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Youth ballet troupe from Cuyahoga Falls will premiere work that it commissioned next weekend at Civic
By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Sunday, Mar 07, 2010
One of children's literature's most belovedly glam characters will come to life next weekend with the world premiere ballet Fancy Nancy at the Akron Civic Theatre.
It would be an understatement to say that this little girl loves glitz and all things girly. Fancy Nancy can never have too many boas for playing dress up, nor does there seem to be a limit to how many sparkly accessories she wears in her wonderfully tousled, curly red hair.
The Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet commissioned the new dance from choreographer Francis Patrelle of New York. It's the sixth original ballet Patrelle has created for the pre-professional company in Cuyahoga Falls, and he relished the challenge.
When he was asked to do the ballet, Patrelle hadn't heard of the children's series Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor, but he got his hands on as many books as he could find last year to delve into her sweet world. He created a story inspired by three of the books: Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy, Fancy Nancy at the Museum and Fancy Nancy and the Boy From Paris.
''At the very beginning, reading through it, I didn't know how to do it, because if it's not handled very carefully, Nancy could come off a little spoiled brat,'' he said.
Patrelle said the books do a great job of not making Nancy seem spoiled. Each story provides a lesson about being true to yourself and expressing your unique personality.
''That's what I tried to clue into,'' Patrelle said. ''I thought that was the cat's meow.''
In this story, Fancy Nancy is playing dress up in her ever-so-feminine bedroom with her sister and her friends Bree and Robert. She's all dolled up in a big red boa with capris, a flowered top and hot pink ballet shoes.
Janet Bolick's costuming captures beautifully the whimsy of Fancy Nancy's style, as created by illustrator Robin Preiss Glasser. Fancy Nancy's ruffled canopy bed with floral pinks and zebra stripes is a little girl's dream, too.
Preiss Glasser was a dancer, so she portrays the glamorous girl in balletic poses, often en pointe.
''I think dance just pops out of the books,'' Patrelle said. ''Her positions themselves are always beautiful from a ballet perspective.''
At the Civic Theatre, an elaborate backdrop created by Gillian Bradshaw Smith of Texas depicts a road winding to a museum and several homes in Fancy Nancy's neighborhood, including that of the ultra-stylish Ms. Devine, whom Nancy most admires. Ms. Devine has a Dalmatian puppy, and Nancy yearns for her own dog.
Things start to get quite interesting when the mischievous puppy (Hagan Leeds Richman) hitches a ride with Nancy, her family and friends on a trip to the museum. The museum's paintings come to life in charming dance segments featuring dancing puppies, can-can girls, cowboys and a romantic galaxy of stars.
Bradshaw Smith created the paintings on scrims through which dancers can be seen posing as characters representing the paintings' subjects. New York composer Patrick Soluri wrote the original score and will meet audience members in the lobby before each performance.
The full company of 39 dancers performs in the show, led by Abby Kulwicki and Brittany Gajarsky-Kottler sharing the part of Fancy Nancy, Brian Gillick as Father, Carly Pouttu as Mother and Sarah Spaulding as Ms. Devine. Patrelle has choreographed six storybook ballets over the years with the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet, including last year's The Empty Pot. Artistic director Mia Klinger said that continuity allows Patrelle to work on a deeper level with the young dancers.
''The more the choreographer knows the kids, the more he can do with them,'' Klinger said. ''He is absolutely my favorite. He really is here for the kids.''
Patrelle said he makes a point of choreographing true ensemble works so many children get the chance to shine: ''Anyone can choreograph and just use the 10 best children in the school. It's about bringing everyone along, challenging them and seeing what can be accomplished.''
The choreographer said the troupe's dancers would rather be rehearsing than anywhere else: ''I think a child has to grow up with a passion to be as honest and normal as possible.''
At a recent rehearsal, Patrelle gave the dancers a push in a scene where Fancy Nancy's mom chastises her for messing her room up with dress-up things.
''How many of your own bedrooms are actually this messy? Be honest,'' Patrelle said. ''I can tell by your dancing, children. I just want to let you know that. Sloppy room, sloppy dancing, sloppy mind.''
Earlier, he urged the girls dancing as stars of the galaxy to show some true star quality in what he called their ''MGM moment,'' a la Ginger Rogers.
''If you don't believe you're the single most important person onstage, then we're all wasting our time,'' he said.
Klinger said the youth ballet would never be able to produce such lavish, original ballets without a well-oiled volunteer parental machine that makes just about everything happen behind the scenes, from props work to creating and maintaining the star dancers' beautiful headpieces. The ballet company also has collaborated with Weathervane Community Playhouse for years to build its sets.
''It gives you such a pleasure when you see the kids doing something that's just bigger than themselves,'' said backstage volunteer Maryrosa Hamed, mother of dancers Keila, Sophia and Scotto Hamed-Ramos.
The new ballet will soon spread beyond the world of these dancers: The Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet will take the show on the road to Symphony Space in New York on May 8 to perform Fancy Nancy in a festival that will highlight Patrelle's works.
In continuing to create original storybook ballets for children, Klinger said she's carrying on the work of her late mother, Nan Klinger, who founded the youth ballet. Its high quality of dance has allowed the company to gain the rights to create ballets based on beloved children's stories, including not only Fancy Nancy but also Ludwig Bemelmans' Madeline and the Gypsies, another Patrelle ballet that will be reprised next year.
''My mother always told us, 'To be on the cutting edge of art, don't replicate things,' '' Klinger said.
Details
Event: Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet in the world premiere of Francis Patrelle’s Fancy Nancy. Also on the program is a reprise of James Sewell’s Carnival of the Animals.
When: 2:30 and 7:3 0 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. March 14
Where: Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St., Akron
Activities: Meet composer Patrick Soluri and hear a special reading of a Fancy Nancy tale 30 minutes before each performance. Come dressed like Fancy Nancy.
Cost: $20-$25
Information: 330-253-2488 or http://www.ticketmaster.com
Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
One of children's literature's most belovedly glam characters will come to life next weekend with the world premiere ballet Fancy Nancy at the Akron Civic Theatre.
Get the full article here.
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