Rhode Island’s ballet theatre is available for special booking. The company may be hired for private parties, school programs, community events, or corporate entertainment. Organizations which have retained the company for their special events include the New York Yacht Club, Greenwood Credit Union, Hasbro Hospital and the East Greenwich, North Kingstown and Jamestown School Systems. Repertoire pieces available for private booking include:
Pointe Ballets
Pointe ballets are the most physically demanding for they demonstrate not only the delicacy and grace of classical ballet, but also its strength as the dancers must be “on pointe” – the technical term for dancing on your toes. The dancers float with an ethereal lightness while straining to balance in toe shoes. Most people think of pointe when they think of ballet for it is one of the unique, defining hallmarks of the art.
We have three pointe ballets for special booking. The Firebird, a very demanding and striking ballet set to the famous Firebird Suite of Stavinsky, Les Petits Riens, a graceful and stunning ballet with a Elizabethan feel, and Espana, a fiery Spanish-themed ballet.
Story Ballets
Story ballets charm audiences of all ages, but are particularly appealing to children for they set popular children’s stories to music and dance. The children all know the story and can easily follow the ballet — which is really a “story without words” told through dance, mime and music.
Story ballets include approximately 12-18 dancers in full costume, but limited sets. (A “runout” performance requires modest sets due to the limitation of a wingless stage and no supporting technical crew).
We have four story ballets available: Madeline (our most popular), Alice in Wonderland, Hansel & Gretel and Nutcracker Variations.
Contemporary Ballets
Although classically influenced, these ballets are not drawn from the classical repertoire. Rather, they innovate in order to adapt classical styling to modern sensibilities; or they set new ballets to contemporary music.
Rhode Island’s ballet theatre has three ballets that are appropriate for private booking. Celtic Reflections, Dreamcatcher and The Roar of Thunder; The Whisper of Wind. Celtic Reflections is an energetic, physically demanding ballet with uplifting, stick-in-your-mind music that has a modern, Celtic twist.
Dreamcatcher is another inspirational ballet which was choreographed to honor the Native American spirit at the dawn of the New Millenium. Like Celtic Reflections, it is an emotionally-charged pieces and leaves the audience cheering for more.
The Roar of Thunder; The Whisper of Wind combines kenpo karate with classical ballet – something that has never been done before. Two dancers perform a symbolic pas de deux with a black belt karate master. It is performed to a heart-pounding drum score that has the audience gasping.
The emotional impact of these three ballets –Celtic Reflections, Dreamcatcher and Roar of Thunder– is breathtaking. They are our most popular ballets for general audiences.
Lyrical Ballets
Lyrical pieces are appropriate for any age for they capture the beauty, grace, and elegance of ballet. They are often set to very melodic music. A lyrical piece is the poetry of classical dance.
Current repertoire includes Here, There and Everywhere, Harp Dances and Debut. Here, There and Everywhere is a soft romantic piece set to the beautiful Paul McCartney melody. It is performed by eight dancers in flowing chiffon gowns. Harp Dances is a sometimes soft, sometimes lively ballet performed to the romance of a live harp. Debut, so named for it was the very first ballet performed by Rhode Island’s ballet theatre, has the entire company in long, classical tutus performing to soft, romantic music of Chopin. It is a Degas painting brought to life.
Themed Ballets
Festival in Venice follows the title theme in a ballet celebrating the “Festa di San Marco,” the patron saint of Venice. Choreographed to Tchaikovsky’s “Capriccio Italiane,” the piece requires 16 dancers. It is a study in emotional contrasts as the happy celebration of the festival passes a funeral procession on the way to the Isle of Morte (Island of the Dead). Joy and grief are blended together in an expressive ballet that ends in a lively, upbeat celebration of life.
For information on booking any of these ballets or other Rhode Island’s ballet theatre pieces, please call 401-261-7943.
