Ballet Class with Deborah Wingert

Wednesday September 29, 2010 – How I wish I could have been taking class with Deborah Wingert this morning at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center instead of just watching. Throughout the 90-minute class I was constantly envying the dancers and wishing that this was how I had spent my life rather than in a cubicle or on the retail floor.

I had watched Deborah Wingert, formerly of New York City Ballet, teach class at the New York International Ballet Competition last summer and I thought 1) she is gorgeous and 2) she gives a really good class. She has a quick eye for details, gives corrections in an authoritative manner and calls out praise when she sees something well-executed. In imparting her technical advice to the students, Deborah uses imagery, both humorous and poetic. She will show the students how bad a pose or move looks when poorly executed and then show them how to make it look beautiful.  Her knack for finding just the isolated element in a flow of movement that is preventing the student from making the best possible effect seems instinctive, though clearly it was honed thru years of studying, dancing and working with George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. She often refers to these two men in her detailed descriptions of how something should look but it’s not mere name-dropping; it’s almost as if she was passing on things the two choreographers had just told her a day or two ago.

Enhancing the atmosphere of the studio at every moment was the de luxe musicianship of pianist Mijin Jung. Mijin’s playing always seemed to have just the right tempo and her choices of the melodies as well as her excellent technique made her playing seem like a labor of love.

The students were all very fine dancers, including two girls we’ve met previously at Miro Magloire’s New Chamber Ballet: Maddie Deavenport and Lauren Toole. One amazing aspect of watching dancers of this level in class is hearing the teacher call out the next combination: “Let’s do this-this-this-this-this-and finish with this, then repeat on the other side.” Immediately the students dance it out while I am still mentally at the first “Let’s do this…” I suppose after a while these things become second-nature but it always amuses and baffles me how quickly they absorb.

The class flew by and all-too-soon the dancers were applauding the excellent pianist Mijin Jung and Deborah came over to talk with Kokyat and me; up close the white-blonde woman with the phenomenally green eyes becomes even more striking; her speaking voice (both in class and in conversation) is melodious and her tiny injections of wit – and her references to people and ballets out of the past – make her so intriguing to talk with. Coming out into the lobby space, we encountered two Balanchine legends – Allegra Kent and John Clifford – and were introduced to them by Deborah.

Kokyat spent the 90 minutes padding around the studio to catch everything as best he could; the dancers were very gracious about this intrusion into their routine. We’ll have his photos here in the next couple of days. The pictures with this article are from my little Lumix. 

Kokyat did me a special favor and immediately processed and sent me this picture of Deborah and Allegra Kent taken right after Deborah’s class today. Click the image to enlarge.

Deborah Wingert teaches open class at MMAC (on West 60th Street) on Wednesdays at 10:30 AM now thru December; I urge all my ballet-dancing young friends and acquaintances to take class from her. If I was physically able, I’d be the first person at her barre every Wednesday.