Ballet Quad Cities is a
ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe which performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round ba ...
located in
Rock Island, Illinois. It was founded in 1996 by Joedy Cook. The company performs both classical and contemporary dance at various venues in the greater
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a region of cities (originally four, see History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are t ...
region of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
and
Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
.
History
Before its insemination, Ballet Quad Cities was known as “Cassandra Manning Ballet Theatre,” under the direction of Susan Snider. Snider grew the arts in the Quad Cities before moving with her family to Des Moines, IA. At the time of its founding the company had one paid dancer. By 2010, the number of dancers who form the company grew to twelve dancers. The original artistic director was Johanne Jakhelln, who left the company in 2006 to return to her native
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
.
In April 2010 the company performed for the first time in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
at the Alvin Ailey Citigroup Theatre. The ballet’s
choreographer, Deanna Carter, had been one of five choreographers to present their work at the annual Ballet Builders.
Ballet Quad Cities began a collaboration with
Orchestra Iowa starting in the 2012-2013 season.
Two performances featuring the two artistic groups are held in both the
Paramount Theatre in
Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Orchestra Iowa is based, and the
Adler Theatre in
Davenport, Iowa. The Adler is one of the ballet's primary venues. In 2021, BQC employs 1 male and 5 female dancers.
Dancers
The dancers of Ballet Quad Cities as of February, 2020:
*Nicholas Bartolotti
*Claire Cordano
*Maya de Leon
*Rachel Martens
*Meghan Phillips
*Elayne Podolske
*Madeleine Rhode
*Domingo Rubio* part time
*Malachi Squires
*Mahalia Zellmer
Ballet Quad Cities School of Dance
Ballet Quad Cities supports its own school of dance, which is also located in Rock Island. The schools philosophy is based on the principles of the
Vaganova method
The Vaganova method is a ballet technique and training system devised by the Russian dancer and pedagogue Agrippina Vaganova (1879–1951). It was derived from the teachings of the ''Premier Maître de Ballet'' Marius Petipa, throughout the late ...
from
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. Beside classical ballet, the school also teaches creative movement, pointe, character, repertoire, modern, jazz, hip-hop, conditioning, yoga, tap, rhythm tap and adult ballet.
See also
*
Quad City Symphony Orchestra
References
External links
*
Information about the Artistic StaffInformation about the dancers
Dance schools in the United States
Quad Cities
Tourist attractions in Rock Island, Illinois
Davenport, Iowa
Culture of the Quad Cities
1996 establishments in Illinois
Performing groups established in 1996
Dance in Illinois
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