Today we’d like to introduce you to Michigan Ballet Academy. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Michigan Ballet Academy was founded by two former Grand Rapids Ballet Company principal dancers, Gaiane and Akop Akopian. The Akopians branched off of GRB about 10 years ago to start a school that reflected their Russian training and started their school with over 30 pre-professional students. These students went on to find placements in major ballet companies around the world, including Grand Rapids Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Compania Nacional de Danza de Mexico, English National Ballet, and many prestigious university dance programs.
Today, MBA continues on the tradition of strong Vaganova-based training with a new focus on dancer health and wellness, as well as dance science and medicine. Our goal is to help young artists grow in both technique and confidence so that they can participate healthily in dance in any form for the rest of their lives. We also believe that as an arts organization, we should be working within our community to spread art and beauty to the city we live in. You can find us at many Grand Rapids events, schools, and institutions performing outreach to introduce dance to all ages and backgrounds.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The path to 2022 has been a crazy bumpy road! It was incredibly difficult to navigate the COVID shut-downs as a ballet studio that places so much emphasis on personal connection and corrections. Parents and students struggled to connect with lagging internet and stilted communication. But luckily, we are over those lockdowns and able to meet in person again, going back to building a strong dance community in both the Forest Hills area as well as Grand Rapids at large.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I personally have been a professional ballet dancer for the past 11 years, dancing with the Atlanta Ballet, Saint Louis Ballet, and Deos Contemporary Ballet. As a dancer that was frequently injured throughout my career due to misalignment and complications with an eating disorder, I’ve made it my goal as MBA’s lead teacher to prevent that trauma in my students. Our students receive training from qualified teachers with pedagogy backgrounds, as well as dance science and nutrition. We put a strong focus on injury prevention as well as communication so that our students feel supported and seen as they navigate juggling dance, school, and their developing social lives. We have also cultivated a relationship with local physical therapists and personal trainers to assist students working through chronic injuries and to help them reach their dance goals through prehab.
At Michigan Ballet Academy, we take a holistic approach to children’s dance education, recognizing that strong, confident individuals grow into strong, confident dancers.
We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
We have learned how to set up Zoom meetings like none other! 🙂 In all seriousness, we have learned how vital the arts are to our community. When we were in lockdown, everyone turned to the arts to keep them entertained while being unable to leave their homes. Students watched performances, parents watched Netflix, dancers got to meet up digitally with their classmates for classes, keeping them connected and not quite so isolated in a scary time. Music and music videos calmed racing hearts while playing an instrument at home or moving the body gave a sense of accomplishment. Without art, our society would have ceased to function during lockdown. What we do is more than just teaching dance steps, it is creating a lifelong love of movement and the arts for our students.
Contact Info:
- Website: michiganballet.org
- Instagram: michigan_ballet
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michiganballet/
Image Credits
Dave Burgess Studio
616 Photography
