It's Gala Time!

I hope everyone is getting as excited as we are for the Global Dance Stars Gala! It's right around the corner and this exclusive event is one you're not going to want to miss. Dancers are coming from all around the globe to perform at the Ohio Theater on August 18th. This global celebration is perfect timing with the Olympics going on as well! We'll have dancers from the New York City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Northern Ballet of England, Tom Gold Dance, and Broadway!! But don't worry, the BalletMet company dancers that you all know and love will be right alongside them as well. Not to mention this will be the first performance of the season to see the new additions to the company! With this being the dancers' first week back, they've all been pretty busy with rehearsals. I, for one, can't wait to see this performance they've all been working towards! It's going to be a great kick off to the season, with a program pulling from both classical and contemporary repertory... there's bound to be something that everyone will enjoy!

We have New York City Ballet soloists performing a pas de deux from Balanchine's Agon (one of my personal favorites), as well as Gershwin's 3 Preludes. We'll also get a glimpse of David Nixon's Cleopatra, by Northern Ballet Dancers. The Houston Ballet will bring a pas de deux from Madame Butterfly, a favorite from former BalletMet Artistic Director Stanton Welch. We're even bringing some tap dancing to the stage! Coming from Broadway, Marshall Davis Jr. will perform two numbers that are bound to get your feet tapping too :) And for all you classical ballet lovers, the famous Black Swan Pas de Deux will be performed by the National Ballet of Canada dancers. In addition, BalletMet will bring back to the stage Pulses, Chords, and Passion, a crowd pleaser that premiered last season in Jazz Moves Columbus.

In addition to this being a wonderful display of dance around the world, let's not forget that this event will also serve as a send off for our beloved Artistic Director, Mr. Gerard Charles. What a perfect celebration to end on after 22 years of association with BalletMet. I know everyone is going to miss seeing him and those red boots around here. We're wishing him the best of luck at the Joffrey Ballet! There will be an exclusive post-performance party, Celebration of Stars, in which he will be recognized. It's also an opportunity to meet the internationsl guest artists you watched perform. Tickets to this event are seperate from the performance.

As always, visit our website for more details and ticket information on this event. And make sure to keep a lookout for event updates on Twitter and Facebook! Hope to see you all there, it's going to be a hit for sure.

-Alyssa-

It's Christmas in July!

For some people, The Nutcracker is a yearly tradition. For others, it’s an occasional escape back to childhood. For all, The Nutcracker is a timeless classic that keeps people wanting more.

For those who aren’t familiar with The Nutcracker, here’s a little bit of history.  The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet that was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, and includes the famous score by Pyotr Llyich Tchaikovsky. It premiered at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg on December 18, 1892 on a double-bill with Tchaikovsky’s Iolanta. The ballet itself is an adaptation of E.T.A Hoffmann’s story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King by Alexandre Dumas called The Tale of the Nutcracker. The plot had to be greatly simplified and some parts, including a flashback that explains how the Prince was turned into the Nutcracker, had to be cut from the ballet.

The story takes place on Christmas Eve at the home of the Silberhaus family.  (With different productions, the names and plot of the story vary slightly). The Christmas tree has been decorated and the children are in awe of the sparkles and adornments. Herr Drosselmeyer is a local councilman, as well as Clara and Fritz’s godfather, and he’s brought gifts for the children. The toy that Clara takes a liking to is a wooden nutcracker in the shape of a little man. The play follows Clara as she goes on an adventure with The Nutcracker, who is turned into a handsome prince, to the Land of Sweets, ruled by the Sugar Plum Fairy.

In honor of this timeless classic, BalletMet is celebrating an early Christmas in July! For a limited time, now through July 29^th, you can purchase tickets for The Nutcracker at half off! The half off tickets are only available for the Dec 7, 8, and 9 performances, excludes Prime Orchestra and Loge, and there is a limit of 6 tickets per purchase. To order you can call 800-982-2787, go online to Ticketmaster.com or visit the BalletMet Dance Academy Open House on July 24 from 6:30-8:00 pm at the downtown location. When ordering use the code CIJBMC to receive the discount.

It’s never too early to buy your Christmas gifts, so celebrate Christmas in July with us and get your Nutcracker tickets before the offer ends! Just don’t forget where you put them J

- Mackenzie 

It's Time to Leap and Twirl!

Leap and Twirl,
BalletMet's new children's book

Last week was the book launch for BalletMet’s own children’s book, Leap and Twirl!  There was a great turnout with kids, parents, and community members coming together to celebrate this wonderful picture book conceived by Ambre Emory- Maier, written by author Steven C. Anderson and illustrated by Sarah DeAngulo Hout.

Author and Illustrator,
Anderson and Hout

It might seem a little strange to have a children’s book as part of a dance education program, and it is. Leap and Twirl is the only children’s book associated with a dance company. The book is apart of the Magic in Movement- Grow up Great! Program, which is a collaboration between BalletMet, PNC Foundation, and the Columbus Urban League. The program is starting its third year as a way to develop and improve social growth and literacy skills, foster creative expression and better prepare children for kindergarten.

To start off the event, Ambre Emory-Maier, the Director of Education, and Cheri Mitchell, the Executive Director, talked about the numerous educational programs that BalletMet has, and how important dance and education is to BalletMet. Cheri summed up BalletMet’s mission statement by saying they believe that “dance is for everyone and everyone should have to chance and opportunity to experience it.”

After hearing about the book and programs, the audience finally got a chance to see the book as Steven Anderson read the book aloud, inviting all of the children in the audience to join him. We heard all about Leap and Twirl’s week at school, and how they got experience the joy of dance in their life. After the reading, the audience got a special treat as children from the Columbus Urban League gave a little demonstration of how the book is being used in the educational programs. The kids moved around to live music as they pretended to be butterflies, and bears, and to leap like a frog and twirl like a squirrel, which was inspired by the characters in the book.

 

The book launch was a great success, and I think all of the kids in the audience enjoyed it. If you are interested in purchasing your own copy of the book, visit our website at https://www.balletmet.org/dance-education/education/education-materials.

Leap and Twirl, the title characters

And don’t forget, as Steven Anderson writes in Leap and Twirl, “Every day is a day to dance!” 

- Mackenzie :)