Ballet’s short-term chief has the school on its toes

You’d never know it by talking to him, but Stas Kmiec is the interim director of Ballet Western Reserve.

For a temporary fill-in, he’s way too involved.

Unwilling to just rubber-stamp documents until a permanent replacement can be hired, Kmiec (his first name is pronounced “Stush”) not only has embraced the dance school, he is trying to improve it.

The New York dance pro took over the post last month, and his last day will be May 30. But in the meantime, he plans to turn the school around and “reclaim” its legacy.

Kmiec, who is a member of Mazowsze, the Polish national song and dance ensemble, got to know the BWR last year when his troupe did a master class at the downtown Youngstown institution. He agreed to the interim post after Richard Dickinson, the previous director, parted with the BWR in December in a less-than- amiable split.

Kmiec already has made himself at home in his new office. Previously used more for storage, he’s turned it into a space that befits a director. An ornate wooden desk dominates the room, with wooden book shelves and a Persian rug. At the other end, a warm-up jacket with The Boston Ballet emblazoned on the back hangs on a coat rack.

The BWR enrolls 175 students and is the only school in the area that focuses on classical ballet and dance technique. As Kmiec explains, ballet is the foundation of all dance. And to excel at the other branches of dance, you first must master ballet.

While the search committee (of which Kmiec is a member) continues to look for a permanent director, Kmiec is adding classes (including adult classes for the first time in years) and planning physical improvements to the building.

As I walked through the facility with him last week, Kmiec was a dynamo of energy. One gets the impression that he’s always that way. He said he bounces out of bed at 3:30 a.m. most mornings. It’s probably because the ideas he accumulated while sleeping are boiling over.

Ballet Western Reserve owns the building at 220 W. Boardman St., which also houses its tenant, the Oakland Center for the Arts, on the top floor. The dance school’s brick-and- mirror studios are visible to motorists driving by, who can watch the young ballerinas practicing through the picture windows.

Kmiec aims to increase that visibility.

He plans to superimpose life-sized silhouettes of dancers on those windows, making the exterior even more eye- catching.

BWR’s main entrance is in the alley behind the building. Kmiec wants to add some long-overdue signage and maybe even an entrance on the street side.

Inside the facility, Kmiec plans to upgrade the student lounge with new carpeting and paint. Murals of dancers will be added to a side wall. On another wall, he plans to write three words: Inspiration, Professionalism, Education. Those words, he said, summarize BWR’s mission and will serve as a daily reminder to all who teach and learn there.

Kmiec knows his post is a temporary one, that he is simply laying the groundwork for the next director.

Still, it was an opportunity that he couldn’t resist, and he’s enjoying it immensely.

“I’ll be sad when I have to leave,” he said.

But even when he does leave, it won’t be forever. He’s already made plans to return on a regular basis as a visiting artist or choreographer.

For an interim director, he’s become quite attached.

CONDUCTOR’S WIT IS TAUT AFTER VIOLIN STRING BREAKS

A string broke on the violin of guest accompanist Pip Clarke at Saturday’s Youngstown Symphony Orchestra concert at Powers Auditorium. But the unplanned delay was kind of fun.

It happened in the middle of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3. The orchestra ground to a halt, and a flustered Clarke excused herself and went offstage to replace the string.

With an “oh, well” expression, Conductor and Music Director Randall Craig Fleischer plopped down on the platform to take a load off his feet, drawing laughs. He filled in the down time with some humorous remarks, including a story about an opera performance where things also went drastically wrong.

Clarke returned about five minutes later but still needed a moment to make sure her instrument was in tune. With mock exasperation, Fleischer asked her, “Couldn’t you have used the pre-tuned strings?”

The highlight of Saturday’s concert was a performance of composer John Williams’ great “Star Wars” suite. Most people don’t take this piece seriously, probably because they are too busy envisioning R2D2 and Darth Vader.

But I’ll bet orchestras will still be playing this rousing music a century from now.