Ballet Victoria takes pride in innovation and that every ballet the company brings to the stage – even when it carries the name of a well-known classic – is an original interpretation.
Artistic director, Paul Destrooper and the company are currently creating their final performance of this season and have thrown open the studio doors, inviting the public to watch the metamorphosis as A Midsummer Night’s Dream comes to life.
Character development, romantic entanglements, arabesques, pointes and partners are all on the line as the company speeds toward the Royal Theatre performance dates of May 31 and June 1. The public is invited to preview the pre-performance mayhem for free on May 18 and 25 from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ballet Victoria Studios in St. Andrew’s Church at 643 Broughton St.
On each date, Destrooper will preview sections of the ballet with the full cast. Viewers can see the work being developed as the dancers focus on corrections and romantic development, play with the plot line and characters. Audience members will gain an understanding of how a ballet comes together with a question and answer period.
“It will be like a live reality show,” said Destrooper. “The making of a ballet has drama, comedy, excitement, some engaging characters, challenging characters, pain, you name it. It is as wonderful to watch the creation as I think it is to see it on stage. It is just so different, people will really appreciate all the dancers do to bring their art to the stage.”
Two other works precede A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Vivaldi’s Gloria, set to the live music of the Linden Choir and Gisèle Plourde’s choreography, set to a selection of Russian folk songs.
There will be 12 local dance students from Ballet Victoria's dance academy participating in A Midsummer Night's Dream, including six international students from Japan. The young local dancers include Oak Bay's Alara Lepage (Nymph), Victoria's Joel Exposito (the Changeling), Metchosin's Rachel and Madeleine Corwin (Nymphs), and Highlands' resident Emily Faris (Nymph).
Tickets for the May 31 and June 1 performances are on sale now at the Royal Theatre box office and may be purchased online atrmts.bc.ca