WORDS / BALLET ARKANSAS

The health and safety of our dancers, staff, and community is of paramount importance to Ballet Arkansas. For this reason, we made the very difficult decision to postpone our April performances of Master/Works to a future date within our 20/21 season, and to cancel our interactive Snow White performances, in light of the COVID19 virus. Those who have purchased tickets to each production will be contacted by the UA-PTC box office to discuss the available ticketing options. Like many arts organizations, our 2019/20 season came to an unexpected close, and it is our job to continue to fulfill our mission by adapting to the uncertain circumstances and continuing to make the arts accessible. We have created two brand new programs, ENCORE and LEARN FROM HOME  to bring the arts to the home during these unprecedented times.

Although we bear significant losses due to these unfortunate circumstances, we will continue to fully compensate our dancers and staff through the duration of their contracts. Now more than ever, we ask individuals and organizations to consider making a tax deductible donation to Ballet Arkansas at www.balletarkansas.org/donate. A donation of any size plays a meaningful role in the health and wellness of our organization. At Ballet Arkansas, we’ve been touching the lives of countless children and adults for 41 years. With your support, we are sure our best performances are yet to come.

CANCELLED Snow White, April 25-26, noon, UA-PTC CHARTS Theater

Ballet Arkansas presents a new imagining of the story of Snow White told through the eyes of the Evil Witch, and features a community cast of 40 local dancers. Snow White is an interactive, multimedia experience for children and families and the perfect spring production. Snow White takes the stage at UA-PTC CHARTS Theater in North Little Rock on Saturday, April 25 and Sunday, April 26 at noon.

POSTPONED Master/Works, April 24-26, UA-PTC CHARTS Theater

Made possible through the generous support of the Stella Boyle Smith Trust, Master/Works is composed of high profile repertory from acclaimed international choreographers, and live music provided by internationally celebrated pianist Fei-Fei Dong. Master/Works brings the best repertory that dance has to offer to Central Arkansas with George Balanchine’s signature work “Allegro Brillante”, Gerald Arpino’s sensational “Confetti”, and world premieres by acclaimed contemporary choreographers Yoshito Sakuraba, Alice Klock, and Florian Lochner. The perfect climax to the 2019/20 season, Master/Works takes the stage at UA-PTC CHARTS Theater in North Little Rock on Friday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m, Saturday, April 25 at 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m, and Sunday, April 26 at 2:30 p.m.

*We would like to thank Alice Klock and Florian Lochner of FLOCK, Yoshito Sakuraba of Abarukas, international pianist Fei Fei Dong, Charthell Estner of the Arpino Foundation, and Michele Gifford of the George Balanchine Trust. Through the talents and support of these individuals and organizations, we were able to program a dynamic mixed repertory program. A special thanks to our valued partner, the Stella Boyle Smith Trust, for providing the support necessary to bring our dream of Master/Works to life.

BA Offers “At Home” Online Programming, In Light of COVID19

“Encore” Announced March 28

Our new series, “Encore” brings a variety of Ballet Arkansas performances to the comfort of your home every Saturday and Sunday. Our first online feature, box office hit “Cinderella,” was viewed by more than 550 individuals from across the United States over the course of March 28-29. “It is our mission to make world-class dance programming accessible to all, and we feel it’s the perfect time to share the beauty of dance with the public, free of charge. We hope that a Ballet Arkansas performance can bring joy and peace in this time of uncertainty,” says Michael Fothergill, Executive and Artistic Director. Visit www.balletarkansas.org/encore each weekend to view a new “Encore” performance.

Learn from Home Announced March 30

In partnership with ACANSA A(r)T HOME, Ballet Arkansas brings a variety of dance classes and dance challenges to the public, free of charge. For the first installment of “Learn from Home”, Ballet Arkansas dancer and choreographer Deanna Stanton, guides you through three levels of ballet classes and a contemporary creation. Join Ballet Arkansas and ACANSA in the “BA Choreography Challenge” by filming yourself doing the contemporary video and posting on social media, tagging both Ballet Arkansas and ACANSA. Visit www.balletarkansas.org/learn-from-home to take class with one of our professionals. New videos will be added to the website periodically.

About Ballet Arkansas Consisting of 15 professional dancers, Ballet Arkansas is the foremost professional ballet company of the State of Arkansas and is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Over the last 41 years, Ballet Arkansas’ education programs and performances have touched the lives of more than 150,000 Arkansans, reaching nearly 20,000 individuals per year. Ballet Arkansas presents a vibrant and diverse repertory featuring classical, neoclassical, and contemporary works by world renowned choreographers. Ballet Arkansas is committed to collaboration, community outreach, education and to making innovative dance programming accessible to all. Ballet Arkansas has been under the artistic direction of Michael and Catherine Fothergill since the summer of 2017. Since that time, the organization has tripled it programming and doubled it’s organizational budget. Learn more about Ballet Arkansas at www.balletarkansas.org.

Our Mission Provide world class diverse innovative dance programming and education to Arkansas and beyond.