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Business & Tech

Benicia Arsenal Services: Benicia Ballet School and Theatre

Director melds classical ballet, new orchestra, and diverse class offerings into vibrant community organization.

Patch periodically interviews businesses in the Industrial Park and Historic Benicia Arsenal. Patch interviewed Margaret Kenrick, co-owner of , and artistic director of non-profit Benicia Ballet Theatre, located in the Arsenal. Kenrick shares with Patch the classes available for the both adults and children, and her unique vision for community involvement.

How long has The Benicia Ballet School and Theatre been in the Arsenal?
Benicia Ballet School was founded by Jeanie Pors well over two decades ago, and has been in the Arsenal at least that long. I started performing with her 17 years ago. Four years ago, when Jeanie retired, my family and I thought this was a beautiful community, so we took it over. It is now an LLC, owned by my mother, father and me; I serve as artistic director of the nonprofit arm, Benicia Ballet Theater. Professionally, I danced with the Pacific Northwest Ballet. I’m employed in neuroscience for Genentech and as a professor at Los Medanos College in health.

Tell us about your teaching approach and classes.
When I was trained in ballet, it was very, very serious, so I try to make it fun, to take the beauty and specific training and think of the overall health of the kids. Because of my health background, we have a focus on nutrition; we do health seminars.

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People tease me about my work in biology and what it has to do with dance, and the answer is everything. When I was seven, I was told I was told I would never dance. I had knobby knees, flat feet, and tight hips. So I learned physically what I could do without injury. I had a wonderful teacher who taught me to make the dance for the dancer, not for the dance.   So we never force a dancer into the role – every dance here is a little different because we always have different kids. None of my teachers are allowed to just do the same thing every year.

And since I work at Genentech, another concern is making sure these kids learn to present  themselves, that they are not afraid of getting out there, making a mistake. They learn that life goes on and they should be proud of what they can do.

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We also have Marlene Ann Gibbs who teaches a demanding yoga class which I encourage my dancers to take. Recently, we had Sensei Jim join us who is teaching karate. We are putting together a Ninja Ballet.

Your vision for the organization has prompted the inclusion of an orchestra in your performances. Isn’t that unusual?
Two of my (students’) parents are PhD’s, professors at Los Medanos Collgege in music who were inspired by our approach. So they wanted to bring an orchestra in. We now have the Benicia Festival Orchestra. In our summer show, co-sponsored by the City of Benicia, we performed at the Empress Theater in Vallejo. We had to take out the three front rows of seats so we had room for an orchestra. Just this week, Solano College offered to let us use the Solano Orchestra. We are going to perform the Nutcracker and have the orchestra right on stage with us. They will be upstage and serve as a picture frame for our dancers.  It is amazing what is coming together. 

Is funding difficult?
Yes, it is now up to us to raise the funds to make all of this work, but at least we have this nonprofit so can provide scholarships for students that need it.  There is no child left behind for sure.  Everyone that wants to be in the show can be in the show, whether they are a student here or not.

How do you get the word out about your location? 
Well, the location is a little hard to find. But all of our parents tell us this is a beautiful inspirational place, a (Benicia) institution. We are sponsoring an upcoming Chamber mixer here.

Anything else you like to tell your Benicia neighbors?
I want others to know that this is becoming an exceptional community organization. I want this to go beyond me, to take on a life of its own. I hope that everybody can contribute their artistic talents here from any endeavor. The hardest thing a ballet company has is the preconceived notion of ballet. I noticed as people enjoyed the orchestra, they came to appreciate ballet.  I am seeing a community willing to experience something new and enjoying it.    

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