Ballet Excel Ohio, based in Cuyahoga Falls, was established a half-century ago as one of the first places to champion classical ballet in Northeast Ohio. To celebrate, they鈥檙e mounting a production of "," the folk tale of a boy and his genie. The world premiere, choreographed by Erich Yetter, hits the Akron Civic Theatre stage March 14-15. Ballet Excel Ohio Artistic Director Mia Klinger said it鈥檚 a tribute to the work started by her mother, decades ago.
taught dance at the University of Akron in the 1950s, eventually founding Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet in 1975. Some of her students went on to found their own companies, such as the Hudson Conservatory of Ballet.
鈥淚 was at the founding. I was 10 years old,鈥� Mia Klinger said. 鈥淚 know my mom wanted to start a youth ballet to give her dancers more than just a recital at the end of the year. It's just been a beautiful kind of fruition of things that have happened to make it what it is today.鈥�
Nan Klinger often traveled to New York City where she met George Balanchine and then Heinz Poll, who went on to found Ohio Ballet in Akron.
鈥淚 quite often say she started two companies in this area,鈥� she said.
Mia Klinger took over in 2002 as her mother battled cancer and died in 2003.
Celebratory show
The upcoming 鈥淎laddin鈥� production takes its cue from the original 18th century story, not the Disney film.
鈥淚 believe we have approximately 32 dancers on the stage,鈥� Mia said. 鈥淲hat has made it really fun is we have a lot of parents and people that have never been on stage before that are going to be some of the merchants and some of the adults.鈥�
The lead is 8th-grader Carmelo Felding. He鈥檚 been dancing at Ballet Excel for six years, thanks to their Reach Out and Dance program in some Akron-area schools. He said dancing has helped him with his first love: basketball.
鈥淔ootwork, speed, stamina - I can do stuff that most people can't do on the court,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen I tell people I dance, they're shocked because I'm a boy. But when I tell older adults, they鈥檙e happy for me, because I'm a young, Black male dancing from small town Ohio.鈥�
He鈥檚 also the first Black male to take the lead for Ballet Excel. This season the company partnered with Canton Ballet, which turns 60 next month and is supplying a few dancers for 鈥淎laddin.鈥�
Several additional guests join them at the Akron Civic for the celebration of Ballet Excel.
鈥淚'm going to have my niece, Ashley Klinger, who's a Broadway dancer,鈥� Mia Klinger said. 鈥淥ne of my dancers, Dustin True, who's from Hudson originally, is now dancing with Ballet Z眉rich in Switzerland. A former choreographer, Danielle Diniz, is choreographing a piece with Daniel Ulbricht: He's so amazing, from New York City Ballet. And Indiana Woodward, who is also from New York City Ballet, [is] going to premiere a fun work just for us.鈥�
