MANSFIELD — On Saturday, April 30, nine rade dancers from the Richland Academy of the Arts performed at the All Ohio Dance Festival at the Cuyahoga Community College in Highland Hills.
Jillian Cordial, Kylee Dettmer, Star Henthorn, Schuyler Kunkel, Willa Marks, Gabriella Morando, Meiyan Timberlake, Madeleine Weilbacker and Rachel Weilbacker had a full day of rehearsals and took three 75-minute master classes before the evening performance.
There were 25 different studios represented in the performance of 40 dance numbers.
The main goal of this festival is to encourage dancers to share their various art forms, award scholarships to graduating students furthering their dance education at University level and to bridge the gap between professional/semi-professional companies and smaller dance studios by offering the opportunity for dancers to not only perform, but also improve their dance with master classes.
Last year, Richland Academy’s graduating senior Daylin Williams, who now attends BYU studying dance, was awarded a $700 scholarship for an essay she submitted to the Festival.
Marden Ramos taught a Modern and Advanced Ballet Master Class and Sarah Horrigan-Ramos taught a Horton Based Master Class.
“We are here to pass on our love of dance to the next generation,” says Marden. “The students have great technique, conditioning and passion for dance; as a teacher that’s what you hope to see.”
About the festival, Sarah says, “It’s great for the girls to participate in a festival and see other dancers from Ohio. They have an opportunity to learn from other teachers, watch other dancers and to show off, a bit of their many talents.”
Marden Ramos, the artistic director of the company, choreographed both pieces that were selected to perform.
“Tied Down” is a contemporary group piece where the dancers move their bodies to the floor and up again in fluid movement highlighting their strength & control.
“Hands of Time” is a Neo-Classical pointe piece which begins with the dancer’s sliding to the stage on their pointe shoes and continues with technically challenging choreography which the dancers make look easy and is thrilling to watch.
One of our dancers was unable to attend the festival because she was in Mansfield, England, as the invited guest of the Miss Mansfield Outstanding Teen Pageant where she performed “The Dying Swan” solo which was originally choreographed by Michel Fokine and restaged for Lauren by Marden Ramos.
These 10 girls, along with about 200 other dancers, will be performing May 13 and 14 at 7 p.m. at the Mansfield Senior High Auditorium. The theme this year is, “Oh the Places You’ll Go!” The journey of a thousand miles begins with one dance step!
Tickets are on sale now, to purchase tickets visit RICHLANDACADEMY.COM and use the tutu tix link. Come and see for yourself what great talent Mansfield has.
For more information about our events or to register for classes, call Richland Academy at 419-522-8224 or visit www.richlandacademy.com. Richland Academy of the Arts, where anyone can find their artist within, at the corner of 4th and Walnut St., in Downtown Mansfield was founded in 1991 and is supported by the Ohio Arts Council.
