Former Yuma ballet member to teach dance classes

David Arce, former Yuman and current San Francisco Ballet dancer, will be teaching master dance classes at Yuma Ballet Academy this week.

All intermediate to advanced area dancers are invited to attend the classes, scheduled from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday at the academy, 3942 S. Avenue 4-1/2E. Cost is $20 per class or $75 for the entire week, payable at the first class.

"David teaches fast-paced, energetic and very musical classes," said Kathleen Sinclair, Yuma Ballet Academy and Ballet Yuma company director. "He has a professional outlook and is young, vivacious and exciting."

Sinclair added that upper-level dancers can benefit immensely from studying under a variety of people, especially those active in the professional dance world. The classes are not cumulative; students are welcome to take one class or the entire week of classes. However, participating dancers need a good knowledge of ballet, a minimum of four years of study, she said.

"I'm going to challenge students with classes and exercises done at the professional level. I'm not going to dumb down the classes and I'm really going to push these dancers," Arce, alumnus of Sinclair's Ballet Yuma, said of his plans for the upcoming classes.

"I want to spice things up. Student dance can become mundane and ritual, so I'm going to teach different techniques and styles every class to keep things fresh."

Arce looks back at his dance journey and credits his success to dedication, timing and a little luck. He received a summer scholarship at San Francisco Ballet and was invited to join the year-round program his senior year of high school.

"In the dance world, timing is everything. I was very lucky because when I finished (the year-round program), the company was getting rid of a guy my size, so I fit the costumes and they took a chance on me."

Eleven seasons later, Arce is still awing audiences as a featured dancer with San Francisco Ballet, especially as the Mouse King in "The Nutcracker."

Arce started his dance career under Sinclair and Jon Cristofori at Ballet Yuma as a young boy. He was thrown into just about every area of dance, being one of few male dancers locally. His dedication and passion soon emerged and dance became his life, future and career.

Arce remembers the excitement, challenge and inspiration of participating in master classes as a youth, therefore his returns to Yuma are an effort to give back to his hometown and dance community. He said he enjoys visiting family and coming back to Yuma more the older he gets.

Arce recommends the classes to all dancers who have any college and professional dance plans.

"I would not have sat on this opportunity. Anytime anyone remotely connected with the dance world came (to Yuma), I would just be a sponge and soak it up," Arce said, and clearly this mentality advanced him to a professional level.

  Yuma Ballet Academy is no stranger to bringing outside professionals into the Yuma area. Rochelle Zide-booth, a famous ballerina out of Tucson, and Carley Conder, a contemporary dancer with a professional modern studio in Phoenix, have both taught master classes through Sinclair.

"We try to open classes up to the community so more dancers have the opportunity to study under a variety of professionals," Sinclair added.

For more information, call Yuma Ballet Academy at 314-4762.