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International Stylew ritten by SHERIL BE NNET T TURNER

photographed by KRIS DECKER

Ballet

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According to Hennadii Bespechnyi, classical ballet is second world-wide in the dedication and the time it takes someone to prepare for a career in that field. The first is ice hockey, third

is American football, fourth is figure skating, and gymnastics is fifth. And Hennadii should know. As Ballet Instructor and Artistic Director and for the International Ballet Academy and Company in Greer, his entire life has been dedicated to the dancing, teaching, and choreography of ballet. Although not everyone who attends the school aspires to a career in dance, it is the International Ballet Academy’s goal to bring out the highest potential in all of their students. On the other hand, the International Ballet Company, open to all through the audition process, offers those destined to dance the opportunity to bring to the Upstate the unique beauty and passion of classical ballet. Since its founding in 2003, the International Ballet Academy (IBA) has grown from 60 students the first year, to over 160 today. Offering students the chance to study with professional instructors who have trained and danced with companies all over the world including Russia, the Ukraine, Hungary, Latvia, France, Japan, and the United States, the school can truly be called “international.” That even applies to some of the students. “It is like the United Nations over here during registration for classes,” says Tracey Mulvaney, Director of Community Relations for IBA. “We have dancers that are French, German, Korean—they come from all over to train with us.” Because of IBA’s European influence, their teaching methods are different than most dance studios in the country. “In America, most schools are teaching a different type of ballet, they call it creative movement,” explains Ukrainian born Hennadii. “Europeans, for the most

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part, are trained in pure, classical ballet.” The school uses the Vaganova method, developed by Agrippina Vaganova, a dancer with Russia’s Imperial Ballet in the late 1800s, which combines various elements of French, Italian, and Russian ballet training, along with principles of strength building and muscle flexibility. This precise method of dance instruction has long been used throughout the world to train the most famous of dancers. “In Europe,” Hennadii continues, “if the kids want to be professional ballet dancers, they totally immerse themselves in the art at age ten. Here, if the child wants to be competitive, we start them off at three by teaching them the basics. Then by around ten, when the joints and muscle are developed, we start them on point.” “At IBS, though, the students learn so much more than just dancing,” says Tracey. “You would be able to pick out our kids in a crowd because they learn respect, not only for the instructors, but for each other. They also learn discipline and how to carry themselves with confidence.” “Because of this,” says Hennadii, “our students excel, not only in dance, but in their school work and everyday lives. Some doctors even say dancing helps with Attention Deficit Disorder because it helps the child to focus and teaches them organizational skills. But to develop any professional person, it takes teamwork. Teamwork between the teacher, the student, parents, grandparents—everyone is involved. We want everyone to pull on the same side, because if someone pulls the other way, it will pull everything apart.” Cara Marie Gary (17) started dancing when she was only two. She started with IBS at thirteen, and at fourteen, under the tutorage of Hennadii’s wife Vlada Kysselova, participated in the prestigious Serge Lifar International Ballet in Kiev, Ukraine where she was awarded a Diploma of Laureate (fourth place) in the Junior Division (ages 14-18). Most recently, Cara won a Gold Medal in the Senior Age Division (15-19) for Classical Ballet at the Youth America Grand Prix 2008 Regional Competition and proceeded to the New York finals to be selected as one of the top twelve students in the country in the same competition. Cara is also a principal dancer with the International Ballet Company and as a high school senior, is busy applying to colleges, with hopes for a double major in dance and either journalism or mass communication. “I’ve applied at USC and New York University and am getting ready to audition for their dance programs,” Cara says. “But I’m also going to audition for some dance companies in the spring, so who knows.”

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Through an exchange program with the Kiev Municipal Ukrainian Academy of Dance, IBA also offers an opportunity for pre-professional dancers from any school to audition for a chance to study and learn in the Ukraine. “This is where students from here and students from there swap,” says Hennadii. “They have lectures and demonstrations at the schools there, along with a school performance where afterwards guests can ask the dancer’s questions.” IBA students, Madison Allen (16) and Amy Belknap (15) have both taken advantage of the opportunity. “It really is a learning experience to see how hard they work over there,” says Madison. “Dancing is their lives and they take it very seriously.” The exchange students on both sides also get to learn a little about each other’s culture and everyday lives. “Over there,” Amy says, “dancers are really respected. Over here, it’s like, ‘Oh you dance?’ People think it’s a hobby for us.” Madison agrees. “In the Ukraine, people go to the theatre like we Americans go to the movies.” Despite cultural differences and the language barrier, the dancers themselves seem to bond. “They even helped each other set up Facebooks on the internet so they could keep in touch,” laughs Tracey. The International Ballet Academy and Company was founded by former professional ballet dancer Lena Forster, who previously served as Executive Director and Ballet Instructor for the Greenville Ballet and Ballet Spartanburg. Close friends with Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel, conductor for the Greenville Symphony Orchestra, Lena tells how she came to meet him. “Since I am of Russian descent, a friend of mine asked me to act as translator so that he could do an interview with Edvard, who at the time was touring the country conducting the USSR State Symphony. After the interview, Edvard asked me if I would stay around so he could introduce me to his wife, Luba, and their 4-year-old son, Arvid, who were travelling with them. Later, I

picked up my three young children and we all went out to dinner at Chuck E. Cheese so the kids could play and we could talk. I’ll never forget when Edvard said ‘We’d like to stay here,’ and I answered ‘I think Chuck E. Cheese closes at 11:00.’ He very seriously continued with ‘No, I mean in America. Can you help us?’ That was beginning of my biggest and most worthwhile adventure. A trustworthy lawyer friend and I helped him and his family defect.” Edvard in turn introduced Lena to Hennadii and his wife Vlada, who inspired Lena to start the International Ballet. “I was ready to retire from the difficult non-profit world,” Lena admits. “After meeting Hennadii and Vlada and seeing them dance, teach, and their choreography, I couldn’t help myself. My husband and I just decided that we had to do this. It was too much talent to not recognize.” The company has continued to grow, and this season marks the addition of two new salaried dancers, principal male, Leonid Flegmatov from the USSR and his partner on and off the stage, principal female, Reka Gyulai of Hungary. Leonid comes from a dancing background, where his mother was a ballerina and his father, a dancer and choreographer of ballet. When asked as a young man what he was interested in doing with his life, he replied, ‘I want to be like my father.’ To which his father replied, ‘No, this life is short and hard.’ Never the less, Leonid trained with the Bolshoi Ballet Academy from the age of eight and went on to solo with the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and the Russian National Ballet Theatre, and was a principal dancer with the Moscow Ballet Theatre Company and the Russian Ballet Theatre. And, like his father, he studied choreography, graduating from the Moscow State Academy of Choreography in 2001. On the occasion of his father’s 70th birthday, Leonid thanked his family “for giving me this ballet life.” Rena started ballet at five and at ten left home to live and train

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at the Hungarian Dance Academy in Budapest. “School there is nine years. Your last year, you dance with a company while you finish school. In addition to academics, you have to learn about the ballet, which includes art history, music history, and dance history. It’s was very hard, but ballet itself is extremely difficult because it’s not only physical, you have to learn the precise way to do the movements and do it every time the same way. Plus, like an actor, during performances you have to make the audience believe your part, even when you’re tired from rehearsals.” Leonid and Rena met three years ago while they were principal dancers with the Columbia Classical Ballet in South Carolina. After living in New York and dancing with the New Jersey Ballet Company, they were offered the chance to come to Greer as principal dancers with the International Ballet Company. “We have known Hennadii and Vlada since the first year with the Columbia Classical Ballet,” says Rena. “They are like family to us and this is such a beautiful area, it’s an easy life here compared to New York.” I asked Lena what she was most proud of regarding the International Ballet. “I have a lot to be proud of,” she responded, “but I guess it can all be summed up in that we are accomplishing what we set out to do. Hennadii and Vlada are true classicists. Their education, training, and experience as ballet artists, directors, and instructors is unparallel in our community. Besides all of us liking each other, we all have a great respect

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for one another and our profession. Our motivation in starting the International Ballet Academy was to share our knowledge and passion with our students. Our motivation in starting the International Ballet Company was to provide a setting where classical ballet is treasured and can thrive. I think in a few short years we are well on our way. Along with Cara’s achievement, IBA received an “Outstanding School Award” by the Youth America Grand Prix in 2008, the largest and most respected international scholarship competition. The company has grown to include two world-class principal dancers. So I guess that is what makes me most proud—that we had a dream and we are following it.” The International Ballet Company, accompanied by the Greenville Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maestro Edvard Tchivzhel, is pleased to present the Nutcracker at the Peace Center Concert Hall. Performance times are on Saturday, December 20 at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 21 at 3:00 p.m. For ticket information, please call the Peace Center at (864) 467-3000, or visit their website at www.peaacecenter.org. IBA is open to young students as well the professional dancer. In addition to classical ballet, IBA teaches a variety of dance forms including Modern, Jazz, and Character. For more information on the International Ballet Academy or Company, please call (864) 879-9404, or visit their website at www.internationalballetacademy.net.