Spring Recital: A Visual Chronicle Following the Final Rehearsal

   

Aerial view of the Sangre de Cristo School of Dance studio space

    It is late afternoon on Saturday, and all is quiet inside the ballet studio. The Sangre de Cristo School of Dance has just completed their last full rehearsal before the Spring Recital on May 30^th and 31^st. The room hums with residual energy, as practice gear and ballet costumes have been hastily stored in anticipation of next weekend’s show. Featuring students ranging in skill level from beginner to advanced, the recital marks the culmination of focused practice, sore muscles, and bandaged feet into a polished public performance. The Spring Recital offers a prime opportunity for the community to discover local talent while supporting performing arts.

Costumes planned for the Spring Recital fill the storage closet

A piece of clothing lays abandoned on the studio floor

A box of band-aids sits atop the ballet barre

Influencial Member of the Community: Joleen Ryan

Ryan at her desk, where here creations begin

     Joleen Ryan, Assistant Curator of the Buell Children's Museum, recently celebrated her fifteen year anniversary with the institution. A self-confessed late bloomer in academics, Ryan graduated with a degree in graphic design at the age of forty. When an internship opened up with the Buell, she was quick to pursue the opportunity. Shortly into her internship, Ryan was promoted to the position of Assistant Curator. As the Assistant Curator, her primary job is to design interactive exhibits which encourage artistic expression and creative learning. Ryan says her position is a dream job, offering an outlet for her passion while providing a meaningful connection between children and the arts. Ryan refers to the Buell as the last bastion for liberal arts in the face of program cuts within public schools. She sums up what makes the Buell special by saying, "We believe everybody is ten to twelve years old inside and here's a place where you can be ten to twelve years old and nobody is going to look at you funny. I can be an adult, but I don't have to be every day."

Ryan designed this life-size canvas as a way to engage the imaginations of young minds by relating art and history

Panning for gold with Buell visitors

Wearing her favorite costume from the current 

exhibition The Way West