Please take our survey by following this link.

[View with PicLens]

Last day, warm again. Last night we all met up for dinner at a Czech Restaurant over the bridge near the National Theatre called Olympia Kolkovna. It was very nice. Elisabeth Maurin could only join us after dinner as she had to put the little ones to bed first. So at about 21.15 we all met up again by the tram stop 17, and took the tram to the Fontana show. All I can say is that it is an experience and the fountains are beautiful.

This morning is very hectic as you can imagine. Trying to set up the party, look after my daughter, change the water fountain, create a survey and sell leg warmers for grandma. Daria Klimentová and Christopher Hampson for class again today. A lot had decided to do it in fancy dress for some reason. Julio Bocca is having a show day today and afterwards he will give a T-shirt signed by all the teachers to a worthy recipient. Elisabeth Maurin is having a similar morning downstairs in Studio 1.

It is now midnight and Daria and Sabina and I have just got home after the party. This afternoon Christopher Hampson to the large repertoire class whilst the pas de deux was going on downstairs. At 16.30 Christopher brought all his dancers downstairs to say goodbye to Julio, who had to leave at 17.00 to catch his flight back to Argentina as his mother is being honoured tomorrow in Buenos Aires, and you can’t miss that can you. He made a beautiful speech from the heart and then signed and posed with all of them before we whisked him away. With luck, with schedules, we will be able to have him return very very soon. Such a lovely man you need to have around as much as possible, it is good for our souls. Just as he left the catering was delivering for the party, so Sabina helped them unload the van and directed them where to put the right food in the right place. Christopher and I then played barmen for the next hour before we had our little give away session, Daria gives away lots of calendars, pointe shoes, ballet wear etc etc, plus photos of the teachers, and Christopher gave away his old jazz shoes, unbelievably there was a fight over them (not a real fight of course). We presented the lovely Elisabeth Maurin with some Veuve Cliquot and she got a very warm reception from the dancers, it was lovely. I then spend the next two hours cleaning up as we go whilst Christopher serves drinks and entertains in one corner, and Daria gets surrounded by the Czech contingency in another. A good team effort. So until next year, thank you for reading and or attending, we could not do it at all without you. We are not about money at all, we are non-profit. To give you an idea, it cost Julio a fortune to be with us. He didn’t need to be with us and we could not afford him, so he paid for himself to be with us. We did all we could afford to do and he made up the rest out of his own pocket (it’s a long way from Argentina). As I have said, this is a wonderful man with a really special spirit, we are very lucky to be considered his friends and the young dancers have learnt not only to be better dancers with his tips, but also have experienced how to be. Next year will be from the 26th July to the 7th August and we will have another fantastic line up for you I assure you. If you can be bothered please take our survey at this link. We would appreciate it very much. I shall be adding more albums from different photographers that popped in and out over the last two weeks later on the next week or so as they arrive, so look out for them. But this picture is for the Puerto Rican, Spanish and Italian contingency. I am of course still available by phone for the next couple of days until you all leave the country. Until next time, take care. Ian.

Once again a sunny day. We had a full house for Julio’s interview last night. There is not a nicer, more humble man than Julio Bocca. He has done everything possible in his dancing career and was at the top for over 20 years, his last show being performed in front of 300,000 adoring fans on a perfect moonlit night in the main square in Buenos Aires. That is three tmes as many fans than Madonna gets for a concert. And yet he is charming, funny, interesting, great company with a naughty sense of humour and (again this word) humble. You cannot help but love Julio. It took months of persuading to get him to even consider coming to the Masterclass Sessions, he has avoided the studio these past two years since his last show, and has been very busy with his Foundation in Argentina (he supports and educates many young people from poor communities around the country) and of course he has constant offers which we could not possibly match. I don’t know why he eventually agreed, this was a big step for him teaching /coaching for the first time, but we are very honoured and happy that he is with us. He showed us a private video last night of moments from his career, at the end there was not a dry eye from us older ones (Daria, Barbora, Elisabeth, Christopher and myself) and the applause from the young next generation of dancers was incredible and lasted a long time, they all wanted their photo taken with him and he stayed as long as they wanted. Afterwards Christopher took him for a beer by the river. Julio had to be a last interview because we were not going to top that this year. Even though he has never wanted to teach dance he has in fact been teaching it by example since he was 19 years old and a Principal at ABT, and the YouTube generation have been amazed by his virtuosity for many years (there are over 600 hundred clips of his dancing on it). I hope this has been a positive experience for him because, as Daria says he has even taught her some great tips (you’re never too old to learn). We also of course hope that he will return to us one year.

Daria Klimentová and Christopher Hampson giving general class today. Eric Linder’s father turned up today from the USA for a bit of sight seeing and I have to go now to the jewellers to collect a bracelet they have repaired for us. I hope you all found the photos of last week from Milan Fara which is a sub album of the 2009 Masterclass Gallery.

Slight incident at the hostel last night, a window broke whilst being opened, all ok though, i just have to pay for it. Another sunny day. Daria Klimentová is taking Elisabeth Maurin’s class and Julio Bocca is taking Nina Bzoradová’s. There is always a buzz of excitment when one of the stars also takes class with them. Milan Fara, a local photographer, has given us some pictures of last week for you to see, I will add them as a sub album to Daria’s tonight so that you can see them all. But in the meantime here are one or two.

[View with PicLens]

[View with PicLens]

Tonight after pas de deux we are interviewing Julio, he has brought over with him a very special short film put together by a TV company, which will knock them out. These are private tapes he has, and very very impressive.

Yesterday was a bit drizzily and overcast but today is back to being warm and sunny so far. Class this morning is being given by Elisabeth Maurin (our former Paris Opera Etoile) and Nina Brzoradová (who flits between here, as ballet mistresss, and New York). Nina got quite a shock to see that Julio Bocca had decided to take her class (they have mutual friends in New York), and became quite nervous and star struck. It was very sweet.

[View with PicLens]

Daria has a meeting this morning with the National Theatre and TV and sponsors, to discuss the Gala we have planned, here in Prague at the National Theatre in March (two shows because they say so many people will want to come) to celebrate her 1000 professional performances. A busy day.

Last night Christopher interviewed Elisabeth Maurin and we showed some film of her dancing.She has created many roles in Paris Opera and of course danced all the classics. The tapes were vey impressive for the dancers. Tonight I interview Barbora Kohoutkova, she won many golds at competitions as a young dancer and then sadly had her career cut short through injury.

So, if any of you are interested, click on this link to see week one photos by Daria Klimentová, or get there from our galleries page.

[View with PicLens]

Second week Tuesday already, my goodness. Barbora Kohoutkova and Vaclav Janecek for class again today, their last day. Elisabeth and Julio for solo and this afternoon Natasa for contemporary and Julio and Daria for pas de deux. Just a normal day at the office.

We are very honoured to have with us Julio Bocca, especially as this is his first time ever doing this sort of thing. I have never had any one quite so nervous before his first solo class. Tamara Rojo was very very nervous, as was Agnes Oaks, who both coached here for the first time, but Julio was by far the most nervous. Amazingly as soon as we introduced him and he started, he had won them over, and they him. It is great to have such a ballet legend with us, I hope the boys (and girls in pas de deux) one day realise how special these opportunities are. Cynthia Harvey said that Julio was an amazing partner, and Daria certainly agrees. We had all the teachers sneakily watch the boys solo from the door (plus a lot of the girls waiting for their solo turn in the lower studio).

We had Vaclav Janecek in to give general class today. Solos with Julio and Elisabeth Maurin, and this afternoon either Contemporary with Natasa Novotna or pas de deux with Julio Bocca and Daria Klimentova. Pas de deux was packed, more than should be there as they sneak in instead of doing the other class. They all love pas de deux so much and we don’t want to force people to go away, they all want to take every opportunity and moment to learn from Julio and Daria, two fantastic partners, and I can’t blame them. I shall get a little more time tomorrow to post some photos.

Elisabeth Maurin’s solo is La Cigarette. This is going down very well, it is such an elegant solo, and Elisabeth is such and elegant Paris Opera Etoile, what could be better for them. She is also lovely, and has her two children with her. one 18 months and one five. Beautiful.