New Year, New Classes

To ring in 2012, we are going to be offering some new classes. Starting on Tuesday, January 3rd at 10am, we’ll have our first day time adult intermediate ballet class, taught by Margaret Virkus. This class series will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 10am to 11:30am, so let’s dance. Also fresh this year, we will be offering ZUMBA classes. Starting in Februaruy, this wonderful, energetic class will be sure to have you moving in no time. For more information call the office at 703-803-1055.

Great News!

Due to the popularity of our adult program, we will be adding daytime Adult Ballet Classes starting January 3, 2012. Margaret Virkus will be teaching class on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 10-1130. Please stop by the office or give us a (703) 803-1055 for more information. Remember new students are always welcome!

RSB featured in the October / November Edition of Pointe Magazine!

Your Training: Hometown Advantage” by Ashley Rivers

This month’s edition of Pointe Magazine features an article about training at a small number of high-quality studios — including ours! Here’s an excerpt, but check out the whole article in the link above. 
Pointe Magazine Cover

It’s the American dream, ballet-style: A small-town girl works hard, turns heads in the big city and wins her way to the top of a world-class company. Teresa Reichlen is one such story: Before joining New York City Ballet, she studied at The Russell School of Ballet in Chantilly, VA. “It’s nice to be a big fish in a small pond to start out,” she says. Instead of always dancing in the corps, “you get to perform the challenging parts.”

Several small studios around the country are producing professional-caliber dancers. These schools may not receive the same publicity as their counterparts with companies or boarding schools attached, but they prove that you don’t need high-profile training to make it as a dancer. In fact, the extra attention, performance opportunities and lower-stress environment might be what you need to grow—not just as a dancer, but as an artist.

The Russell School of Ballet 
Chantilly, VA
Directors Karla and Hans Petry, the husband and wife team at The Russell School, offer a nurturing environment, and students and teachers become close in this tight-knit community.
Classes: Ballet, pointe, variations, character, jazz, tap, modern, lyrical, stretch
Number of students: 375–400 (audition required for higher-level classes)
Performances per year: Three
Competitions: No
Alumni: Teresa Reichlen (NYCB principal), Carrie Ellmore-Tallitsch (Martha Graham Dance Company principal), Ian Thatcher (formerly with SFB, PNB and Ballets de Monte Carlo)
Fun fact: The school is beginning its 47th year.