For seventeen years, Angela Whitehill has devoted herself to cultivating the talents of young dancers. Each summer since she founded the Burklyn Ballet Theatre Summer Program, Angela has offered 2-6 weeks of intensive training and performance in classical and modern ballet. Originally operating out of a rustic barn on a magnificent estate in East Burke, Vt., Whitehill has since moved the program to the campus of Johnson State College in Johnson, Vt. What distinguishes this program from others is the level of young talent represented in the students, the overall intensity of training, and an emphasis on performance. Whitehill spends much of her off-season touring the United States in search of promising dancers. Once accepted, students are exposed to a prodigious array of visiting Master teachers who bring to their classes a wealth of real-world experience. besides long hours of drilling in the fundamentals of dance, students and teachers prepare and execute a different full performance program each week. In our feature segment, we'll get a first-hand lesson in the relationship between hard work and success on the ballet floor. We begin with a nostalgic walk through the early history of Vermont's premiere ballet school. Then it's back to the present-day reality of the Burklyn Ballet theatre Summer Program's 1992 season.
Broadcast In: English Duration: 0:26:35