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Buckeye Ingenuity in Columbus, Ohio

All Access Pass at BalletMet Open House

If you’ve ever marveled at the graceful twirling and twisting of a ballet performance, you can try your own plié moves during the All Access Pass at BalletMet Open House. The dance class designed for the typical novice goes through some basic dance moves and stretches for a glimpse at the hard work ballet dancers go through every day.

Groups can book the experience when the ballet company is active in Columbus from September through May. The workshop begins with a tour of the facility and a chance to watch the professional ballet dancers rehearse for an upcoming show. The rehearsals illustrate some of the behind-the-scenes work involved in making complicated choreography look effortless during the live performance.

Part of the magic of ballet also lies in the elaborate and fanciful costumes, which is why most groups love to tour the costume shop, where you can touch the fabrics and learn the intricate process involved in constructing them.

“Visiting the costume shop is everyone’s favorite part,” said Dudley. “The costume designer talks to them about the type of fabric needed to be able to do all the jumps and moves a ballerina needs to do. You get to ask questions to a member of the professional design team of the ballet.”

After the tour, groups learn a few easy ballet steps with a BalletMet Academy faculty member to see if they’ve missed their calling as a dancer.

Glenn Avenue Soap Company

You’ll never look at your bar of soap the same way after you’ve attended a workshop with Glenn Avenue Soap Company. The craft soap shop has recently started offering a hands-on way for groups to discover the secrets behind the cold-process method of making soap.

“We just started marketing this experience this year,” said Dudley. “It’s not a huge production, so you get to hear from the owner about the company and what goes into creating these products.”

Instead of being an enterprise to make money, the Glenn Avenue Soap Company first began because founder Sandra Metzler wanted to create skincare products for her family with only organic ingredients. She used her doctorate in biomedical engineering to experiment with the chemistry and aromatherapy involved in soap-making.

Her first batch of soap became an immediate hit with family and friends, leading her to eventually open the shop filled with a variety of products, such as beer soaps, body butters and bath bombs. Groups learn how to turn essential oils into custom soaps before cutting some already-cured bars for their own soup souvenirs.

www.experiencecolumbus.com