MAGIC IN MOTION
Ballet Repertory Theatre presents ‘Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Ballet Repertory Theatre is going back to its roots.
The dance company is staging William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” beginning Saturday, Feb. 23, at the KiMo Theatre.
The classic is also the first fulllength production the company put on, back in 1995 with choreographer Celia Dale.
The story follows Puck, the servant to the king of the fairies, a he sets off a chain reaction when his love potion causes the fairy queen to fall in love with a weaver-turned-donkey. Then, human lovers fall into the mix, and a night of confusion unfolds in a magical forest full of fairies and enchanting winged creatures.
Katherine Giese, BRT director, is feeling nostalgic about it all.
“Celia’s ballet is not only hilarious; it gives BRT the opportunity to make Shakespeare approachable and funny for all ages,” Giese says. “We are presenting the classics in a way the entire family can enjoy. With this, I hope BRT is helping to instill an appreciation for all the performing arts, not just ballet, for our young audiences to carry with them through life.”
Giese says the production is one of her favorite Shakespeare pieces.
“I am fond of Shakespeare’s play, but I also danced in Balanchine’s version with San Francisco Ballet when I was a child and as a professional dancer in Dale’s version of the story as ‘Moth’ in BRT’s 1998 production,” she says. “We have the wonderful opportunity to be bring back Katherine Liljestrand to perform Titania, Queen of the Fairies. Katherine grew up dancing at BRT, where she started dancing at age 3 and danced with the company for seven years. After earning her bachelor’s degrees in biology and English from UNM, she is now working toward her JD from Georgetown University Law Center while dancing as a freelance dancer in and around the D.C. area.”
In addition to Liljestrand, the cast includes Chris Bornet, Kelsey Gorelick-Barrows, Jacob Edington, Ashley Torrez, Edward Montoya and Gonzalo Monge.
Giese says casting took place last summer for the production and rehearsals have been taking place since early January.
The company puts on three productions a year.
“It’s a smaller cast, with 35 dancers,” she says. “I’m looking forward to seeing it all come together.”