Jazz at the Straz this weekend!

Jazz students, and anyone who enjoys great music, check out local jazz legends performing this weekend at the Straz Center.

The first Jazz at the Straz concert features local favorite Fred Johnson with the Jazz Cellar Underground Orchestra.

Enjoy your Saturday evening with us, listening to that smooth jazz vibe in the intimate TECO Theater.

Jazz Cellar Underground Orchestra

Jazz at the Straz is a concert series that supports the jazz program at the Patel Conservatory and culminates in a side-by-side concert with the Patel Conservatory Jazz Ensemble students in the spring. Click here for more information about our jazz music and voice programs.

This weekend's Jazz at the Straz concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the TECO Theater. Click here for tickets.

Try a class for FREE!

We know you want to. You've been thinking about it. So why not come in to the Patel Conservatory and finally give that class a try?

Now is your perfect opportunity! The Patel Conservatory offers "Try a Class for Free Week" Sept. 27 through Oct. 2. Get your body moving in one of our adult dance classes, or let your preschooler explore in Making Music Magic or Creative Drama.  How about picking up that instrument you haven't touched since high school? Check out our Jazz Ensemble or Rock School classes.

Now is the time! Classes are available for children and adults of all ages, in music, theater and dance. Explore your own potential, reach for your dreams, discover new talent and create magic. It's all right here within reach at the beautiful downtown campus at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

Already enrolled at the Patel Conservatory? Don't be shy, tell a friend! If you refer a friend and they enroll, you'll get one month free! So share with your friends how much you enjoy the programs at the Patel Conservatory. (start by sharing this link on your FB page, or Tweet it!)
View a complete list of classes here, then simply register to try or observe your favorites by calling 222-1002. We'll see you next week!

Never stop learning

Looking for something to do this weekend? Check out Jayne Trinette, a winner in the Patel Conservatory’s recent Tampa’s Got Talent, in her Tribute to Lena Horne at American Stage.

As an actor and singer with Broadway experience under her belt, Jayne Trinette thought no one but New York theater professionals could train her.

Trinette, 40, relocated from New York to Ybor City two years ago with her husband. She teaches acting classes at the Ybor Art Studio. 

Last year, when Trinette was developing the idea for a cabaret show with American Stage, she enrolled in the Patel Conservatory’s Musical Theater Cabaret class.

“I know how to be in front of people and sing, but putting a show together where you can musically arrange things to work for you, I needed to gain that experience,” said Trinette. “Ashley Fisher taught me elements I was not aware of...she gave me expert advice on things like how to put the show together and engaging your audience. I feel empowered by that.

Once I took the classes, I knew exactly how to go about it.”

Pianist James Crumbly Jr. was the accompanist for the class.

“He can play anything. I thought, it just keeps getting better,” said Trinette, who ended up partnering with Crumbly for A Tribute to Lena Horne.

Trinette was so enamored with the Patel Conservatory that she signed up for several more classes. This past summer, she enrolled in six classes, including two dance classes, the cabaret class, Jazz Voice Ensemble and On-Camera Acting.

Excited to hone her skills, Trinette hadn’t counted on the advantage of having a performance at the end of each class. Most classes at the Patel Conservatory include a final performance to put into practice the skills acquired.

“I just wanted to take classes and learn some things, I had no idea we’d be having a performance. It was a big plus,” she said.

It was her classmates who encouraged Trinette to participate in Tampa’s Got Talent. She assumed scholarships would be awarded to children and hadn’t counted on winning anything.

To her surprise, she found out on her 40th birthday that she’d won a voice scholarship.

“It’s wonderful to be rewarded for your hard work,” said Trinette. Though acting and singing are her profession, she considers herself a lifelong student.

“Whatever job you have, always go to workshops, always go to seminars. Learn what you haven’t learned before, and learn with people who are as excited about it as you are.”

Whether you’re a novice or a seasoned professional like Trinette, there’s always room to grow and new experiences to explore at the Patel Conservatory.

Trinette's Tribute to Lena Horne continues this weekend, Sept. 11 and 12 at 7 p.m. at American Stage in St. Petersburg.

Seeing is believing!

At the Patel Conservatory, we can tell moms that we have the best facilities and the best instructors. But why take our word for it when you can hear it directly from another mom?

“I have nothing but rave reviews for the program and all the teachers,” said Dianna McHugh, whose 5-year-old daughter Kaitlin started in the Dress Up and Dance class and is enrolled in Creative Movement. Both classes are introduction classes for the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet.

“As a parent, I like that [the Patel Conservatory] has a more structured way of teaching dance,” said Dianna. “I know the kids are little, but [the teachers] take it seriously. They talk about ballet as an art form, even at the young age of 3.”

Even though kids are learning proper techniques from the start, they’re having a great time.

“Kaitlin got to dance with the bears and the dolls, it was so fun for the little ones, but at the same time, you can see their progress. And once you get through it, you see the approach is perfect.”

As Dianna put it, what better place to take your kids for classes than a performing arts center? With the Patel Conservatory’s location at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, and our exceptional music and dance studios and theaters, students truly feel like they are a part of something greater. They develop an appreciation for and become a part of a cultural community.

For McHugh, who commutes from Westchase, being a part of that performing arts community is priceless. “You can’t compare that to anything else.”

She appreciates the fact that beginners and advanced students alike get the professional experience and exposure that can only be found at the Straz Center.

“You try to explain it to people, but you just don’t understand until you see it,” she said. “Last spring, Kaitlin had her first experience on stage in the Little Mermaid, and we were just blown away.”

Registration is currently open for preschool classes in dance, music and theater. So take it from another mom, and come see for yourself!

Find something new in you!

Melanie Miller was a little self-conscious when she signed up for an adult tap dance class last summer. It'd been nearly 15 years since she set foot in a dance studio.

"I've run six marathons,” said Miller, 35, of Harbour Island. “But [running] was getting monotonous and boring. I wanted a new type of exercise.”

A co-worker at TECO took a tap class at the Patel Conservatory and recommended it to Miller.

“I was very nervous getting back into it. The word ‘conservatory’ sounds intimidating” she said, “but after 10 minutes, you’re at ease. Everyone was so welcoming, and they’re all at different levels. It wasn’t intimidating at all.”

Miller (top right) with the
summer hip-hop group.

When Miller was little, she took ballet, tap and jazz. Susan Downey’s tap class brought back her love of dance.

“Susan’s very encouraging. When I got back into dance, I was a little down on myself. Susan makes everyone feel like they’re the best dancer, she makes them feel special.”

In the fall, Miller continued with tap, and signed up for more classes. In the spring, she got to perform with Susan’s students for the Owls senior group in Northdale, and with the Opera Tampa in Carol Morsani Hall at the Straz Center.

Miller signed up for four classes over the summer (tap, ballet, jazz and hip-hop), and plans to sign up for two more this week.

“I love performing, I’m all about the recitals,” she admits. “I’m never going to be a prima ballerina, but just the chance every once in a while to get to dance on that big stage makes you feel so good.”

Are you looking for something new to invigorate your mind and body? Check out adult classes in dance, music and theater.

Spotlight on Hannah Bettes

Bettes in a performance of Swan Lake

Hannah Bettes is blessed with a gift. She possesses the extraordinary flexibility and natural talent of a ballerina.

At age 12, after taking ballet just a couple of times a week at a local studio, she was accepted on full scholarship to the summer intensive at the School of American Ballet (SAB) in New York City.

Bettes, 14, of Deland, FL, began dancing when she was 8 years old at a jazz studio. She soon joined their competition team, and later added ballet classes. Now, she’s been offered scholarships to three full-time dance programs. She chose the Patel Conservatory.

“I decided to come here because there were so many more opportunities here. We’ll be having two performances this year, if not more. There’s also a day program,” said Bettes. “And I’ll be under Peter Stark, which is a plus.”

Bettes has been chosen as one of the first apprentices of the new ballet company at the Straz Center, the Next Generation Ballet. She has moved to Tampa with her grandmother to study dance full-time at the Patel Conservatory and be part of the new ballet company. She’ll complete academic work online through Florida Virtual School.

Bettes’ ultimate goal is to one day study full-time at SAB and join the New York City Ballet, which is why she chose to study with Stark, the Patel Conservatory dance department chair and artistic director of Next Generation Ballet.

“Since he comes from that background, he’d be the right person to train with, and he’s a good coach,” said Bettes, who had the opportunity to train with Stark when he was director of the Orlando Ballet.

The formation of the Next Generation Ballet further establishes the Patel Conservatory at the Straz Center as a premier training ground for pre-professional dancers like Bettes.

The Next Generation Ballet will perform with guest artists, as well as Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet students, in full-scale productions at the Straz Center. Its first production will be The Nutcracker in December, featuring guest artists from the New York City Ballet and Boston Ballet.

Bettes will be training nearly eight hours a day, five days a week, an arduous schedule compared to her previous training.

“It’s going to be a big challenge, and it’s going to be a ton of work, but it’s all for the best,” said Bettes. “It’ll be a lot more dancing than I’m used to, but I’m excited to do something that I love.”

Audition opportunity

Dancers, don’t forget to sign up for this weekend's auditions to be in the Next Generation Ballet production of The Nutcracker.

Stark with PCYB students

This is an amazing opportunity for Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet students to perform on stage alongside guest artists from the New York City Ballet and Boston Ballet.

Directed by Peter Stark, former director of the acclaimed Orlando Ballet School, The Nutcracker will be the debut performance of Next Generation Ballet, the exciting new dance company at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts.

Next Generation Ballet will feature eight apprentice dancers, 12 trainee dancers and the finest students from the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet’s 250 students.

Be a part of the exciting new opportunities at the Patel Conservatory. Auditions for The Nutcracker are this Sat., Aug. 28th. Please click here for full audition information. For questions about auditions or the Patel Conservatory Youth Ballet, please call the dance department at 222-1263.