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ABT – Kirov Dancers named Principal Dancers at Fonteyn Academy 

March 30, 2007 PEEKSKILL, NY -- Fonteyn Academy Artistic Director Ken Ludden announced today that he has added two new principal dancers to the ranks of professionals working with the Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet.  Dartanion Reed, formerly of American Ballet Theatre, and Keiko Nakamura, graduate of the Kirov Ballet’s Vaganova Choreographic Institute have begun work in preparation for filming different classics in the Academys “Dance Classics Library Productions”.  They join Tai Jimenez, principal dancer with the Boston Ballet, as featured dancers in the newly developing DVD series. 

“Keiko and Dartanion will be major assets to our program,” director Ludden said, “as they are already recognized internationally for their high standard of classical dancing, but also because they are willing to work very hard to bring the classics to a standard worthy of the Fonteyn affiliation.” 

The Dance Classics Library Productions are DVDs under development that will be distributed to schools across America.  The series gives pre-packaged lessons of varying lengths to teachers across the country, with lessons specifically geared to each grade level (First Grade through High School Seniors).   

Nakamura and Reed, co-founders of the Hartford City Ballet, starred along with Jimenez in the Fonteyn Academy’s benefit Nutcracker Ballet at the Paramount Center for the Arts in Peekskill, NY, where the Academy is located.  As lively Fritz and Clara, the couple showed “not only their impeccable dance technique, but refreshing acting ability,” Ludden adds. “We are already in the studio working hard each day.” 

Filming will begin in about a month, with a portion of the newest work to be shown at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville, New York.  Nakamura and Reed will join Ludden and others on Mothers Day at the Burns Center to discuss the works on film of famed ballerina Margot Fonteyn, and to speak about the legacy of Fonteyn as they experience it at the Fonteyn Academy.  A film clip of “The Wind’s Bride”, a work-in-progress by Ludden, will feature the pair.