Jennie Walker to appear as Guest Artist at Margot Fonteyn Academy Presentation

June 5, 2010 - PRLog -- Vocalist Jennie Walker will be this year’s featured guest artist for the Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet’s upcoming presentation of their student works. The event, called the GRAND DÉFILÉ (pronounced “Day-Fee-Lay”), marks the end of year scoring of each student’s work. Along with the presentation of both original choreography and assigned dances the students must perform, each student also composes an original song in a course called “My Song.” These songs are then performed and recorded by professional musicians, and each year a compilation recording is released.

Jennie Walker has worked with the students to develop her performance of the songs, and will be accompanied by her producer/arranger Tommy Faragher (Grammy nominated and 12-time platinum selling producer). Her debut album, “It’s My Time,” will be released in the UK on July 26, 2010, and will be distributed in stores by Universal Music and also available digitally worldwide. More information can be found on her website at: www.jenniewalker.com.

Of her work with the students, Walker says, “Working with the students at the Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet and their very personal original songs was like looking into a tiny kaleidoscope to see the colors in each of their lives.”

On the evening of the GRAND DÉFILÉ students are reviewed and graded by a panel of ballet world notables, and the resulting grade constitutes a full third of their grade for the year. This year’s panel includes ballerinas Joy Williams-Brown and Tai Jimenez, retired ballet dancer Brian Corman, actor Pe’er Klein, and MTV dance star Glenda Moralez from the popular dance crew, Fanny Pak (America’s Best Dance Crew). Members of Fanny Pak have an ongoing association with the Academy.

The GRAND DÉFILÉ, scheduled for Sunday, June 13, in the performance space at the Peekskill High School auditorium, will take place from 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. After the presentation of each student’s dance and compositional works, Ms. Walker will perform a 30-minute concert of songs from her upcoming new album. At the end of this time the student with the highest scores for the event will be given the Colin Milnes Award for “Best Student of the Academy.”

When not in the studio, Jennie is active in the music industry and in non-profit and charity fundraising endeavors, in addition to her workload as an actor and voice-over artist. She is a member of the prestigious Artists Against Hunger & Poverty Program of WHY (World Hunger Year), and has made a personal pledge to ensure all of her music performances and music business activities have a charitable component, which allows her to give back to the community.

Her advocacy efforts have seen her commit her seemingly unlimited energy as a staff member of organizations like The Carter Center in Atlanta, founded by former President Jimmy Carter, The Synergos Institute, founded by David Rockefeller’s daughter Peggy Dulany, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Maintaining her commitment to be an advocate for important societal issues, Jennie will be donating a percentage of the proceeds of her album to WHY (World Hunger Year), The Carter Center, Columbus State University, and The Synergos Institute.

The Margot Fonteyn Academy of Ballet was planned in collaboration with current director Ken Ludden over the last twelve years of the famed ballerina’s life. Dame Margot Fonteyn de Arias, DBE, was an English ballerina of the 20th Century, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest classical ballet dancers of all time. She spent her entire career as a dancer with the Royal Ballet, eventually being appointed Prima Ballerina Assoluta of the company by HM Queen Elizabeth. She remains in most accounts to be the greatest ballerina of all time and the most famous worldwide. She established the standard of artistry that has not been rivaled since her time on stage, and provides a legacy for all future generations. Her work with Ludden, and their long association, is the subject of an upcoming publication by Ludden. The Academy itself sets a new standard of education for classical ballet training, in which students study classical ballet technique and history, along with in-depth study of music, drama and painting—the art forms directly related to the ballet. Come to the GRAND DÉFILÉ to enjoy the work of the students who are a product of this educational program.

For more information please contact Academy artistic director Ken Ludden at 914-788-8885.

LINKS TO JENNIE WALKER & MARGOT FONTEYN ACADEMY http://www.jenniewalker.com http://www.fonteynacademy.org http://www.maddierecords.com

Maddie Records is home to a multi-cultural and diverse family of artists and its set to become one of the most successful labels in the industry, boasting an array of talented artists including Lucybell, Latin band with Grammy nominations for best Latin Rock Band and 9Lies, Irish band chosen by ASCAP for excellence in song writing at I Create Music Expo 07 in Los Angeles.

For more information on Maddie Records, please contact Maddie Records Media and Artist Relations (UK) - 44 (0) 1157141644 or Alex Croft - 44 (0) 7527883564

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