Volunteer Profiles
The knowledge that comes with lifelong learning is never wasted. Betsy Bullen believes, "You keep plugging it into your brain and someday it will come out in useful form."
Meet "Madame Tutu" - Betsy Bullen
For the better part of the past 15 years, Betsy Bullen has been associated with OLLI… As a student... As a volunteer… And, as the teacher nicknamed "Madame Tutu."
After Betsy and Bob Bullen relocated in the late 1990's, from New York to Chapel Hill, she wasn't quite sure what she’d do with herself. Hardly the shy, retiring type, Betsy joined a newcomers club, making friends easily, she says, "as women do." It took her husband longer to adjust. Then, he found OLLI.
Betsy accompanied Bob to an OLLI event where she met then-director, Sara Craven. It was Bob who volunteered his wife to teach a course on the history of ballet. "It's my husband's fault," she asserts with her infectious laugh.
Betsy took up Sara Craven’s challenge and put together a proposal for a course. Having inherited her mother's library and gained access to Duke libraries’ wonderful video collection, Betsy put her nose to the grindstone and prepared her first OLLI course.
Ballet 101 traced the dance form’s origins back to1660 and Louis XIV's court. Early on, the husband of one of Betsy’s OLLI students dubbed her "Madame Tutu." The nickname stuck. Over the years, Betsy Bullen has taught 25 courses at OLLI. It’s been a lot of hard work, but it was always a labor of love.
New York-born and bred, Betsy is the daughter of a ballet teacher. Her mother taught ballet one block from their home. Betsy participated in her mother's school, but knew even then what she knows now: "This body is not meant to be a ballet body," she says with no regrets and her great sense of humor.
Betsy went on to pursue a teaching degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz. Although she loved student teaching, Betsy quickly discovered she lacked the "diplomatic skills" for bureaucracy. Luckily, she had already found something better: Theater Arts. The program piqued her curiosity and “looked like fun."
Marriage and motherhood soon occupied Betsy’s life. When her two sons were older, she returned to SUNY Purchase for a certificate in Arts Management. The program prepared her with the tools most arts organizations need, from stuffing envelopes to finding donors to negotiating contracts.
The knowledge that comes with lifelong learning is never wasted. Betsy Bullen believes, "You keep plugging it into your brain and someday it will come out in useful form." Useful it has been at OLLI.
While teaching, Betsy also volunteered at Carolina Ballet. Her long association with the company helped it grow and enriched her classes at OLLI.
In addition to teaching, Betsy takes classes at OLLI and volunteers. She’s helped plan the retreats so many enjoy and served on the Curriculum committee. Currently, she is an active member of OLLI’s Communications Committee. “Whenever they needed something, I just did it.”
What Betsy “did” and continues to do for OLLI is quite remarkable. Although she says what OLLI does for her is priceless. Especially during her late husband's bout with cancer, the OLLI community buoyed her. “It's a social life and support system, as well as an education.”
This winter, Betsy Bullen, the student, will treat herself to classes. “Madame Tutu” will be back at OLLI in Spring 2013 with a course called Ballet Comparisons. It will take a look at how different artists interpret the same production or concepts.
Somewhere in Heaven, Betsy Bullen’s late husband and mother must be smiling!
After Betsy and Bob Bullen relocated in the late 1990's, from New York to Chapel Hill, she wasn't quite sure what she’d do with herself. Hardly the shy, retiring type, Betsy joined a newcomers club, making friends easily, she says, "as women do." It took her husband longer to adjust. Then, he found OLLI.
Betsy accompanied Bob to an OLLI event where she met then-director, Sara Craven. It was Bob who volunteered his wife to teach a course on the history of ballet. "It's my husband's fault," she asserts with her infectious laugh.
Betsy took up Sara Craven’s challenge and put together a proposal for a course. Having inherited her mother's library and gained access to Duke libraries’ wonderful video collection, Betsy put her nose to the grindstone and prepared her first OLLI course.
Ballet 101 traced the dance form’s origins back to1660 and Louis XIV's court. Early on, the husband of one of Betsy’s OLLI students dubbed her "Madame Tutu." The nickname stuck. Over the years, Betsy Bullen has taught 25 courses at OLLI. It’s been a lot of hard work, but it was always a labor of love.
New York-born and bred, Betsy is the daughter of a ballet teacher. Her mother taught ballet one block from their home. Betsy participated in her mother's school, but knew even then what she knows now: "This body is not meant to be a ballet body," she says with no regrets and her great sense of humor.
Betsy went on to pursue a teaching degree at the State University of New York (SUNY) at New Paltz. Although she loved student teaching, Betsy quickly discovered she lacked the "diplomatic skills" for bureaucracy. Luckily, she had already found something better: Theater Arts. The program piqued her curiosity and “looked like fun."
Marriage and motherhood soon occupied Betsy’s life. When her two sons were older, she returned to SUNY Purchase for a certificate in Arts Management. The program prepared her with the tools most arts organizations need, from stuffing envelopes to finding donors to negotiating contracts.
The knowledge that comes with lifelong learning is never wasted. Betsy Bullen believes, "You keep plugging it into your brain and someday it will come out in useful form." Useful it has been at OLLI.
While teaching, Betsy also volunteered at Carolina Ballet. Her long association with the company helped it grow and enriched her classes at OLLI.
In addition to teaching, Betsy takes classes at OLLI and volunteers. She’s helped plan the retreats so many enjoy and served on the Curriculum committee. Currently, she is an active member of OLLI’s Communications Committee. “Whenever they needed something, I just did it.”
What Betsy “did” and continues to do for OLLI is quite remarkable. Although she says what OLLI does for her is priceless. Especially during her late husband's bout with cancer, the OLLI community buoyed her. “It's a social life and support system, as well as an education.”
This winter, Betsy Bullen, the student, will treat herself to classes. “Madame Tutu” will be back at OLLI in Spring 2013 with a course called Ballet Comparisons. It will take a look at how different artists interpret the same production or concepts.
Somewhere in Heaven, Betsy Bullen’s late husband and mother must be smiling!