Master Class Series
Coming this winter to Gasper's School of Dance, the first Master Class Series. We have invited Mariaelena Ruiz & Krista King-Doherty to come teach for this winter class series. This Master Class series is open to all dancers in the Fargo-Moorhead community and beyond.
Master Classes for Beginning, Intermediate, & Advance Levels. Private lessons available on a first come, first serve basis.
You can register in person, by phone or email.
Deadline for registration & payment is due DECEMBER 15, 2017.
Note: There is a minimum that we need to meet other wise we will have to cancel the master class series.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 29
4:30pm - 7:30pm // Master Class — Beginning Level (8+) -- COST: $100.00
The beginning level master class is for beginning dancers age 8+. Included in this master class is 1.5 hours of ballet and 1.5 hours of contemporary.
5pm - 9pm // Private Lessons * -- COST $125.00 / hour
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 30
10am - 2:30pm // Master Class - Intermediate & Advance -- COST: $200.00
This master class section is for intermediate & advanced level dancers and the session includes 2 Hours of Ballet and 2 Hours of Contemporary
There will be a 30 Minute Lunch Break. We will offer a lunch box option which will cost $12.00 and is a Panera Lunch Box
3pm - 7pm // Private Lessons * -- COST: $125.00 / hour
* Private lessons are on a first come first serve basis, please sign-up on registration form. Up to 2 people can share a private. All Privates are 1 Hour.
Mariaelena Ruiz
Mariaelena began her studies at Ballet Clasico Nina Novak, in Caracas Venezuela. There she was trained and coached by Prima Ballerina of Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Nina Novak. She received Cuban, Russian, and American training by teachers from Kirov, and Bolshoi, including Olga Kostrizky, Kaleria Fedicheva, and Magaly Suarez. Mariaelena performed an extensive part of the classical repertoire and at age 14 became the youngest member of the Ballet Nacional de Caracas, under the direction of Vicente Nebrada. Soon after, she won 3rd place Junior Division at the Jackson USA International Ballet Competition and received a full scholarship to continue her studies at the School of American Ballet in New York. There she studied under Stanley Williams, Peter Martins, Andrei Kramarevski, Alexandra Danilova, Antonina Tumkovski, Suki Schorer, and Susan Pillare. She won the Best Couple award and 3rd Place Senior Division at the Varna International Ballet Competition and also won at the Prix Volinine in Paris.
Over the next seven years, Mariaelena performed principal roles at Bay Ballet Theater, Cleveland San Jose Ballet, and Ballet Hispanico. She also performed as a guest artist for many other companies in the US and Europe. From 2000 to 2006 Mariaelena danced an all Balanchine repertoire in the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and extensively toured the US. In collaboration with the National Ballet of Canada, Mariaelena danced in the revival of George Balanchine’s Don Quijote, which was also presented at the Edinburgh Festival in Scotland. In 2000 she also began teaching part-time at The Rock School for Dance Education and became full-time Ballet Master at The Rock School in 2006. In 2015 Mariaelena started building and directing her new Professional Training Program at CBC where she continues to coach and train the next generation of outstanding dancers.
Mariaelena has been a judge and guest teacher for YAGP and has also worked with the New York International Ballet Competition. She was featured in the award winning Documentary First Position and in the WHYY Philadelphia documentary made about the first Curtis Institute of Music and Rock School Collaboration in 2009. In 2016 Mariaelena was named outstanding teacher at the ADC International Ballet Competition and was a judge at the Danzamérica Competition in Villa Carlos Paz, Argentina. The Outstanding School Award was earned in 2017 at YAGP and ADC. In April 2017, Mariaelena was featured in the cover story Mariaelena RUIZ works her magic at Cary Ballet Conservatory in Dance Teacher Magazine. She has coached medalists for major competitions including Moscow IBC, Jackson USA IBC, Boston IBC, Prix de Lausanne, Youth America Grand Prix, and American Dance Competition. Her former students have taken jobs at companies such as National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theater, Het National Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Washington Ballet, New York City Ballet, Houston Ballet, Ballet West, American National Ballet, and on Broadway. In 2016 three of Mariaelena’s students went on directly to dance company jobs before the PTP was even one year old and her students continue to excell. Mariaelena is now looking forward to even greater success as a teacher and coach.
Krista King-Doherty
Krista King-Doherty is an internationally recognized and award winning teacher and choreographer. She received her training at Ballet la Jeunesse in Los Angeles, CA and with her mother, Kathie Fishback Anthony. Krista worked as a fashion model in Europe, USA, Asia and Australia modeling for top designers in magazines, on runways and television for a decade prior to returning to her roots of dance. For over 20 years, she has taught ballet, pointe, jazz, and contemporary dance. Krista coaches and choreographs for national and international level competitors, acquiring numerous overall high score, technical and choreography awards. For the past 12 years, Krista's students have qualified in both the solo and ensemble divisions for the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in New York City. Her students and choreography have repeatedly won the Youth Grand Prix award, the Hope Award, and overall awards at YAGP. In 2012 and 2014, her student and daughter, Juliet Doherty, won the Gold Medal in the Junior Women’s and Senior Women’s Division at the YAGP Finals. Juliet performed in the “Stars of Tomorrow Gala” at Lincoln Center with a piece Krista choreographed. Her work has won top awards, recognized at World Ballet Competition, ADC/IBC, Vail International Dance Festival, the Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition, Varna International Ballet Competition, “Gala de Danza” in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Cancun International Ballet Festival. Her students have been awarded scholarships to programs including San Francisco Ballet School, Houston Ballet Academy, The Ailey School, Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, the School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and several universities. Krista’s students are performing on Broadway, with the Radio City Rockettes, and with professional dance companies in the USA and abroad. Krista is currently on faculty at Master Ballet Academy in Arizona, and is a nationally sought after guest teacher and choreographer.