Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor —

Francisco Graciano was only nine when his father signed him up for ballet classes with Mayra Worthen’s Ballet San Antonio Academy in a studio on the far North Side. Having found his passion, he never looked back. He went on to get a BFA in dance and later joined the famed Paul Taylor Dance Company in New York City, where he spent 13 years as principal dancer, winning acclaim and critical praise.

This summer, Graciano is back in his hometown as an instructor for Ballet San Antonio’s first ever Summer Intensive program, a two-week session of classes in classical ballet, modern dance, and specific ballet techniques known as pointe dancing and batteries, respectively. When he was first approached about the job by BSA’s executive director Evin Eubanks, Graciano happily said yes.

“I was very excited to hear that Ballet San Antonio was planning to have a summer intensive,” said the dancer/teacher/. “It’s so important to have a good ballet company here, and I was glad to be part of something new and fresh and exciting happening in San Antonio.”

At the time, he assumed that the classes would be held in-person, in a studio, as these things are usually done. But COVID-19 forced a change in plans. Starting Monday, he and his fellow instructors will be teaching students remotely, via Zoom, with each student as well as the instructors connecting via video from their respective homes. At first a little disappointed, Graciano quickly realized that going virtual could be an advantage as it would allow dancers who do not live in San Antonio to easily participate in the classes. We’ll be “dancing alone together,” he said quoting a novel phrase used in the dance world.

“It’s harder to build a community online however,” he added, referring to establishing rapport with the students, “but if the classes are smaller you can still do it and get to know each dancer personally.”

BSA’s artistic adviser, Sofiane Sylve, who effectively functions as an artistic director, chose the instructors. “These teachers are very competent,” she said via email, “and I wanted to offer a taste of what the school will be offering.” The “school” is another new project of BSA scheduled to start in the near future.  “We are finalizing talks with the faculty,” wrote Sylve, who has just retired from San Francisco Ballet – where she was a star and a principal dancer. She will also teach a ballet masterclass for the summer intensive.

As a Paul Taylor dancer, Graciano will teach the Taylor-style modern dance as well as gyrokinesis, which he described as a body conditioning system that strengthens and lengthens muscles.

The other two instructors hired for the summer intensive are: Russian-born ballerina Veronica Part who is well acquainted with the famous Vaganova Ballet Academy training, and Jeffrey Lyons who teaches at the San Francisco Ballet School.

No auditions are necessary to apply for the summer session but a minimum of 2-3 years of previous ballet training is required.  For details go to www.balletsanantonio.org/summer-intensive/

But the news is not all good. As so many other arts organizations have already done, Ballet San Antonio has just announced the cancellation of its season opener Don Quixote.  ‘While the performances were scheduled for October, now is the time when we would begin rehearsing and preparing for the production, which we cannot do safely due to the current health climate,” said the announcement. Instead, the company will be focusing on the Nutcracker, scheduled for Dec. 4-6 and 11-13, and looking forward to Cinderella in February. To stay connected with patrons and ballet lovers, in the upcoming weeks, BSA will start presenting digital programs on social media. To keep informed, visit www.balletsanantonio.org