Past Productions

2007 Spring Recital-Pictures at an Exhibition
The essence of dance is movement in space. It's a close kin to music in that both need the element of time to be experienced. In this respect, both music and dance are unlike the motionless art of painting which is experienced as a static form of art. On the other hand, the visual arts can prolong a pose or mood beyond a fleeting performance.
     Despite these differences, there is much that music, dance, and visual art share. They each, through their individual vocabularies, convey moods and stories. They juxtapose images in new ways to provide insights. At their best, they touch us personally and allow us to experience something that is elemental to being human. This experience has the potential to profoundly connect us to each other and to people from different times and places.
     The 2007 City Ballet recital "Pictures at an Exhibition" pays homage to the relationship between dance, painting, and music. Our talented staff selected pictures from the history or art as inspiration for their choreography. In turn, each dance was set to music, when possible, from the same historical time period. The final program, a chronology from ancient times to modern, offers a rich tapestry of movement, sound and image that we hope will stir the senses and exceed the sum of its component parts.

Nutcracker 2006
It is Christmas Eve and the ballet opens as the guests arrive at the Silberhaus home for a festive party. Clara, her parents, and brother Fritz are eager to receive family and friends. Mysterious Godfather Drosselmeier appears, to Clara's delight, with gifts for all the children. He surprises everyone with toy soldiers who come to life and charming life-size dolls. Drosselmeier presents Clara with a Nutcracker doll, which Fritz snatches away and breaks. Drosselmeier mends the toy with a handkerchief and the guests continue to dance.
     When the party is over and all have gone to bed, Clara comes looking for the Nutcracker left under the tree. She falls asleep. As she dreams, strange things begin to happen. Huge mice appear, the clock strikes midnight, and the Christmas tree begins to grow! The Nutcracker comes to life to lead the soldiers in battle with the mice. Clara saves the Nutcracker by throwing her slipper at the Mouse Queen. Suddenly, the Nutcracker is unmasked as a handsome young prince. Clara and the Prince then travel through the pine forest in a magic sleigh. In the forest they are greeted by the pine fairies, who give Clara a crown. next they pass through the Snow Country, where the Snow queen and snowflakes dance for the couple. Finally, it is on to the Kingdom of Sweets, where Clara and the Prince meet the Sugar Plum Fairy and her Cavalier. A great celebration is given in Clara's honor. All the dancers join in a finale. When Clara awakens from her dream, it is Christmas Day.

2006 Spring Recital - The Wizard of Oz
     Most Americans would claim familiarity with the classic story of Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. However, many of us are most familiar with the 1939 movie version starring Judy Garland and mistake that version with the actual tale. City Ballet encourages our audience to take the time this summer to read the original story and note the many interesting differences between the movie version, our version, and Mr. Baum's original. For starters, the original tale has considerably more adventures, and the magic slippers are silver - not ruby !
     Audiences should also note another little known fact about this famous book. When it was published in 1900, The Wizard of Oz was hailed as something special - an American fairy tale. There are no giants, fairies, or leprechauns from across the ocean. We have instead a scarecrow, a tin man and a humbug ventriloquist from Omaha.
     There have been numerous stagings of this famous story. Each tells the tale in its unique way. Each casts its own spell. Our version relies on the magic spun by dancing feet and the enthusiasm and talent of your children.

2005 Spring Recital - American Suite
     We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.