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American Ballet Theatre's Susan Jaffe, An American Legend, Visits the Maple Conservatory

Charles Maple, Director of the Maple Conservatory of Dance

August 10, 2007

In keeping with our mission at the Maple Conservatory to share our school with the entire Southern California dance community, last weekend we brought in former American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Susan Jaffe to teach two master classes at our school, which were open to the entire community. Susan is a genuine American legend in the ballet world. What an honor it was to have her teach and share her passion for ballet at our new school!

Susan Jaffe with Charles at the Maple Conservatory of Dance

I have known Susan for over 25 years. I remember when she first arrived at ABT in 1980 as a member of the corp de ballet. All of us at ABT were in awe of her. It was already evident that there was something very special about Susan. Not only was she a beautiful woman with an impeccable line and technique, she also possessed a charismatic demeaner that spoke of greater things to come. And come they did!

Her debut in a major role was in 1980 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. She was plucked from the corps for the opening night season to dance opposite with Alexander Godunov (who recently defected from the now-defunct Soviet Union) in the pas de deux Pas d'Esclave from Le Corsaire.

From there, Susan rocketed skyward in her career with ABT and never looked back. Her performances were consistently noted for emotional sincerity fused with technical grace. She received critical praise for her interpretations of such roles as: Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Kitri in Don Quixote, Nikiya & Gamzatti in La Bayadère, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Swanhilda in Coppelia, Tatiana in John Cranko's Eugene Onegin, Kate in Taming of the Shrew and the title roles in Giselle, La Sylphide and Kenneth MacMillan's Anastasia and Manon. Susan become one of the leading ballerinas of her time, performing in all of the major opera houses throughout Europe and the United States.

Susan retired from ABT in June 2002. Since then she has become an amazing teacher. She's a forthright woman with a quick wit who believes that with a clear head and hard work, anything is possible. Her dance career is defintely proof of that.

Susan has tremendous insight into what it takes to be a dancer and to have a professional career and make that transition from dancer to teacher because she has done it all. Her philosophy is straight-forward and simple: "It's not just pirouettes, big jumps and things like that," she says. "I have different sensibilities. I like to work with the students on a much more intimate level. Dance is an art; it's infused with a flame. It's not infused with 'I did another pirouette today.' It has to be nurtured and developed."

Emma Appel, who is an aspiring ballerina, came ready to learn and be inspired by this amazing artist. "Ms. Jaffe's class was so enjoyable," she says. "Her enthusiasm really showed in her teaching style. She gave me useful corrections that I will definitely use to improve my dancing. It was exciting to take a master class from someone who was not only a beautiful dancer, but is also a beautiful teacher."

Erica Comp, age 14, noted that, "Each prima ballerina brings her own unique qualities to the stage and possesses a special essence that makes her great. It was spectacular having Ms. Jaffe provide us with a rich knowledge that we could learn from."

At the Maple Conservatory, we believe that every dancer should be given the opportunity to train as if they are going to be a professional, even if that is not their ultimate ambition. Though the bar is set high, my hand-selected faculty has the professional experience to help the dancers reach that bar while teaching them determination, discipline and total commitment to the artform. We all know that ballet is excellent for posture and health. But, I also believe that the study of ballet is a great confidence builder and can enrich the life of any individual, no matter their dance career path. By learning to master their body, dancers become more resourceful. In short, studying ballet builds character and a love for the art of dance.

Susan Jaffe is an embodiment of that philosophy.

Thank you Susan for a great master class! And thank you for sharing your passion for dance and your infinite wisdom and for inspiring a future generation of dancers to see beyond their technique and into their soul!

Charles A. Maple
Director, Maple Conservatory of Dance
Email: info@mapleconservatory.com