Picture: Mirella (Misha) Simoncini
(c) jph-fotografie/Jean Pierre Heijmans
Director:
Mirella Simoncini
Balletschool Mabel Alter is directed by Mirella Simoncini. Her school is primarily focused and specialised in classical ballet and is one of the few schools offering professional training for amateur students at all levels as well as a Support Programme for Young dancers and vocational students.
Simoncini received her education at the Royal Balletschool of Antwerp, Codarts Rotterdamse Dansacademie and Nederlands Dans Theater. Teachers include: Ivan Kramar (NDT), Piotr Nardelli, Wini Jacobs (Royal Ballet School Anwerp), Benjamin Harkarvy, Sonia Marchiolli and Joy Newton. An injury made her stop dancing. She developed a new interest in journalism, working for National Radio and TV. After traveling for several broadcast companies to the United States and Former-Yugoslavia, she found her way back to ballet while making radio documentaries about choreographers.
At present she is artistic director for Summerschool Den Haag, a dedicated freelance balletteacher and in charge of the private school Balletschool Mabel Alter.
Her classes are visited by students and dancers coming a.o. from the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (NL), Nationale Ballet Academie (NL), The Royal Ballet School (GB), Royal Balletschool of Antwerp (BE), Szkola Baletowa Ogolnoksztalcaca,(PL), International Dance Theatre (NL), Ecole Supèrieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Higthower (FR) and Dutch Dance Academies Fontys, ArtEZ and Codarts.
Recently she has been teaching at Danshuis Station Zuid (Tilburg) and De Stilte (Breda).
Picture by: Robert Benschop
INSPIRATION PROJECT
She is commited to the Student by Invitation programme which includes coaching young dancers, and working with choreographers currently connected to dance companies and the freelance contemporary dance scene.
Several versions of Inspiration Project have been produced with students from the Nationale Ballet Academie Amsterdam, Royal Conservatory The Hague and Codarts Rotterdamse Dance Academy.
The repertory directed by her include variations from: Giselle, Odalisques/Le Corsaire and Coppelia. The Spanish Dance from Coppelia created by Simoncini (after Petipa), was performed for the Dutch Queen Beatrix in a live broadcasting by the NOS.
She collaborated with Keith-Derrick Randolph for Inspiration Project II and with Maurice Causey for Inspiration Project III.
In 2005 Mirella Simoncini initiated the first (inter)national Summerschool in the city of the Hague; Summerschool Den Haag.
Rehearsal Coppelia (L) Viridiana Hernandez Martinez (Royal Conservatoire, The Hague) (R) Marloes Meents (Nationale Balletacademie, Amsterdam)
Photo by: Robert Benschop
