Youth Performing Arts School's SLEEPING BEAUTY

Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty was first performed in 1890. The ballet bases its story on Charles Perrault's La Belle au Bois Dormant, a fairytale with which many of us are familiar. After years of waiting and hoping, the king and queen have a baby daughter, whom they name Aurora. Aurora is beloved by all. However, at her chirstening ball, the fairy Carabosse places a curse on the baby out of anger and spite. Before Aurora's sixteenth birthday, she will prick her finger on a spindle and die! The Lilac Fairy softens the curse as best she can; Aurora will not die but instead she will fall asleep for one hundred years until her true love finds her. He will give the sleeping beauty a kiss to awaken not only the princess but the entire kingdom and defeat Carabosse forever. The Lilac Fairy promises to guard the princess throughout her life and see her gift through to the end.

Well, the kingdom never forgets Carabosse's words, and everyone does their utmost throughout the princess' first sixteen years to avoid spindles and other potentially sharp objects. But unfortunately, they also manage to overlook the disguised old woman crouched in a corner at Aurora's sixteenth birthday ball. The old woman, who is obviously Carabosse in disguise, hands the princess a bouquet of roses-- and a spindle. The castle falls asleep for one hundred years shortly thereafter.

One hundred years later, the Lilac Fairy plays matchmaker and tells a prince of the sleeping princess and her long lost kingdom. He races off to the castle and awakens the princess with a kiss. Aurora and her kingdom awaken. She and the prince quickly fall in love and are soon living happily ever after and the last hundred years are nothing but a bad dream.

Most children grow up hearing the story of the Sleeping Beauty, but the ballet brings the fairytale to life with magic and grandeur. The music is simple and elegant, perfectly suited to dance and pantomime. It is also definitely recognizable thanks to the Walt Disney Company that used Tchaikovsky's score to compose its movie soundtrack. Ballet Petite's Sleeping Beautyallows the opportunity to perform pieces from an actual and historical ballet production with choreography from excellent teachers. It is also the last time these dancers perform a complete ballet at recital, so it's truly a treat to see the story unfold on stage, dance after dance, class after class, and ballerina after ballerina.

And take a little listen to our lovely narrator:

Sleeping Beauty featured choreography by:
Miss Amanda
Miss Sarah
Miss Emily
Miss Meghan
Miss Natalie
Miss Kristen
Miss Lauren
Miss Erin
Miss Jennifer
Miss Roxana

And narration by Claire Thorn

"Prologue: The Court of King Florestan" Miss Amanda
"Entrée of the Courtiers" Miss Sarah
"Entrée of the Fairies" Miss Emily
"Gifts of Beauty, Grace, and Generosity" Miss Meghan
"The Lilac Fairy's Gift" Miss Natalie
"Carabosse's Curse" Miss Kristen
"The Lilac Fairy Changes the Curse" Miss Lauren
"The Garland Waltz" Miss Erin
"The Rose Adagio" Miss Sarah
"Maidens of the Court" Miss Sarah
"Mysterious Old Woman with the Spindle" Miss Jennifer
"The Kingdom Sleeps for a Hundred Years" Miss Jennifer
"The Vision" Miss Erin
"The Kiss" Miss Amanda
"The Kingdom Prepares for a Wedding" Miss Natalie
"The Courtiers Dance" Miss Natalie
"The Fairies" Miss Natalie
"Puss in Boots, Blue Bird, Red Riding Hood, Cinderella" Miss Kristen
"Apotheoses" Miss Roxana
"Finale" Miss Erin

Youth Performing Arts School's ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Ballet Petite's production of Alice in Wonderland was a fantastic and whimsical success. It's always a joy to see the dancers perform for the first time on stage alone without their teacher. And this year's production turned out to be one of our best. Characters filled the stage in dance after dance, and the sold-out audience loved every moment of it.

Alice in Wonderland is based on Lewis Carroll's book of the same name. It follows little Alice, with her distinct blue dress and black headband, as she travels throughout Wonderland, wandering around in search of the slippery White Rabbit. She encounters the Caterpillar, the Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatters and DoorMice. She joins the procession of the Cards and narrowly escapes the clutches of the Queen of Hearts. She dances with Lobsters and finally manages to make it Back to the Real World after adventuring through Wonderland and the Rabbit Hole.

Alice in Wonderland, Saturday, June 1

Alice in Wonderland featured choreography by:
Miss Mallory
Miss Natalie
Miss Kristen
Miss Emily
Miss Lauren
Miss Amber
Miss Jennifer
Miss Sarah Elizabeth
Miss Sarah
Miss Meghan

And narration by Amanda Sartori.

"Prologue: The Bank of the River" Miss Mallory
"The Rabbit Chase" Miss Natalie
"Down the Rabbit Hole" Miss Kristen
"Through the Tiny Door" Miss Natalie
"The Pool of Tears" Miss Emily
"The Caterpillar" Miss Natalie
"Alice Meets the Cheshire Cat" Miss Lauren
"The Madhatter's Tea Party" Miss Amber
"Painting the Roses Red" Miss Erin
"The Procession" Miss Natalie
"The Croquet Game" Miss Jennifer
"The Lobster's Quadrille" Miss Sarah Elizabeth
"Who Stole the Tarts?" Miss Sarah
"Back to the Real World" Miss Meghan

Recital Day!!

Three weeks ago, Ballet Petite and Youth Performing Arts School started it's busiest weekends of the year: RECITAL!! As Saturday, June 1st dawned, Ballet Petite's staff and teachers were up with the sun, pulling the tutus and taping the stage for the big shows. A year's worth of hard work comes together these big weekends in June to show off our dancers' incredible hard work! And as the excitement builds, a lot goes into the set-up of the perfect show. Check it out....

Unloading the trucks!

Miss April's carting tutus

Miss Sarah's taping the stage

Miss Erin's checking costumes

Miss Carmen's stopping the cascade of tutus

Miss Sarah Elizabeth and Miss Stephanie have a tutu assembly line

Setting the stage...

Youth Performing Arts School's THUMBELINA

Ballet Petite's production of Thumbelina this year was so big, we had to split it into two weekends! There was one performance of Thumbelina on June 1st; there was another on June 8th. Congratulations to all of the beautiful Thumbelinas, Tulips, Fish, Frogs, Fairies, and other Dancers! You were all beautiful and told the story with such poise and perfection, the whole audience caught its breath!

Thumbelina is the story of the tiniest ballerina in the world, little Thumbelina for whom the ballet is named. Born to an old woman from a tulip, Thumbelina wonders why she is so small and wanders the world searching for adventure and for people her own size. After several mishaps, tiny Thumbelina dreads marrying a frog who has fallen in love with her. Fish help her escape and she journeys with the Butterflies through the four seasons, until she finds herself lost and alone in the middle of Winter. The kindly Mrs. Field Mouse takes her in but soon wishes Thumbelina to marry her friend, Mr. Mole. Once again, Thumbelina finds herself in a wedding ceremony with someone she doesn't love. She escapes once more, this time with the help of the Swallow, and still hoping to find friends who match her in size and spirit. Finally, she comes across the Fairy Kingdom, where Thumbelina meets the Fairy King. It's love at first sight. They fall in love; Thumbelina marries the King, becomes Fairy Queen, and lives happily ever after!

Thumbelina, Saturday, June 1st

Backstage with the narrator!

 

Thumbelina, Saturday, June 8

Thumbelina featured choreography by:
Miss Sarah Elizabeth
Miss Jennifer
Miss Amber
Miss Natalie
Miss Margie
Miss Sarah
Miss Stephanie
Miss Emily
Miss April
Miss Lauren
Miss Erin
Miss Katie
Miss Meghan
Miss Amanda
Miss Lori
Miss Mallory

And narration by Maggie Furco (June 1) and Eliana Joftus (June 8).

JUNE 1ST
"The Tulip Garden" Miss Sarah Elizabeth
"Tiny Thumbelina" Miss Jennifer
"Thumbelina Waits to Marry the Frog Prince" Miss Amber
"Thumbelina is Rescued by the Fish" Miss Natalie
"Journey with the Butterflies" Miss Margie
"Spring Violets" Miss Sarah
"Summer Forest" Miss Natalie
"Winter Forest" Miss Stephanie
"The Field Mouse House" Miss Stephanie
"The Surprise Spring Visitors" Miss Emily
"The Marriage of Thumbelina and the Mole" Miss April
"The Fairy King and Thumbelina Meet" Miss Natalie
"The Fairy King and Thumbelina Wed" Miss Lauren
"Thumbelina, the Fairy Queen" Miss Erin 

JUNE 8TH
"The Tulip Garden" Miss Katie
"Tiny Thumbelina" Miss Meghan
"Thumbelina Waits to Marry the Frog Prince" Miss Amber
"Thumbelina is Rescued by the Fish" Miss Emily
"Journey with the Butterflies" Miss Jennifer
"Spring Violets" Miss Sarah
"Summer Forest" Miss Natalie
"Winter Forest" Miss Amanda
"The Field Mouse House" Miss Meghan
"The Surprise Spring Visitors" Miss Emily
"Thumbelina and the Mole are Married" Miss Lori
"The Swallow Saves Thumbelina" Miss Amber
"The Fairy King and Thumbelina Meet" Miss Mallory
"The Fairy King and Thumbelina Wed" Miss Lauren
"Thumbelina, the Fairy Queen" Miss Erin