Choreography

John Welch, Artistic Director

John Welch is the Artistic Director and Ballet Master of The JohnC Art Ballet. He is the creator of the Cradle Method, an innovative approach to learning the art of classical ballet, and is the Director of the Box Dance Studio and Ballet Academy. He is also the Director and Lead Instructor for the Step in the Dark dance program for blind and visually-impaired children.

Under the direction of Maria Lewis, he has performed as a soloist at the Pacific Ballet Theatre (Vancouver, BC). Mr. Welch held a position as an Associate Professor on the Dance Faculty of Scripps College in Claremont, CA where he developed a technique for Beginning Ballet through Level IV and taught Pedagogy and choreography. Mr. Welch acted as the Director of the Dancer's Mind School of Dance Arts in Santa Barbara, CA. He has conducted private coaching with soloists from the Valerie Houston Dance Company and the Santa Barbara Ballet Company. He also has worked with body alignment and awareness with patients referred by local medical doctors, including work with athletes and weight trainers to prevent injuries and conducting choreography for body builders.

"John's method of dance would superficially appear to be a radical departure from the accepted norms of traditional ballet. I prefer to consider his concepts revolutionary."

—Michelle C. White, Assistant Professor, University of Montana

Personal Statement

Dear Friend:

Dance isn't a matter of bending knees or torsos, but of bending minds and spirits. This art delves into dimensional thinking that other disciplines don't dare attempt.

Imagine an absolutely perfect world. Everything has its perfect place. Every word is absolutely correct. There is no way to communicate, except perfectly. Imagine how miserable and suffocating that world would be, without the possibility of variation: With no place for the mercurial or capricious. This world would painfully lack Nature and all the glory of its spontaneous embodiment.

The JohnC Art Ballet places complete trust in the inspired breath that spontaneity can bring. For those who are willing to surrender their need for perfectionism, this approach facilitates a ubiquitous understanding of the meaning and power of potential that resides in the self.

Each member of the JohnC Art Ballet does not work to be perfect, or absolutely upright, but instead cultivates an understanding of their frail and alterable natures. Our goal is to make the hidden nuances within the individual clearer and more influential. The JohnC Art Ballet strives to discover "the freedom of commitment." Spontaneity and invention empower those who desire liberation from the confining closet of perfectionism.

I like to dwell on what I call the "one-degree syndrome." Imagine two lines that are separated by one degree. At first glance, they seem to be very close together. But then imagine these two lines trailing off into an infinite distance. Now the distance between the two lines has the potential of becoming infinite as well. Now that one degree has become a rather significant distance. However, simply by shifting one of the lines by a single degree, the lines experiences a profound and significant change as it moves closer to "connecting" with the other line.

The same principle applies to a person's self-concept and creative capacities. Sometimes a person's perception of their creative capacity is a mere "one degree" separate from reality. Simply changing that person's awareness, even slightly, can have the same significant impact as moving one of the lines closer to the other. As self-concept and creative capacity move closer together, the dancer experiences profound change. Its range of influence extends into the whole of a person's life and increasingly broadens their creativity as an artist. He or she begins to move more fluidly, with more strength of soul. The dance becomes an organic experience that, in turn, brings the audience one degree closer to the art.

This is one process that I use to broaden the scope of each dancer's understanding of their own strengths and inner velocity. One significant degree at a time.

At your service,

John Welch
Artistic Director, The JohnC Art Ballet

Veronica Etelka Badzey, Principal Dancer

Veronica is a founding member of The JohnC Art Ballet and The Hartfel Foundation, and has been performing with the company as a Principal Dancer since May of 2001. She has danced in many original choreographic works by John Welch, including Appalachian Interpretations, In Spirit, Christmas Hymns, the Tango variation from Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat, and Baroque to Brazil. Veronica teaches at the Box Dance Studio as an instructor in ballet, and as an Assistant Instructor in the Step in the Dark dance program for the blind. She gained her BA degree in Dance from the University of California at Irvine.

Personal Statement

"I thought I was a decent dancer when I first met John: not fabulous, or wonderful, or even good, just decent. I had an image of what I wanted to be, but that image rarely reached beyond mediocrity. Deep down inside existed a child who had daring dreams; dreams of being expressive and virtuosic. But that dreamer, that child who still loved the art of dance, was so smothered beneath practicality and prejudices of the real world that I doubt she even knew she was still alive. Somewhere in the midst of trying to be someone else, or simply not to be myself, I had forgotten who I really was.

It was like a bubble surrounded me, protecting me from what I knew was coming?failure. "Decent" dancers do not have successful dance careers. And I don't think I've ever heard of a "decent" painter, or musician, or sculptor who became a true and inspirational artist.

So when I came to John for classes, I had already decided who I was and who I could be. In my arrogance I thought I knew best. I had figured it out: I knew my limitations, I knew my potential, I knew what I could be and I scoffed, outwardly at least, at anyone who told me otherwise.

Enter John. And enter upheaval, frustration, aggravation, and true emotional distress. In essence, the bubble shattered.

John challenged every limitation I had ever constructed. He got inside my head and knew me better than I knew myself. He saw that child who still dreamed wild, impossible dreams and he became determined to see her succeed. I had been told that I didn't have the body for a classical dancer, I didn't have the facility or the talent, and that it was just too hard and not worth it. One of my teachers even told my classmates and I not to bother becoming a professional because it didn't pay well enough. None of us would ever get past the corps de ballet level.

But John was different. He saw past my anger and frustration to a person who still clung to a passion for her art. He believed in me because he believed that anything manmade could be mastered, and ballet was just one more man-made form of expression. He didn't subscribe to the prejudices and stereotypes that everyone else in the ballet world did. He didn't just pay lip service to the idea that anyone could succeed. He acted on it. He challenged. He pushed me to discover my real potential and not simply accept the standard that I had been spoon-fed.

I cannot express the distress this caused in my life. My house of cards tumbled down, throwing my whole self into disarray. I felt vulnerable and scared. I wasn't really sure who I was anymore, but what I wanted was becoming clearer. The child inside who wanted to fly was finally being given her chance. And I was giving her that chance. Though I was angry and resistant at first, I started to believe that I could be more than "decent." And I also started to realize that everyone has that potential, if given the chance. The limitations and prejudices that people place on each other are never powerful enough to overcome passionate determination. The spirit is not weak and ethereal, but strong and determined, quite ready to face the challenges of the "real world."

Through all of this, I cannot say enough about John and his belief in the Hartfel Ballet. The strength of our company is made up of the strength of its members, and John has fought hard to bring us to where we are today.

I can now honestly say that my dancing is now much more than "decent." And even more exciting is that I see myself growing even more, eventually touching that virtuosic and amazing realm of a real artist."

Catherine Bonomini, Principal Dancer

Catherine is a founding member of The JohnC Art Ballet and The Hartfel Foundation, and has been performing with the company as a Principal Dancer since January of 2001. She has danced in many original choreographic works by John Welch, including Appalachian Interpretations, In Spirit, Christmas Hymns, the Tango variation from Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat, and Baroque to Brazil. Catherine taught at The Box Dance Studio as an instructor in ballet, jazz, and hip-hop, and as an Assistant Instructor in the Step in the Dark dance program for the Blind. She gained her BA degree in Dance from the University of California at Irvine.

Personal Statement

"Training with the JohnC Art Ballet is not a physical conditioning program to make us look like dancers and hope that people like what they see when they come to watch a performance.

The JohnC Art Ballet is a true process of transformation that communicates an honest love, a humble foundation, and a unique belief in community that begins in the classroom and culminates for the audience. If I do not set aside pride and elitism and replace it with love and humility, then those watching would see an empty facade, and not experience true art. The JohnC Art Ballet is for me more than a dance company. It has become a family. We grow and cry together. We struggle with each other's frustrations and our own. We are brought together by a common dream, with a common goal to share our newly found passion for life through our dance.

The JohnC Art Ballet's message is to fully commit to every aspect of dance and demand response, and then apply that intensity to human relationships and interaction. To maintain integrity at all levels and in every situation, not be one person here and another there, say one thing to one person and another to someone else. We learn to foster a genuine belief in the beauty of human nature, and a desire to bring it out in others.

You may say this is my drive to honor the spirit of each individual that is really one spirit, a summary of all. I now seek truth in places where I used to want perfection and only found dead ends. I now find resolve in the exploration of questions. Through that experience, I gain knowledge and growth; the answer not important. The process now creates purpose instead of trying to find one.

I have found imagination again, belief in a dream, reality in the impossible. I've integrated new perceptions, appreciation for the gifts I've been given, and a desire to honor those gifts with my actions.

Humans have an innate desire to be understood. As an artist, I ask for others to merely have the desire to want to understand and to seek comprehension.

The growth, the excitement, the dream, has and will only come to be, because of John Welch and his sacrificial and undying commitment to this art and us. Through his tough love, extreme patience, and priceless guidance we are growing towards becoming what we once didn't even dare dream to be true dance artists.

I now believe dance does not exist for me; I exist to dance."

Sarah Isaacson, Principal Dancer

Sarah began training with The JohnC Art Ballet in August 2007 as a Senior Apprentice and was promoted to Principal Dancer in September 2008. She has appeared in Appalachian Interpretations and Baroque to Brazil. She joins us after graduating with a BFA in Dance Performance from Butler University, Indiana. She has performed with the Butler Ballet and Butler Chamber Dance, where she had the opportunity to tour to Taipei, Taiwan. Sarah also teaches jazz at The Box Dance Studio, and is an Assistant Instructor for the Step in the Dark dance program for the blind.

Personal Statement

I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana. After graduating college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance I auditioned for dance companies everywhere in the Midwest, but nothing seemed to fit. After I auditioned at the JohnC Art Ballet, I knew that this was the place I needed to be. I knew I was going to be challenged and that it was not going to be easy - but I also knew I needed it. John Welch, the artistic director, seemed to know instantly what has been holding me back from being a great dancer. Instead of believing in what I wanted, I was listening to everyone else around me telling me how I would fail. The training here is unlike anything I have received, seen or heard of before. Every day, John demands that we engage on a personal level with our art, so that we become more sensitive to the world around us. John truly cares for and believes in each and every one of us. I have been with the company for almost three years now, and since then I have learned to finally and honestly dance from the heart.

Cassandra Salmen, Principal Dancer

Cassandra, our newest Company Member, comes to us from Tucson, Arizona, a graduate of the University of Arizona with a BFA degree in Dance. She joined The JohnC Art Ballet in 2009 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in January of 2011. Cassandra teaches ballet and jazz at The Box Dance Studio, and is an Assistant Instructor for the Step in the Dark dance program for the blind.

Personal Statement

I have been with JohnC Art Ballet for one and a half years now. I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona and also went to school there at The University of Arizona. I moved to Southern California to join the company right after auditioning because from the first plie I did in that audition, I knew this was where I belonged. I heard things that I would have never thought about before, like "dancing is just fancy walking" and anyone with any body can do it with the right mind set. Everyone has the ability to change, we only need to welcome it.

Although my journey here has just started, I have already learned so much. And it does not end at understanding how to REALLY do a plie and tendu. I am learning about who I really am, about the art and expression of ballet, about being aware and sensitive to everything in life. I am learning how to truly feel and embrace my art fully and become a true artist. I never realized how unaware I was of my dancing -- the art in dancing, expressing, and really everything around me until I started dancing here.

Yoko Sasaki, Principal Dancer

Born and raised in Miyagi, Japan, Yoko trained with Ishinomaki Ballet, where she performed in many classical ballets. Since coming to California she has performed with the Wenta Ballet and Ballet Collective in Los Angeles, before joining The JohnC Art Ballet as a Senior Apprentice in July 2007. She has appeared in Appalachian Interpretations and Baroque to Brazil, and was promoted to Principal Dancer in September 2008. She is also an Assistant Instructor for the Step in the Dark dance program for the blind.

Personal Statement

I was born and raised in Japan, but came to America seeking more opportunities for my career as a dancer. After my first class with John Welch, the artistic director, I immediately fell in love with the way this company moves. Every single word from Mr.Welch makes it clear to me exactly what I really need to do to reach my true potential as an artist. He takes me out of my mechanical, box-like way of thinking and moving. He constantly challenges me to break the rules, even the limitations imposed on me from my personal culture. This freedom has allowed me to transform as a dancer, and I am now on my way to becoming a virtuoso artist with the power to move audiences on a spiritual and emotional level. Because we also train to be injury-free, (unheard of in the dance world), I know that my career with the JohnC Art Ballet will not end until I decide to retire.

Meagan Ververa, Company Trainee

Meagan started dancing with The JohnC Art Ballet in 2006 as a student, and was promoted to Company Trainee in September of 2008. She lives with her husband Mario in Lake Elsinore and was recently hired as a teacher for special needs children in the Elsinore Valley School District. She has taught Hip Hop for The Box Dance Studio and choreographed for recitals, and worked as an Assistant Instructor in the Step in the Dark dance program for the blind.