FITNESS AND BALLET
Thursday, May 31st, 2007
Ballet and fitness take center stage in early June for over 100 girls from Girls Inc. as they take part in a two-week clinic hosted by the City Youth Ballet of Johnson City. The clinic, held at the ballet company’s new studio off West Walnut Street, is funded by a grant from the Johnson City Sports Foundation.
At the clinic, girls ages 5 to 11 are learning fitness and muscle-strengthening
techniques as well as being introduced to the athleticism and artistry of classical ballet. The instructors are some of the senior and junior members of the City Youth Ballet and its artistic director, Susan Pace-White.
Ms. Pace-White, a former member of the Miami Junior Civic Ballet, has taught ballet for nearly 40 years. She trains dancers for the City Youth Ballet via the Johnson City Ballet Academy, one of the oldest classical ballet schools in Tennessee. The CYB produces such ballets as “The Nutcracker” for audiences in Northeast Tennessee. As part of their training, students work on fitness and strengthening techniques.
“This clinic is a major outreach to the community and will introduce so many girls to the beauty of ballet while we have a lot of fun working on fitness techniques,” said Ms. Pace-White.
The clinic will be held June 4-15 at the CYB’s studios in Burlington Park South Mall, 2303 McKinley Road. Classes for the youngest dancers will be held at Girls Inc.
Girls Inc. is a United Way agency serving the Washington County area. The Johnson City Sports Foundation has given over $150,000 to youth organizations to fulfill its mission of distributing funds earned from operating the Johnson City Cardinals baseball organization.