Ballet Yuma spring concert set for Saturday

Some young dancers in Yuma want to show their community why they are chosen year after year for membership to a national, top-notch dance organization. And of course, they'll prove their point by doing what they do best – dancing.

Ballet Yuma presents its annual spring concert Saturday. The dancers will present many of the routines they recently performed for a visit by an official with Regional Dance America, which adjudicates, or evaluates, the school each year in order to maintain its sought-after accreditation.

“The adjudication really keeps us own our toes. It challenges us to make sure we are working our dancers at a high standard. It helps us know we are doing the very best for our students,” said Kathleen Sinclair, artistic director for Ballet Yuma, explaining why more Arizona companies don't belong to RDA: “Being evaluated like this means you really have to expose yourself, and not everyone wants to go through that. It's a challenging process.”

Ballet Yuma holds the honor of being the only dance company in Arizona to belong to RDA.

“We have been an honor company since 2004. That's a pretty big deal,” said Emma Cong, an artistic assistant with Ballet Yuma.

The organization offers members a chance to perform on the national scene and earn scholarships.

The dance studio will present its spring concert at 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday. The venue will be Cibola High School, 4100 W. 20th St. in Yuma. Tickets are $10, $12 and $15. They are available at Dillards and will also be sold at the door.

Cong says she thinks the public will be impressed with the talent they see dancing across the stage that night.

“These are some very talented and very dedicated dancers,” said Cong, who choreographed portions of the show. “These are young people who dance six days a week, which is 12 hours of class and a minimum of eight hours of rehearsal during the week. And these are kids who also manage to keep up with their homework and other activities. They are just a smart group of dancers.”

The Yuma dancers will be joined on stage by Imagine Ballet, a company out of Bakersfield, Calif. Imagine Ballet is also an honor company with RDA.

“We took dancers up there and performed in their spring concert. Now they are coming to perform with us,” Cong said. “It's a good partnership.”

The Saturday performance will feature 21 local dancers.

“We will be showcasing a diverse range of dance styles. There will be something for everyone,” Cong said.

More than 20 Ballet Yuma graduates have gone on to dance professionally with highly regarded companies, including San Francisco Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Houston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company, Boston Ballet, Ballet Memphis, Miami City Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Les Ballet Trocadero de Monte Carlo, Trey McIntyre Project, Company C, Louisville Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Missouri Contemporary and Ballet Idaho.