in Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, Val Caniparoli’s Lambarena, Jonathan Watkin’s Crash, Stevenson’s Five Poem, and Kenneth MacMillan’s Gloria.
McBride joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in June 2015 and was promoted to Soloist in September 2022. Her repertoire with the Company includes a Flower Girl and the Lead Gypsy in Don Quixote, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, Let Me Sing Forevermore, Columbine and one of the Nutcracker’s Sisters in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Rosaline and a Harlot in Romeo and Juliet, Snow in The Seasons, Fairy Fleur de farine (Wheat flower), Fairy Miettes qui tombent (Breadcrumb), Silver Fairy, and Red Riding Hood in Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty, the pas de trois, a little swan, the Hungarian Princess, and Lead Czardas in Swan Lake, a leading role in Symphonic Variations, and featured roles in AfterEffect, Bernstein in a Bubble, The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Deuce Coupe, Dream within a Dream (deferred), and A Time There Was. She created a featured role in Indestructible Light.
VIRGINIA LENSI
(Corps de Ballet with American Ballet Theatre)
SUNDAY, JANUARY 8, 2023
1:00 - 3:00
$45/dancer
CCB Dancers: Ballet 4 through adult
Non-CCB Dancers: experienced ballet dancers ages 13 through adult
Observation Seat: $20/person
Ages 8 through adult
A limited number of observation seats will be available for those who would like to solely observe the class.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS OPEN AND REQUIRED TO TAKE OR OBSERVE THE CLASS (see instructions above)
Virginia Lensi was born in Milan, Italy, and began her ballet training at La Scala Ballet School at the age of eleven. While there she performed roles in The Nutcracker, Serenade, Who Cares?, Les Sylphides, Paquita, and Gaîté Parisienne at Teatro alla La Scala. Lensi also danced a soloist variation in Napoli Pas De Six and participated in La Scala Ballet School’s 2015 exposition, dancing the Rose Adagio from The Sleeping Beauty.
Lensi attended summer intensive programs at The Royal Ballet, Victor Ullate Ballet, School of American Ballet, and IBStage. In 2015, she attended American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive in New York and was invited to join the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School with a full scholarship.
Lensi joined ABT Studio Company in January 2016, where her repertoire included Ethan Stiefel’s See the Youth Advance!, Liam Scarlett’s Untitled, Dana Genshaft’s Chromatic Fantasy, Alexei Ratmansky’s Paquita and Rondo Capriccioso, Marco Pelle’s Libera!, and Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadère pas d’action.
Lensi became an apprentice with American Ballet Theatre in November 2017 and joined the corps de ballet in January 2018. Her repertoire includes Leto in Apollo, the Spanish Dance in Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, a Harlot in Romeo and Juliet, the Spanish Dance and the Italian Princess in Swan Lake, and a featured role in Deuce Coupe.
Virginia Lensi is an ABT Training Curriculum Certified Teacher and has taught at the American Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive. She taught at the Arte Institute in Portugal and the New England Dance and Gymnastics Centers. Lensi also creates, teaches and participates in dance programs for kids that have cancer with the organization Candlelighters NYC. Lensi helped organize and taught an ABTKids and Lincoln Center dance workshop for kids that are on the spectrum.