Her teachers include: Ivan Kramar (NDT), Piotr Nardelli (Béjart), Wini Jacobs (Royal balletschool Anwerp), Benjamin Harkarvy, Sonia Marchiolli, choreographer/rehearsal director Joy Newton (Nutcracker and Coppelia for Koninklijk Jeugdtheater Antwerp) and Aryeh Weiner as her rehearsal director for Maranoa Lullaby.
Picture: Mirella (Misha) Simoncini
(c) jph-fotografie/Jean Pierre Heijmans
Balletschool Mabel Alter is directed by Mirella Simoncini. The school was founded in 1970 by Mabel Alter.
An injury made her stop dancing fulltime. She developed a new interest in journalism - working for television and hosting a radioshow on the national channel 3FM. 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.
Since 2002 she is the owner of the private school: Balletschool Mabel Alter and artistic director for SUMMERSCHOOL Den Haag. As a rehearsal director and teacher Simoncini has been commited to the Student by Invitation programme including Inspiration Project I and II.
Picture by: Robert Benschop
INSPIRATION PROJECT I
The first Inspiration Project received support in many ways: KORZO and the Nederlands Dans Theater offered rehearsal space, Scapino Ballet gave all dancers free pointe shoe's, the Rotterdamse Dansacademie took care of the wardrobe and the Holland Dance Festival produced an extra performance.
Coming up in 2007: Inspiration Project II
ROYAL PERFORMANCE
By the end of 2005 Simoncini was invited to create a performance for the Dutch Queen Beatrix. Part of the presentation was Simoncini's Spanish Dance from Coppelia after Petipa performed by Charlotte v/d Reek.
Other Petipa repertoire directed by Simoncini include Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty Fairy Variations and Swan Lake, performed by her own students and students from the different Dutch professional dance-institutions.
Rehearsal Coppelia (L) Viridiana Hernandez Martinez (Royal Conservatoire, The Hague) (R) Marloes Meents (Nationale Balletacademie, Amsterdam) Photo by: Robert Benschop
