Mr. Paul R. Aarnio This is Me

Education

 Web References

1. 1. www.willisballet.com

   www.willisballet.com/nutcracke - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/18/2007   Last Visited: 11/18/2007

   Tour Producer: Paul Aanrio, The Willis Ballet, 7702 McElvey Rd., Panama City Beach, FL 32407
   
   or E-mail: wiballet@msn.com/ or Telephone: 850-319-5122 (Leave Message)

2. 2. Paul Aarnio Biography

   www.willisballet.com/Paul%20Aa - [Cached]

   Published on: 11/18/2007   Last Visited: 11/18/2007

   Paul R. Aarnio
   ...
   Paul Aarnio and Peggy Willis-Aarnio
   ...
   PAUL R. AARNIO
   
   Paul R. Aarnio is one of the original founders of the Willis Ballet, having drawn up the original charter in 1983. Though never a dancer or a choreographer or a Ballet teacher, Mr. Aarnio has, none-the-less been deeply involved in the world of Ballet for nearly 20 years, as a manager, a school director, and as a producer for videos, music records, CD's, and for touring theatrical performances.
   
   Mr. Aarnio grew up in the New York Metropolitan area, and attended Wilbraham Academy, a boys preparatory school in Wilbraham, Massachusetts. He is the son of Reino Aarnio, an Architect of International reputation and a gifted painter and photographer as well, and Sylvia (Bachman) Aarnio, a graduate of Juilliard (School of music) and a Coloratura Soprano of International Reputation, so he was immersed in the arts at an early age. Paul holds a Bachelor's of Architecture (B:Arch) degree (with honors), From Cornell University, but, due to the intervention of the Viet Nam War, he never got to put that degree to its intended use.
   
   Instead, on 27 December, Paul was sworn in as an Officer Cadet in the United States Air Force, and fifteen months later, he emerged as a Second Lieutenant and a fledgling pilot in April, 1969. Though he expected to join the rest of his classmates on a first assignment in Viet Nam, he was, instead, selected to become and instructor pilot, and saw his first active duty tour in the Air Training Command, as a T-37 Instructor at Reese Air Force Base (AFB), in Lubbock, arriving there, to assume his new duties in August, 1969.
   
   It was not until September, 1972 (The same Month that his future wife, Prof. Peggy Willis [-Aarnio] arrived in Lubbock to take up her new duties as an Assistant Professor of Dance) that Paul was finally summoned to the conflict in Viet Nam, and left for Hurlburt Field, Florida to train in Special Operations.
   ...
   When Paul first met Prof. Peggy Willis, as a result of his seeing a performance at Texas Tech's University Theater, of her "Dracula: the ballet," it did not take him long to see her nearly inexhaustible imagination and energy, as well as her tremendous output of choreography, and dance performances.
   ...
   After meeting Peggy, and learning more about her accomplishments and for her dreams for the future, Paul, aware of the past achievements (accomplished against all odds), decided to create an organization that would honor her accomplishments to date, and help Peggy to achieve her future goals, and, at the same time, changed his own life forever, as well.
   ...
   Mr. Aarnio was designated as the President, a position he has held (with the exception of an 18 month period when he was on assignment in Saudi Arabia) since the Company was Founded.
   
   Since assuming duties as the President of the Willis Ballet, Paul has experienced, first hand, the inspirational and uplifting effect of Classical Ballet on the human spirit. During his career as a Military officer and pilot, he had an opportunity to acquire knowledge in many areas of sales, marketing, resource management and people skills, which he combined with imagination, and analytical skills to assemble the arsenal of weapons that allowed him to successfully take on the challenges of directing the activities of the Willis Ballet.
   
   Mr. Aarnio played a key role in expanding the operational scope of the Willis Ballet and shaping and directing the new activities:
   
   In accepting the challenge of re-establishing The Conservatory of Classical Ballet as a viable school, when The Willis Ballet merged with the school in 1992 becoming its Official Company, he established a marketing based program of new student recruitment and existing student retention that allowed the average enrollment to mushroom from less than thirty per month to over 90 per month.
   ...
   Aarnio is, perhaps, the most successful producer of International Ballet programs in this (the 20th) century ...
   
   Mr. Aarnio, as president of the Willis Ballet and The Willis Conservatory of Classical Ballet, is also the Production and Marketing Manager for the Willis Ballet's Educational Video and Music CD activities and entertainment video production.
   
   Paul is married to his Twin Flame, Prof. Peggy Willis-Aarnio, and has a son, Gene, who he is very proud of and now has a Degree in Environmental Science. In his spare time, Paul enjoys travel, RV'ing, boating (power and sail), automobiles, computers, classical music and Classical Ballet.

3. 3. www.willisballet.com

   www.willisballet.com/nutcracke - [Cached]

   Published on: 5/27/2007   Last Visited: 5/27/2007

   Paul Aarnio, Tour Producer, The Willis Ballet, 7702 McElvey Road, Panama City Beach, FL 32408
   
   850-319-5122 Telephone or E-mail: wiballet@msn.com
   
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