Yelena Holt runs a tight ship at the Holt Ballet Conservatory. My first encounter with Holt Ballet was during a Saturday rehearsal for their upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The environment is one of discipline and structure, with a clear focus on the dancers. Their photos and bios line the walls going up the stairs, along with posters of past performances that show perfectly poised dancers on stage in gorgeous costumes. A vision of what the dancers aspire to, and also a reminder that they are individual people, with their own hopes and dreams and lives. There is also care. One sign on the door of the rehearsal space for the most advanced dancers asks: “Do you have your water bottle?”
The dictionary definition of “conservatory” is a school specializing in one of the fine arts. And indeed, the Holt Ballet Conservatory is not a recreational ballet program, where kids take an after school class for a year, and then move on to softball or gymnastics. Holt is a specialized school that provides rigorous, structured training and an authentic ballet education for dancers who dream of dancing at a professional level and for the serious hobbyist who wants to become an accomplished dancer.
The school focuses on technical proficiency, artistry, and performance experience with a syllabus informed by organizations who uphold the highest standards in ballet: American Ballet Theatre’s national curriculum, the Vaganova training method (the most widely used training method in Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and China), and the California State Framework for the arts. The Conservatory offers this level of pre-professional training for students ages 3 to 18 during the school year, a Summer Ballet Intensive for intermediate and advanced dancers, a dance camp for young and beginning dancers, and classes for adults.
This Saturday, the focus in the rehearsal space is palpable. The dancers are practicing in three different rooms for their upcoming performance. Rooms are filled to the brim with dancers of all ages — they flow quickly across the room and deep into the corners, using every inch of space and miraculously avoiding running into each other.
Yelena floats from room to room providing feedback to the dancers; the other instructors pick up the beat the moment she exits. She gets right into the rehearsal, standing in for missing characters. As they work through different scenes of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the dancers transition from laughing and chatting to absolute silence in a flash. This level of focus reflects the respect the dancers have for the instructors, and for each other.
In one room, the youngest dancers (age 3 to 11) practice their parts (Fireflies and Elves) in white tights and black leotards. In another room, the Fairies are earning their point shoes back for the show — they do this by avoiding being “sloppy,” according to Yelena. They leap and twirl in unison, inches apart. The instructor reminds the dancers “Feel each other…Tight fit.”
The most advanced dancers (playing the primary roles of lovers and fairy king in A Midsummer Night’s Dream) practice in a third space. Sparrow Stone-Francisco, a freshman at Ghidotti, plays Hermia, one of the lovers. She has been dancing for ten years, four with Holt. “We put our heart and soul into [dancing],” she said. “The movements stem from the heart and how you are feeling.”
The love, creativity, and discipline at Holt are even reflected in the costume room. Downstairs at the studio, a large room is packed full of hundreds of costumes in totes with labels like “Midsummer Night’s Dream 2016.” Two costume makers arrange skirts and tops on the floor, brainstorming how to create new costumes for 55 dancers with multiple costume changes. They re-use some of the old costumes, dyeing them green and adding leaves. They want the costumes to be special for each show. The fanciest tutus are ordered from a manufacturer in Moldova, which is known for its unique, handcrafted costumes.
Upstairs, the younger kids are quiet as they watch the older kids. An older girl gently moves a younger girl back into position just before the music starts. Brooke Colvin, sophomore at Ghidotti, plays the role of Helena, the spurned lover. She has been dancing with Holt Ballet Conservatory for 11 years.“It’s a community instead of a hobby,” she said. “Everyone has such a deep connection, especially with the older girls and younger kids. I looked up to the older girls when I was young, and now I look into the wings and see the younger kids looking at me — it’s full circle.” Sparrow adds: “There is a stigma about ballet, that it’s competitive and toxic, but this community is sweet.”
This environment is no accident. It comes from the top. Yelena Holt has been teaching ballet for more than 45 years. She studied dramatic and musical theater and classical ballet at the Crockett School of Dance and Sacramento Ballet before earning a teaching credential in English Literature at UC Berkeley. She has initiated and developed three public high school dance programs: Dixon High School, Bear River High School, and Nevada Union High School.
Yelena has a well-earned reputation for being strict. She believes in hard work and perseverance. Her method works, but it takes time and commitment.“A shiny dream is achievable if you persevere,” she likes to say. Matt Carney, Institutional Growth Manager for the Los Angeles Ballet and former Executive Director of the San Diego Ballet, has seen how Yelena works firsthand. A previous resident of Nevada City, Matt first met Yelena when he took an adult class at her studio. Over the years their shared passion for dance, music, and storytelling has developed into a collaborative partnership. Matt has since been a frequent guest teacher and choreographer, including assisting with the upcoming production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. “I believe in her — she creates a culture and a community where an artist can develop,” he said. “If you want to go to the preprofessional level, you need to go to Holt for classical ballet training.” Yelena Holt has placed more than 60 Nevada County dancers in some of the nation’s more competitive and highly acclaimed dance conservatories, universities and colleges, and pre-professional programs. She also provides a safe, quality program for dancers who practice just for the joy of dancing. “I provide a solid foundation to take dancers as far as they want to go,” she said. “Some of my adult dancers quit at 18, and came back at 45. I even have 70-year-olds.”
Yelena believes the environment she creates is critical to her success. “Dancers are like hot house orchids, they need a special environment to thrive,” she said. “I am going to push them, and there needs to be trust and an environment of love.” The dancers feel it. “Miss Holt has so much care for everyone in the studio,” said Sparrow. “She is like a second mother, she cares so deeply.”
The values Yelena is teaching cross over to other areas of her dancers’ lives. “When you learn to do something hard, you can do many hard things,” she said. Brooke agrees: “Everything I learn here, paying attention, holding myself, will stay with me for the rest of my life.” The Holt Ballet Conservatory doesn’t just benefit the dancers, it gives our local community the gift of innovative, gorgeous, and moving pre-professional ballet performances.
The public is invited to see Yelena’s dancers perform on stage in a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream June 18, 19, and 20 at the Don Baggett Theater in Grass Valley. The Conservatory is currently accepting enrollment for their Summer Intensive and Dance Camp for Youths, which offers summer deep studies into ballet and other dance art genres. Operating July 6 through 17 from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, these programs provide the opportunity for all levels of dancers to get or stay in shape. Details at https://www.holtballetconservatory.org/