Donita Ballet Introduces Iranian Dance Staring Fall 2016.
It is with great pleasure that Donita Ballet announces the addition of Iranian Dance to the dance studio repertoire. Golnesa Amani, one of Donita’s prized students, began her dance training at the Donita Ballet School in 2005. She currently works as a language, fitness and arts instructor for numerous organizations including the City of Markham, York Catholic District School Board, and Explore It! Golnesa is the director of Boostan Multicultural Collective (BMC); a local, grassroots organization which aims to help elementary school students explore social justice issues by providing fun and engaging lunchtime and after-school arts programs, performances and workshops. Iranian dance is BMC’s most popular program! In August 2015, Golnesa was recognized for her dedication to Iranian dance when she was invited to participate and perform at the 2nd International Iranian Dance Conference hosted by the Iranian Association of Boston.
Golnesa Amani will head up the direction and personalized instruction of Iranian dance. Students will gain a positive and precise instruction in the art of Iranian dance. Golnesa pours her love of her Iranian heritage, ballet and dance into every student that she works with. Both children and adults are welcomed to participate in the Iranian dance classes.
Classes are limited in size to ensure maximum individual student attention. Please call today for further information and to register: 416-706-6191.
That is exactly what happened to me on a Wednesday at the end of April 2014!
It all started off like any other day. Usually, the first thing I do when I wake up in the morning is to check my cell phone for any missed calls or messages. To my surprise I saw a missed phone call with an area code other than the local numbers. It was from Europe. I was sure it was a wrong number and disregarded it. Later on in the afternoon, while at my Toronto ballet school dance studio and while waiting for the students of my first Ballet Class, the same phone number rang again. Surprised to see the European number displayed on my cell, and because I was curious, I opted to take the call. To my astonishment I heard a nice and friendly male voice speaking to me in French.
“Are you the Donita responsible for the wonderful Ballet posted on YouTube?”
I responded after a bit of hesitation, “Yes, I am.”
Then he said, “My name is Yvon Waldteufel from the family of the classical music composer Emile Waldteufel”.
For a few seconds I remained speechless. It was like a voice from the past. Here, I was, speaking to a descendant of my favorite composer! We immediately started chatting amicably and stayed on the phone for a while longer. I was so happy and thrilled to have talked to a family member of the composer I love so much – Emile Waldteufel. I would have never thought, in a million years, that Emile Waldteufel had a great grandnephew in France.
While talking to Yvon WaldteufeI I kept thinking about how fortunate I was. Indeed, this was a once in a life time chance! After I hung up, I apologized, to my students for starting the ballet class a bit late, but I am sure you understand how euphoric and proud I felt that Yvon Waldteufel was calling me in Toronto to tell me how much he admired my dance choreography for ballet.
Before you read the email below (translated from the original French to English) that I received from Yvon Waldteufel, I would like to say a few words about the composer “Emile Waldteufel”.
Emile Waldteufel was born in the Eastern France in 1837. He died in 1915. Next year, in 2015, his family members are planning to organize a celebration in France to honour the 100th year anniversary of his death. The phone call from Yvon Waldteufel was to talk to me about the possible participation of Donita Ballet School in the centennial celebration.
I discovered the beauty and richness of Emile’s work just by pure coincidence when I heard his beautiful musical composition called “España”. Immediately after that I hunted down and purchased all his CDs. Over the years I have choreographed quite a few of his pieces for my end year Dance Recitals. You can find pieces like The Skaters, España, Coquetterie, Rose de Noël, Vision, Tendres Baisers, Sous La Voûte Etoilée, Brune ou Blonde, Sur la Plage, Près de Toi, Caprices d’Automne, Mariana, Très Jolie, Ydylle, Estudiantina, Entre Nous, Dolores, Térésa, Bien Aimés, Tout à Vous and more on my YouTube or Vimeo channel. Click here to go to the Donita Ballet School YouTube channel or click here to go to the Vimeo channel.
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Dear Donita,
I have been awaiting your answer with a little impatience …
I stumbled across your videos on Youtube, last week, and now I look for a different one almost everyday. I even sent one to one friend.
As for my cousin Charlotte, she has Entre Nous on a Facebook page for the family.
Tell your “doves” they are superb.
For the longest time I have listened to Emile interpreted by famous orchestras. But YOUR marriage between music and dance is admirable. At first sight it seems obvious to link the music with dance. But surely not that much, since very little, if no one else has done as you.
Your choreography and music go together perfectly, which is not the lesser quality of your creation. The choice of works is also wise, as Dolores or Bien à Vous. Your work brings to “every dance” a new facet of the music of Emile. It looks like they were made for one another.
Next year is the hundredth anniversary of the death of Emile. I tried to mark the event, but in Paris no one cares. Fortunately there is a Toronto on this planet. I have a contact with the Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra. I will be speaking to him about you with enthusiasm and send him one of your videos, certainly España (a short). The goal would be to make you dance to the music played by the orchestra. What supreme elegance!
You can well imagine that to bring you to France requires a substantial budget. I have to motivate the authorities along with the city department and region of Strasbourg.
This is an Everest, but for your qualities, “it is not impossible”, to paraphrase Napoleon. I’ll start by calling Strasbourg. I also have contact with the Orchestre National de Toulouse. The dream must continue …
I have been teaching Classical Ballet for over 32 years. Seeing, how little girls who grow up learning Classical Ballet and flourish under my instruction, nourishes me and gives me the energy to continue. This feeling also applies to my students who are taking Lyrical dance, Modern dance, Musical Theatre and Jazz.
I left France and moved to Toronto where I continued dancing professionally. While I was performing with various dance companies, a few acquaintances tried to convince me to teach Classical Ballet to their children. At the beginning I was reluctant, I thought I would not be able to teach because I was trained to dance and not to teach. Their continued insistence pushed me to open a small Ballet School which I named “Donita Ballet School”. Little by little the number of students increased. At the beginning I was overwhelmed but slowly I realized that I enjoyed teaching tremendously.
The second school year, I organized the “Annual Donita Ballet School Recital”: “Un Après Midi de Danse”. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to choreograph a whole show. To my surprise and pleasure, I realized that I was very good at choreographing which became my second passion. My videos on Youtube are the testimony of the high quality of my choreographies.
To this day I have never regretted entering a teaching career.
To meet the demand, I subsequently, opened other types of dance such as Lyrical, Modern, Musical Theatre, Jazz. All those classes are taught by professional teachers.
To enroll in Lyrical dance, Modern dance, Musical Theatre and Jazz, it is always better to be in or have taken Classical Ballet. Classical Ballet is the foundation to all kind of dances.
Donita Ballet School is located in Toronto North, close to the intersection of Yonge Street and Steeles Avenue.
Welcome to my dance blog. My name is Donita and I love everything that has to do with dancing and ballet. Although it was not always that way. Let me tell you about how I fell in love with dancing and ballet.
I started taking Classical Ballet at a very young age. That was not my choice. Living in France, most parents enrolled their daughters to the conservatory of dance, to refine their education. A daughter had to be graceful, elegant and have good manners, but not necessarily be a professional ballerina. From the age of four until twelve I resented going to those ballet classes because the dance teachers were very strict and stern. After a few years, my teachers approached my parents asking them to make me attend classes more than once a week. Apparently I was very talented. I remember being tested every year for a dance exam on stage, and every year I succeeded passing to the next level without making any effort. Of course my parents asked me whether I wanted to add more lessons and I said NO! For me, once a week was enough!
One day going into my twelfth birthday, I was rehearsing for my dance exam in class and I heard two teachers talking to each other and pointing out to me that I was very good and for sure I was going to succeed the exam. At that point I saw my reflection in the mirror and couldn’t believe it was me dancing. Since that day, I fell in love, so much in love with Classical Ballet that I asked my parents for more classes. My whole life changed, I had a goal. I was constantly dancing at home, on the streets, waiting for an elevator, at school, everywhere. Everybody knew me as Donita the dancer. I became a professional dancer with “Les Grands Ballets Canadiens” and other companies. Now my second love is teaching and choreographing and my goal is to pass on to all my students my passion and appreciation of classical ballet and music.
