Growing dancers, one pirouette at a time
1,500 students later, her company and school thrive on Sea View grounds
Sunday, October 12, 2008
By MICHAEL J. FRESSOLA
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE
Advance File Photo
1,000 guests attended last year's Women of
Achievement luncheon. Of all of the boroughs of New York City, we here
on Staten Island have a unique relationship with one another. We live in
the biggest city in the country, yet there's a distinct feeling of
community within our borough. We take pride in our neighborhoods and our
schools and our community.
Community. That's the key word here.
For 46 years the Staten Island Advance has recognized a group of women each year that have performed extraordinary deeds for the good of the community. This year, we have selected a half a dozen women that have found a way to put community first and will soon get their much-deserved recognition.
Whether it's by teaching young children how to read, stocking the shelves at Project Hospitality, volunteering at a community health center or anything in between, these six women have undoubtedly increased the quality of life -- and strengthened the community they live in -- through their selfless deeds.
"I said to him, 'Paul, I don't think I have the money to do this.' And he said, 'What are credit cards for?'" -- Ellen Tharp
Years of commuting from Willowbrook to Manhattan for ballet
classes has as much to do with Ellen Rubich Tharp's life work -- her
Staten Island Ballet and School -- as anything.
At a tender age, irked by the daily back-and-forth, Ms. Tharp vowed to
establish legitimate ballet opportunities on the Island. That way,
ballet-driven kids like herself would have an option she didn't have: A
place to learn close to home.
She and her husband launched the company and the school simultaneously 16 years ago in the parish house of New Dorp Moravian Church. Ten years later, they found a permanent home, a free-standing building within the historic Sea View Hospital and Home complex.
Truth is, she approached the proposition gingerly, according to her husband, the business end of Staten Island Ballet. He nudged her toward taking the leap.
"I said to him, Paul, I don't think I have the money to do this," she
recalled. "And he said: What are credit cards for?"
She is most proud of the school/company interplay. She's adamant about
it: "I would not have a school without a company.
Why? Proximity. Having students and established professionals under the
same roof is mutually rewarding.
It's particularly beneficial for novices. "That way," she explained, "
students can immediately see why they are doing/learning everything they
are doing and learning."
Today, following a six-figure retrofitting, her school is as
well-equipped as any in the city and more appealing than most. One
studio has a long glass wall that faces the woods, making it seem as if
class is taking place in a leafy clearing.
Ms. Tharp took her first classes on the Upper East Side at age 10 with
Elfriede Merman of Manhattan Ballet. Later, she studied with Ms. Merman
at the Unitarian Church in New Brighton.
Much of the time she also commuted. "I would take the bus to the
ferry and meet my mother, who worked downtown, and she and I would head
uptown on the subway. Many times I was on the ferry at 11 at night."
The schedule -- she was motivated -- didn't leave time for after-school
activities or ordinary teen-aged interaction.
LIFE AS A 'BUNHEAD'
The former Ellen Rubich was born in Willowbrook into a middle-class home. Her late father, George, was a foreman for the city Department of Sanitation.
He was a self-taught guitarist. Otherwise, the household was not especially cultural or artistic. Her mother, Janet, joined the ranks of Women of Achievement in 2005. At 83, she is the school's costume consultant, sometime receptionist and full-time surrogate grandma. Motherhood has been delightful. "Ellen never gave us any trouble whatsoever," Mrs. Rubich said. "And anything she says she's going to do, she'll do."
By her own description, she was "a strange, tall girl in a long coat, a bunhead" (referring to the chignon that is the regulation ballet 'do). At Port Richmond High School, she had just one friend "and he was a cellist!"
Ms. Tharp studied English at Fordham University, Lincoln Center, and acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. afterwards she found work on soap operas, on radio and as a freelance dancer. Eventually she settled in at Manhattan Ballet, dancing all sorts of roles. "The advantage of a small company is that everyone gets to do everything."
One night, having joined some friends at a restaurant, she met a journalist from Texas. He'd come to the big city to be a newspaperman. He asked her what her favorite dinner entailed. Duck, she said. They made a date. "He was rather nice," she recalled, "older, intelligent, attentive. I loved the intelligence ... and it didn't hurt that he was handsome -- and employed." They were married in 1984.
CHRISTMAS COMES EARLY
Fall is hardly a week along and Christmas music already fills the
school. Auditions for the "Nutcracker" take place in late September and
rehearsals begin soon thereafter. Seats are already selling; the show is
a beloved holiday tradition.
Elements of the production are upgraded regularly. The settings,
costumes and lights are new. But it's been years since the company could
afford live music. Ms. Tharp very much regrets having to economize.
"Live music changes everything, for the dancers and the audience,"
she said. It is the company's most popular annual presentation
(although its New York International Choreographer's Festival late every
summer also is well attended
About 1,500 students have passed through the school, studying ballet,
modern dance, folk dance, jazz dance and other perfomance disciplines.
The majority learn acquire poise and confidence and gain a lifelong regard for physical well-being and an affection for the art form. In all likelihood, they are not headed into the professional performing arts. Every semester, a few are, however. Helping them into the business, as dancers or actors, is a privilege, Ms. Tharp believes.
Ryan Kelly, the actress, singer, Carnegie Mellon graduate and former
Miss Staten Island, is a grateful Tharp product.
"Amazing woman," Ms. Kelly said. "An innovative, classy lady who oozes
culture. I knew her first as a gorgeous dancer and performer, then as
the best and most specific ballet teacher I ever had."
Michael Fressola is arts editor for the Advance. He may be reached at
fressola@siadvance.com. Ellen Rubich Tharp Birthday: Sept. 13, 1954
Education: Port Richmond High School, Fordham University, and American
Academy of Dramatic Arts Family: Husband, Paul, and a collie, Laddie
Most proud of: The Staten Island Ballet's permanent home Typical
Saturday: Arive at school 8:30 a.m., teach until 2, home by 6 or 7. And
then, grilling dinner out-of-doors. Three wishes: 1) Completion: I'd
love to finish restoring my 100-year-old house 2) Legacy: I want the
company and school to survive me "by a long way" 3) Continuity: I want
to have a student who grows up to become a Woman of Achievement Last
book read: "A Life: George Balanchine" Favorite movie: A tie, "To Kill a
Mockingbird" and "A Patch of Blue" Biggest regret: Not finding the
fountain of youth because there are so many things I want to do Happiest
moment: Finding a home for the company and school, and having my parents
alive to see it
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