Shortly thereafter, she met Rossana Nesta Machi, CBC’s Ballet Mistress and Cary Ballet Company’s Assistant Director. Machi quickly asked Roy if there was a chance that CBC could get the opportunity to perform a Balanchine piece; a great honor in the dance world. Roy believed The Balanchine Trust would most likely approve the dancers due to the level of their training. “The girls were really strong and well trained,” said Roy. “”They are definitely able to handle complicated choreography.”
Melinda decided that the dancers at Cary Ballet should perform Divertimento no. 15, choreographed by the late famed Ballet Master, George Balanchine and she agreed to set it on the company. This is a tremendous honor because before any company, in any country may perform a Balanchine piece, the company and the dancers must be approved through careful examination by the Balanchine Trust to ensure they are of the professional caliber to perform up to the late master’s standards. All of the Cary Ballet dancers were filmed and reviewed by the board of the Balanchine Trust before they were chosen to perform Divertimento #15. All of the dancers who were submitted were approved in the first round.
Over the next few months Melinda Roy and Rossana worked closely together to make sure everything was perfect. While Roy staged the choreography, Machi rehearsed the dancers when Roy was not in Cary. Roy said, “Rossana is really terrific. The girls are lucky to have an instructor of her caliber.”
Melinda also worked closely with CBC’s Costume Mistress to ensure that the costumes were extremely close to the originals, however she added some personal touches of her own. The dance will be performed featuring these exquisite, custom-made professional tutus.
The dancers have been working diligently for the past 8 months, rehearsing to ensure every aspect of the dance is perfect. Melinda Roy has been at Cary Ballet a number of times over that period to ensure that the all of the choreography is exactly as George Balanchine envisioned and set it. Under the watchful eyes of Roy and Machi the dance has come together and is ready to be performed to perfection.
Clark says, “This is such a great honor for Cary Ballet. Not only to be approved to perform this celebrated Balanchine piece, but also to have Melinda Roy set it on the Company is a double honor. I am so proud of our dancers and excited for them to have this wonderful opportunity”
When asked why she wanted CBC to do the piece Roy said, “I feel it is an obligation to pass on what I learned. I was there at The New York City Ballet at a magical time and was honored to have worked with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. Balanchine would be proud to see these fine young dancers perform at such a high level.”As of this writing, Cary Ballet Conservatory is the only private school in the state of North Carolina that has ever been selected to perform a Balanchine Ballet.
The one and only performance of Divertimento no.15 will be on Saturday, March 21st at 7PM at the auditorium at Cary Academy. The performance is part of Cary Ballet’s 2009 Spring Gala, which includes a diverse program with three performances over the weekend. Much of the show features original choreography by CBC’s talented faculty, showcasing the semi-professional company as well as aspiring junior and apprentice dancers. All three shows will also include a special guest performance by Cary's nationally acclaimed jazz dance company, The 3D Project as they premier b'decken, choreographed exclusively for 3D by Internationally renown choreographer, Eddy Ocampo. “This gala is truly a show all age groups will enjoy”, says Clark, pointing out how even young children will be delighted by highlights from the beloved Sleeping Beauty fairytale ballet, in which the lovely Princess Aurora will be awakened by the kiss of her noble prince, who is a special guest dancer from the Carolina Ballet.
Performances will be held at the theater at Cary Academy on Saturday, March 21st at 2pm and at 7pm and on Sunday, March 22nd at 2 pm.
Limited tickets are still available by calling Cary Ballet Conservatory at 919-481-6509.
About Melinda Roy
Melinda Roy was born in Lafayette, Louisiana. She left home at age 12 to attend the School of American Ballet on scholarship. She completed her academic work at New York’s Professional Children’s School, and joined the corps of the New York City Ballet in 1978. She was promoted to the role of Soloist in 1984, and then to the rank of Principal Dancer in 1989.
During her tenure with the Company, she performed for audiences all over the world. Her most favorite repertoire included leading roles in George Balanchine’s Apollo, Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet, Divertimento No. 15, Jewels, Liebeslieder Waltzer, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Union Jack, and The Nutcracker, and in Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, Fancy Free, The Four Seasons, Gershwin Concerto, Goldberg Variations, and Interplay.
Ms. Roy also originated roles in Peter Martin’s Waltz Project, William Forseyth’s Behind the China Dogs, and Miriam Mahdaviani’s The Newcomers. She performed in China in 1980 with Jerome Robbins, as part of the government’s first cultural exchange program. She has also toured worldwide with Stars of American Ballet.
Her television appearances include the Dance in America program Balanchine in America, Dance in America’s Balanchine Celebration, and Live From Lincoln Center’s telecast of Ray Charles in concert with the New York City Ballet. Ms. Roy also appeared in the film version of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Accent on the Off Beat with Winton Marsalis and was a spokesperson for QVC. In addition, she is the co-creator of the New York City Ballet Workout, published by William Morrow, 1996.
Ms. Roy retired from New York City Ballet in 1996. She moved to Sanibel, Florida in 2000 to found Gulfshore Ballet. In addition to her teaching responsibilities for Gulfshore Ballet, she has turned her choreographic skills to Broadway. Ms. Roy was Choreographer for the Broadway version of the movie Urban Cowboy, for which she was nominated for a Tony in April 2003. Her other choreographic credits include the Broadway hit show Master Harold and the Boys, starring Danny Glover, Paparazzi with Tommy Tune, and an Encores Series production of Can Can for New York’s City Center starring Patty Lupone.
As the artistic leader of Gulfshore Ballet, Ms. Roy has, for the past six years, made it possible for audiences in the Fort Myers region, to see Stars of the New York City Ballet perform in a yearly fundraiser called Bravo Ballet. In the most resent of those events, some of her most advanced students danced with the NYCB on stage, as well as 48 young students that were auditioned from the three surrounding counties to be part of the cast and perform Jerome Robbins Circus Polka.
Melinda Roy and husband Roberto Munoz are the founders and director of Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive, SSDI, a Ballet program that takes place in the month of June and July in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Ms. Roy also won the Angel of the Arts Award for best Teacher in 2005.
About Cary Ballet Company
As an affiliate of the Cary Ballet Conservatory, Cary Ballet Company provides advanced level, pre-professional students the highest quality training and performing experience, as they progress into the next phase of their careers.
The company produces several major performances annually, including "Visions of Sugarplums", "Celebration of Children in the Arts" and their "Spring Gala", which have become favorite traditions for our capital region audiences.
Founded in 1998 by artistic director, Suzanne Laliberté Clark, CBC elaborately presented the full-length ballet favorite "Sleeping Beauty" as its inaugural performance.
Over the past thirteen years, the company has worked diligently to earn a distinguished reputation in the southeast, performing a diverse repertoire of choreographic styles, from classical ballet favorites to eclectic contemporary works, ethnic artistry and traditional fairy tale ballets.
Cary Ballet Conservatory and its faculty have trained many professional dancers and already have an impressive alumnus. Many of their students have gone on to dance with some of the country's leading ballet and dance companies while many others have received dance scholarships to attend topnotch universities. As students of the conservatory, aspiring dancers are provided the highest standards of professional training, along with performance opportunities through their affiliate, semi-professional, Cary Ballet Company as well as performing small roles and corps de ballet parts with the regions' professional company, Carolina Ballet. Students are consistently selected (many with scholarships and stipends) to attend summer intensives and apprentice programs with respected company-affiliated schools such as the School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Houston Ballet, River North, Miami City Ballet and many more.
As an integral component of the regions arts community, the Cary Ballet Company works closely with many organizations such as the Fine Arts League of Cary, Cary Community Foundation and the Town of Cary's Lazy Daze Festival Committee to further the community's cultural resources. They often collaborate with dance companies in other regions, travel to perform and host master classes and workshops. CBC's Intensive Summer Programs attract talented dancers from across the country and even other countries who must be accepted by audition. The company also gives public educational demonstrations and hosts national auditions for major schools/companies. These dedicated dancers, choreographers and Guild members, along with their loyal triangle audiences, support the company's mission and further the level of the arts in the Southeast.
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