Dancers are known for thinking on their feet and being adaptable--so its no surprise the students of Berks Ballet Theatre Conservatory of Dance (BBTCD) are making good use of their time at home with continued dance training. As of March 23 the “Berks Ballet Virtual Studio” was launched and in business.
BBTCD Owner, Director Nathan Bland oversaw the planning and execution of the virtual classes which were recorded in the studio prior to the Commonwealth’s closing mandate of non-essential businesses. BBTCD faculty instructors including Kelly Barber, Hailey Galosi and Kristina Dennis were all a part of the records.
Along with the class content created, the conservatory faculty continue to create content remotely, which is added to the platform weekly. Heather Moore, BBTCD’s newest faculty member has contributed ballet and conditioning classes, while guest instructors like Rachael Hart--an alumna who’s danced in touring Broadway productions--has added pilates, conditioning and jazz/modern dance content on the platform. BBTCD students can expect more faculty and guest instructor classes over the next several weeks.
The virtual learning platform was built by Lee Singletary of LS Design. On it, each of BBTCD’s learning tracks features different videos (classes) geared towards what students would otherwise be working on in-studio. For the younger students, there are activities that correspond with what they are working on as well, such as ballet terminology matching worksheets, games and coloring pages, which can be printed and used at home.
Additionally, Bland has hosted hour-long live barre classes geared towards intermediate dancers on Instagram. These mobile videos are recorded and hosted on the non-password protected area of the Virtual Studio for the public to enjoy.
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