 It is refreshing to find yourself in a room surrounded by a family, vibrant with not only love for one another, but with love and appreciation for fine art–uncommon in today’s society of television– watching nine to fivers.
IndependentNEPA recently had the honor of being in the company of celebrated dancer Kristin Degnan-Boonan and her family.
The Degnan Ballet Center was established in 1983 by Kristin and her late husband, Peter. The Center hosts Ballet Northeast as its performing company in-residence, which was founded a year later by Kristin, her father, Rudolph Schleich, and George Babcock. Always a family-run business, Degnan Ballet Center’s mission is to instill in its students “a love for and joy in dance that takes them beyond merely the learning of balletic movement.” Its success thrives from the passion of the family behind it.
Serving as the artistic director and resident choreographer, Kristin has had a prolific career as a dancer. Beginning her training at the age of five, she has studied with the Eglevsky Ballet Company, earned a degree in classical dance from Point Park University, and has danced professionally with the Louisville Ballet Company, American Dance Ensemble, and the Pittsburgh Symphony, to name but a few. Her father speaks of her ability and discipline as having the “skill to fall, kiss the floor, and get back up without anyone being the wiser.” In addition to her work at the Center, she is also Director of Dance at Wilkes University.
Kristin passed on her love for the performing arts to her daughter, Julie, 17, who dances in the footsteps of her mother. Julie– who Kristin insists danced in the womb– studied in NYC, with the Boston Ballet, and at the Wyoming Seminary Performing Arts Institute.
“All arts are interrelated. An appreciation for each helps one excel in everything,” said Julie, an artist through and through, with talent in painting and photography.
Rudolph Schleich, more affectionately known to all as “Rudy”, can be seen in the studio and on stage– most famously known for his role as the grandfather in Ballet Northeast’s annual production of The Nutcracker. Rudy, 84, taught European History at King’s College for 36 years. At the age of 64, he decided to retire, stating that he made his contribution and has since become the patriarch of the studio and the stage.
Having played the role of a grandfather or father in numerous productions, Rudy recalled being asked by a young dancer, “Are you playing my dad or my grandpa today?” He has even taken a ballet class or two from his daughter, and while he may have had a klutzy moment here and there, Kristen said with love, “He can act.” It is from Rudy that his family learned to appreciate fine art and strive for cultural enrichment. Because of this, his family now works to share this passion with the community.
Just as every dancer in a performance plays an important role, so it is in the family business. One of the most important roles in running the Degnan Ballet Center is the one that requires taking charge back stage, fundraising, scheduling classes, ticket sales, and even tech work and lighting. Kristin’s sister, Lauren Gentilesco, fills this role. Lauren, who holds a marketing degree from King’s College, claims to be more of the athlete of the family, and while she doesn’t dance on stage, she shares the same love for the performing arts. She feels the greatest gift, and what makes all the hard work worth it, is “to see the young dancers on the stage and the tears in their parents’ eyes.” Lauren’s two sons, Joshua and Zachary, took dance lessons when they were young. With one an experienced soccer player and the other a graduate of the National Guard, she attributed the agility they have on the field to the skills and footwork they learned in their aunt’s dance studio.
The Degnan Ballet Center offers classes to all ages– starting at age 5– and experience levels. “When they start young we are able to shape their bodies,” said Kristin.
Just as ballet shapes their bodies, the discipline learned in dance shapes who they become as individuals. Rudy remarked on how dancing stimulates cognitive ability so that “every single young dancer is also achieving outside the studio.” There is an obvious correlation between the athleticism and discipline they learn from dancing.
For dedicated young dancers, the studio becomes a second home, a place where they do their homework in the hallways between rehearsals and bond with fellow dancers.
“It is remarkable to see how the young people care for one another,” Rudy said. “There is no ill wish or competition, for a company is only as good as its least-experienced dancer.”
Ballet Northeast will present its annual production of The Nutcracker, December 17-19, at Wilkes University’s Dorothy Dickson Darte Center for the Performing Arts. Special guest artist Nikolai Morschakov will perform, in addition to nearly 100 other dancers. Several matinee shows are offered each year so that local area schools can bring their students to the performances to see their classmates on stage. Rudy noted that in the auditorium during those matinees “you can hear a pin drop” for the students in awe of what their peers can do on the stage.
“People love The Nutcracker. They look forward to it every year,” Julie said.
She and her family dedicate a lot of time and hard work to make this tradition happen for hundreds of families. One might wonder how this family makes time to celebrate the holiday themselves. Practicing their German heritage, they celebrate St. Nikolaus Day in early December and stay supportive of one another each and every day.
The young dancers of Ballet Northeast are lucky to learn from a family so passionate about what it is doing and what it is teaching. The Degnan Ballet Center is a place where “excellence performs” and a family thrives.
Ballet Northeast is nonprofit organization and appreciates volunteer and fundraising contributions. To make a donation, sign up for a class, or purchase tickets for a performance, visit www.balletnortheast.org or call (570) 287-5802. |
