Happy 15th Anniversary To Ballet4Life
Their director and founder, former professional dancer and dance director Donna, has lived in Chiswick with her husband for over twenty-three years. She created the idea of Ballet4life when she was pregnant with their son. She envisioned that, while raising their young son, she wanted very much to be able to work locally and not be guest teaching internationally, or making a long commute. Ballet4life's first adult ballet class was held in January 2004 at the Rambert Dance Company's former studios on Chiswick High Road. She remembers the first day well, dropping her son at nursery, jumping on her bicycle to race to get to the studio, preparing, teaching, and then rushing back to collect him on time. Now, fifteen years later, Ballet4Life offers two to five classes Monday - Saturday, has a teachers' roster of more than six top industry professionals, and provides mentoring for well-respected dance institutions such as the Royal Academy of Dance and the Laban Institute. Donna is delighted that her passion, skills, and strong commitment have steered Ballet4life's organic growth and guided its expansion so well over the years. She is also grateful for all of the support she has had from her family and friends and from the local community.
Donna is an active member of her much-loved Chiswick Community and has donated many free dance classes and courses to local school fairs and charity fundraisers. Ballet4life has been a sponsor of the Bedford Park Festival for over eight years. Last year she collaborated with the Nonesuch Orchestra to create a dance piece inspired by Stravinsky's Apollo. This innovative reinterpretation of Greek Mythology was also delivered to local schools using a series of dance workshops.
In recognition of work like the Apollo programme, Ballet4Life was nominated last year at the One Dance UK Awards for “Inspirational work in Education.” Donna was also Highly Commended Entrepreneur of 2017 at the Hounslow Business Awards for her innovative ideas and advocacy of dance and wellness for the wider community. This recognition of the work of B4L gives it a platform to expand further creatively and practically.
Five years ago, Donna also founded Move into Wellbeing®. This was inspired by her father's battle with Parkinson's for over three decades as well as esteemed dance colleagues' programmes in the US, which were providing relief for people dealing with mobility restrictions. She sponsored Ballet4life's Lead Teacher Beatrice Ghezzi on Dance for PD® courses. She also invited Beatrice to become part of the development and planning of the structure of Move into Wellbeing. This is now a fast-growing registered charity and offers four weekly dance, movement, and exercise classes to people living Parkinson's and other mobility restrictions. It is currently in the process of expansion and is aiming to add another specialised dance class for younger people with Parkinson's. The running of the charity and the weekly classes could not be sustainable without a large pool of local volunteers from skilled trustees to people who help out at class, people managing the stall at Green Days, to leafleting and visiting local GP practices and the London hospitals. This valued pool of volunteers ensures MIW's work is community based – by the people, for the people!
In January 2019 they won an Aviva Community Fund award which allows them to offer Tea & Coffee Socials each term for class attendees and friend, carers, and family. Move into Wellbeing was a finalist in the Hounslow Business Awards 2018, receiving a commendation in the Best Charity or Social Enterprise category for their services to the community. They also have recently been chosen as recipients of two grants, one from LB of Ealing, Southfield Ward, and the other from the Emmanuel Kaye Foundation. Exciting news hot off the press: MIW has just received an Atul Pathak Community Award and will attend the awards ceremony taking place on the Terrace Pavilion of the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, June 19th.
Dance is no longer the domain only of the gifted - the value of dance in everyone's wellbeing is increasingly acknowledged, whether it be building muscles, improving balance and coordination, improving your memory or losing weight. The science also suggests that it relieves stress and anxiety, and makes us happier. Maybe that's because it involves continual creativity and reinvention, but perhaps it is just simply having fun!
Ballet4Life's Annual Fundraising Dance Showcase will be held on the 7th of July at 2pm at Waterman's Art Centre in Brentford. It will highlight the efforts and accomplishments of their brilliant teachers and dance class attendees! Each group has been invited to work and rehearse towards this performance in order to gain inspiration and motivation and to share their love of dance with family, friends, and the wider arts loving community. You will see a diverse selection of dance from Ballet to Ballroom, from Character Dance to Contemporary Dance, all performed by amateur adult dancers who train with them vocationally. This entertaining showcase raises funds for the registered charity Move into Wellbeing®. The Move into Wellbeing dancers will also perform some lovely short dance sequences done to live music in this showcase. They look forward to dancing for you and to meeting you on the 7th of July!
Donna's first ballet class in Chiswick 15 years ago has developed far beyond anything she might have hoped! But there are no plans to stop here. At the heart of both organisations is Donna's vision, creativity and, above all, belief in the strength of dance to empower everyone. Don't wait another 15 years to find out more – come to the showcase or a class, come and find the dancer in you!
7th July Dance Showcase
Directors: Donna Schoenherr and the Ballet4Life Team of Teachers including Sonia Bartlett- Cos, Ioanna Bili, Chris Christodoulou, Beatrice Ghezzi, Mark Kelly, Alina Luts, Anca Nistor, and Johanna Saarinen
Performers: Attendees from all Ballet4Life classes,
Lighting and Stage Management Ellen Purton
Accompanist Fee Blumenthaler.
Tickets £15 standard / £10 concession on sale at classes in Chiswick or online via this link.
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May 30, 2019
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