Common Bodies, Uncommon Grace
The JohnC Art Ballet is rooted in the classical tradition, yet embraces a desire and passion for dance that inspires its members to explore new possibilities within the art form. With grit and enterprise, we defy stereotypes and honor the uniqueness of the individual in all that we do. Our goal is to bring the beauty of dance to any who desire to learn, experience, and ultimately express with it.
John C. Welch
Artistic Director & Ballet Master
John Welch is the Artistic Director and Ballet Master of the JohnC Art Ballet and the creator of the Cradle Method. Starting dance at the late age of 21, in just three years he was accepted as a Soloist in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, sight unseen, due to recommendation alone.
Mr. Welch is a Member (Advanced Standing) of the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) and the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD). He studied at the San Francisco Ballet School (Robert Gladstien and Maria Vulmar), the National Ballet of Canada, South Coast Repertory Summer Program, UCLA Extension Theatre Arts Program, Saskatchewan Dance Theatre (Lucia Pavlychenko), and the Alberta Ballet (Arnold Sphor). Other influential teachers include Peggy Carr, Zena Urman, Yvonne Cusack, Elizabeth Thompson, John Marshall, Georgnia McManus, Joan Hardy, and others.
Mr. Welch was an Associate Professor on the Dance Faculty of Scripps College in Claremont, California, where he, along with Gary Bates, established the degree program in dance and developed a technique for Beginning Ballet through Level IV. While at the university he also taught Pedagogy and choreography.
He was Director of the Dancer’s Mind School of Dance Arts in Santa Barbara, CA, and conducted private coaching with soloists from the Valerie Houston Dance Company and the Santa Barbara Ballet Company. He has also worked with body alignment and awareness on patients referred by local medical doctors, with athletes and weight trainers to prevent injuries, and created choreography for body builders.
Veronica Badzey
Associate Artistic Director/Founding Principal Dancer
Veronica is the Associate Artistic Director and a Founding Principal Dancer of the JohnC Art Ballet. Since 2001, she has performed 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 is a Certified Cradle Method Instructor, and has over ten years of experience teaching all levels of ballet for children and adults. She was Studio Manager at the Box Dance Studio, and served as Project Coordinator and Instructor for the Step in the Dark Dance Program for blind and visually impaired children.
Veronica gained her BA degree in Dance from the University of California at Irvine. Prior to joining the JohnC Art Ballet, she was a Soloist with the Palm Springs Ballet Company and a Principal Dancer with the Los Angeles Children’s Ballet Theater. She is trained in multiple ballet and modern dance styles, including Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), Checchetti, Bournonville, Balanchine, Russian/Polish, Horton, Humphrey, Graham, and more.
Ensemble of Soloists
This unique ensemble of dance artists supports and inspires each other to higher levels of artistry, dedication, and creative virtuosity. All dancers are trained extensively in the Cradle Method, leading to greater skill and longevity as performers. They not only train and perform with the company, but also serve as Teaching Artists at the School of Dance and community ambassadors for outreach programs.
Philosophy of Dance
The JohnC Art Ballet relies on an understanding of the natural potential for movement inherent in the human body. This unique approach to dance is called the Cradle Method. It emphasizes a heightened awareness of skeletal alignment that allows each dancer to move freely within their own body structure.
The result is breathtaking in its power and stunning in its capacity for rich, sweeping movement. It greatly reduces the risk of injury, as well as enhances the beauty of the natural line and produces a style of dance that is free from the constraints of an imposed, artificial form.
From Bach to Brazil
Fluid, expressive, and bold movement is the hallmark style of the JohnC Art Ballet. The choreography breaks away from the traditional European approach, but does not incorporate outside influences like modern or jazz.
Current repertoire includes works set to music by Mark O’Connor, Edgar Meyer, Arvo Pärt, Georg Philipp Telemann, Paulo Bellinati, Igor Stravinsky, Chanticleer, and more.