Brentwood Home Page news reports
The School of Nashville Ballet Children’s Program is expanding its programming in Brentwood. Registration is currently open for all classes in the spring 2012 semester, which begins Jan. 17. The Brentwood classes are held at 500 Wilson Pike Circle.

New classes include:

Mommy and Me (ages 2 – 3) encourages grace, coordination and a real love for dance, music and the spoken word, as well as language development, reading readiness and cognitive development. Parents, grandparents and caregivers join children in creating dances and learning poems or stories.

 Joy of Dance (ages 3 – 4) is a fun way to foster a natural inclination for movement by developing control, coordination, gross motor skills, creativity and expressiveness in the young dancer.

 Creative Movement (ages 4 – 5) helps students develop a greater sense of confidence and self-esteem within an environment that encourage expressiveness and joy of movement.  Children learn increased control and coordination in their movements.

Pre-Ballet (ages 5 – 6) offers a fun and expressive way for children to develop coordination, creativity and musicality while beginning to learn foundational ballet vocabulary. 

“Offering boys and girls of such a young age an opportunity to explore art and movement in dance classes enables them to learn about class participation, focus and confidence,” said Danielle Thienel who oversees the School of Nashville Ballet. “Students also have an opportunity to explore their talents and develop a lifelong love of dance.”

The new Children’s Program and all other programs and divisions of the School of Nashville Ballet will be administered by Thienel, Andrew Parker and existing School Principal Nicole Koenig.

Thienel officially became school director in October, after serving in an interim position for two months. A former professional dancer with Lexington Ballet, Louisville Ballet and Nashville Ballet, Thienel retired from performing in 2002 to pursue a business career and to establish her own Pilates company. She applies her dance and administrative experiences, and her bachelor’s degree in dance and marketing from Mercyhurst College to her responsibilities managing all aspects of School of Nashville Ballet operations, focusing on long term strategies, planning and growth.

Thienel oversees the school alongside Parker who has taken on the newly created role of Dean of the School of Nashville Ballet. 

Parker applies his extensive experience performing, choreographing, teaching and directing dance programs across North America to his responsibilities teaching classes and overseeing all aspects of student instruction. His role also creates a liaison between the School of Nashville Ballet and the artistic staff of the professional dance company.

Parker arrived in Nashville from Canada, where he served several schools of ballet in various roles. He holds a diploma from Canada’s National Ballet School Teacher Training Program. He has also taught in dance schools across the U.S. after retiring from a notable career as a dancer with Milwaukee Ballet, Tulsa Ballet and Konstantin Uralsky’s Ballet Iowa.

Thienel and Parker will work closely with Koenig who teaches classes at the School of Nashville Ballet and manages curriculum for all school levels.

Koenig holds a certificate in ballet teaching studies from Royal Academy of Dance in London. She began her teaching career after retiring from dancing professionally with Nashville Ballet for over a decade and directing another dance school in the Nashville area. Since beginning her teaching career, she has earned numerous awards for her exceptional teaching skills, and has taught many ballet students who have been accepted into prestigious programs across the country, including Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Ballet Met and Atlanta Ballet.

The School of Nashville Ballet’s children’s program provides a nurturing environment for boys and girls ages 2 to 6 to have fun, meet friends and explore a desire to pursue future dance studies. The Academy Division offers classes to train tomorrow's dancers, choreographers, teachers and ballet lovers with a strategic curriculum taught by world-class instructors.

Both the Children’s Program and the Academy Division offer Summer Dance Camps for students who want to spend their summer dancing, meeting new friends and preparing to perform for friends and family. 

The Community Division offers dance and dance-based fitness classes to teens and adults of all ages and abilities throughout the community.

For more information on the school and the new classes, visit the Nashville Ballet’s website by clicking here. Tuition is $305 per semester, for the once a week classes.