Glushko’s Academy moves to Mt. Carmel School

Right after signing the agreement to house Glushko’s Academy of Performing Arts at Mount Carmel School, Dr. Gene Eagle-Oden, founder and president of the Performing Arts Society, Anna Glushko, founder and president of Glushko’s Academy, and Galvin Deleon Guerrero, Mount Carmel School president and MCS Theatre Club advisor, gather for a photo in front of the school’s Knight mural. (Contributed Photo)

Glushko’s Academy of Performing Arts and Mount Carmel School announced this week that the prestigious ballet and dance academy is moving to the school’s campus just in time for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. Classes at the academy will begin in August later this year.

The move brings together two entities that have long cultivated the performing arts on Saipan.

Glusko’s Academy of Performing Arts has established itself as the premiere dance and ballet academy on island. The academy was founded in 2002 by its president Anna Glushko, a recognized prima ballerina from Vladivostok, Russia, who also serves as the academy’s principal instructor, choreographer, creative director, and costume designer. Along with Glushko’s husband, Dr. Gene Eagle-Oden, founder and president of the Performing Arts Society, Glushko’s Academy has held an annual Ballet of the Stars for almost 15 years.

The Ballet of the Stars brings internationally acclaimed ballet professionals from around the world to Saipan to perform alongside local ballerina’s trained at the academy. The most recent production was “Sleeping Beauty,” which featured local ballerinas performing with Russian ballet stars Alexey Nasadovich and Margarita Rudina.

For its part, Mount Carmel School has achieved distinction in the performing arts with its Theatre Club, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and has built a reputation for presenting a diverse array of shows, including plays by William Shakespeare, Disney musicals, and edgy plays like 2015’s “The Breakfast Club” and the recent production of “For Realz.” These productions also stem from the school’s legacy in the performing arts. The school’s historic stage is not only where the CNMI Covenant and Constitution were debated and signed, but it’s also home to the longest continuously running show on island, the school’s annual Christmas pageant.

Given the rich legacies of Mount Carmel School and Glushko’s Academy, the academy’s move to the school campus is considered by both as a great synergy for the their respective performing arts programs.

As Anna Glushko put it, “This is a very exciting and positive collaboration, that brings excellent opportunities for both parties, has great unlimited potentials and will benefit Saipan’s community the most.” She added, “We are looking forward to have our new dance studio in such a wonderful, children and art friendly environment of Mount Carmel School.”

According to Mount Carmel School president Galvin Deleon Guerrero, “Both Mount Carmel School and Glushko’s Academy have a proven track record of staging great shows and supporting the performing arts. Having the academy here on campus will undoubtedly promote the performing arts here at our school and in the broader community.”

With this new partnership, both Glushko’s Academy and Mount Carmel School also look forward to bolstering the school’s “Save the Stage” campaign so that the island will have a state-of-the-art performing arts center that all performing arts groups can use.