Gainesville Ballet School
On Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 2 to 5 PM, Gainesville Ballet School will present A Children’s Coppélia and Class Demonstration at Patriot High School in the new 1200-seat auditorium. About 100 local children will perform the ballet at a newly-constructed, state-of-the-art public school nestled in Nokesville, Virginia (pictured). Three unique elements brought together – inaugural spring production, first ballet in-venue, and Coppélia debut – have created an epic triple première for the ballet community of greater Piedmont. |
About the School
Maria-Monica Koo founded Gainesville Ballet School (GBS) in Gainesville, Virginia in 2005, and serves as the Artistic Director. She leads the school as teacher, choreographer, and performer. Gainesville Ballet School offers dance instruction for students of all levels from age three to adult. The school’s goal is to provide the highest quality of ballet training.
Drawing upon her classical background, Miss Maria trains her dancers in the Vaganova method taught by Petipa-Vaganova. This technique emphasizes a continual flow of the body, with coordinated positions for the head and arms. The Vaganova method is a popular pedagogy around the globe, and has produced many of this century’s eminent dancers including Pavlova, Nijinsky, Nureyev, Baryshnikov, Makarova, and Alla Sizova. The instructional techniques are also practiced by the famed Kirov School in Saint Petersburg, Russia; the Kirov School in Washington, D.C.; the Royal Ballet in London; the National Ballet of Canada; the Royal Swedish Ballet; the Boston Ballet; and the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet.
As a classically-trained ballerina, Miss Maria combines technical competence, creative passion, and unyielding dedication to the development of Performing Arts in our community. The rapidly-growing region of greater Piedmont nestled in the foothills of northern Virginia benefits from the vast experience of the founder, teacher and Artistic Director of Gainesville Ballet School.
Today, the school has grown to 167 students in total, and 27 ballerinas in its Youth Ballet Company. Gainesville Ballet features local talent from Bristow, Centreville, Front Royal, Gainesville, Haymarket, Manassas, South Riding, Warrenton, Winchester and surrounding areas, with a distinctive style of discipline and grace that radiates from teacher, to student, to community, and beyond.
