Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

Festival Ballet Providence announced its line-up for its 32nd season, which begins in the fall. This year the company has dropped one usual performance component, a Februrary full-stage production, and created another, programs specifically for children.

The season starts in October with chatterBOXtheater, the company's new program aimed at kids. The program is in two parts, with one performance in October, Valerie Cookson-Botto's "Peter and the Wolf," and one performance in February, Colleen Cavanaugh's "Pippi," based on Astrid Lindgren's "Pippi Longstocking."

Also in October, the weekend of Halloween, is "The Widow's Broom," guest choreographer Viktor Plotnikov's presentation of Providence author and illustrator Chris Van Allsburg's book of the same name about a witch's broom that comes to life and interacts with the people around it.

Festival Ballet commissioned the ballet production of "The Widow's Broom," which premiered in 2004.

In November, Festival presents the first of two programs in its "Up Close on Hope" series, which features a medley of different dances in different styles by different choreographers. The second program is in February.

In December, as expected, Festival presents the seasonal classic "The Nutcracker."

The company wraps up its season in May with Plotnikov's surreal take on "Cinderella," which premiered in 2007, and which we described in our review as "dark and stark, modernist and minimalist, interpretive and imaginative."

 Tags  Festival Ballet Providence; Providence RI

Comments

crd-MA said:

Festival Ballet Providence has actually done, in addition to its annual Christmas production of "The Nutcracker," two full stage productions, plus a medley of three ballet pieces, last year entitled "The Power of 3." FBP also ran its "Up Close on Hope" performance series as a separate activity. So, it seems, FBP will drop TWO full stage performances (out of three; not counting Nutcracker & UCOH) in favor of children's productions.
Have they considered how this will affect their bottom line? I think not, unless they have a private benefactor to fund children's ballet stage performances.

Link | June 30, 2009 3:49 PM
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