Sneak Preview

Here's a little tiny snippet of today's rehearsal for A Midsummer Night's Dream. Julia and Javier are dancing Peaseblossom and Puck.

We've begun rehearsing with the children, since throughout the ballet they interact quite a bit with the adult dancers. The children have a special, and huge, responsibility in Midsummer-- they actually move parts of the set. There are several "trees" on stage which the kids shift into different arrangements as the scenes change. There are markings on the stage floor to help them remember where exactly they're supposed to go, but still... I must say I'm glad I don't have to do that! They're doing great with their roles as bugs, flowers, and scene-shifters, thanks to Anne Mueller's conscientious rehearsals with them. Anne's been working with the children on Midsummer for weeks now, teaching them not only their steps, counts, and spacing, but also all of the tree-shifting. Watch for their adorable bug-choreography, like when they shiver in fear and concern, or rub the backs of their wrists together like real bugs.