Performance Date: April 17, 2016
In celebration of their 25 years producing ballet classics and original productions, Yellowstone Ballet Company (YBC) presents A Day with Yellowstone Ballet at the Movies. If you missed any of Yellowstone Ballet Company’s World Premiere productions now is your chance to see them. The event takes place on Sunday, April 17th at the Shane Lalani Center for the Arts, Dulcie Theater in Livingston. The event will feature professionally taped and edited footage of YBC’s best productions over the years with special effects included in The Little Mermaid and Hiawatha.
Beginning at 11:00 a.m. is Hansel & Gretel~ with a Twist. This production, produced and directed by Kathleen Rakela, with original music by Dean Anderson and narration by actress Margot Kidder (Lois Lane- Superman), features Parsifal Pittendorfer as Hansel, Isabel Milkovich as Gretel, Sabrina Lee (North Cost Dance Co.) as the Witch and Bozeman’s Malia Ludin as the Dawn Fairy. It also includes dancers from Yellowstone Ballet School and Main Street Dance Theatre.
At 12:15 is Pinocchio, produced and directed by Kathleen Rakela, with original music by Dean Anderson and narration by singer, songwriter, Terry Canady, featuring Barry Molina (Milwauke Ballet) as Pinocchio, Livingston actor Gary Fish as Geppetto, Irene McShea as Jiminy Cricket, and Karen Stengel as the Blue Fairy along with other Main Street Dance Theatre performers and dancers from Yellowstone Ballet School.
At 1:00 p.m. is The Little Mermaid produced and directed by Kathleen Rakela, with original classical music by Daniel Parker and narration by Robert Worobec, featuring YBC alumnus Fiona Lee (now training at School of American Ballet, NYC) as the Little Mermaid, Randy Herrera, (principal Houston Ballet), as the Prince, and Bozeman’s Molly Huempfner (trainee, Colorado Ballet) as the Bride. This production includes dancers from Yellowstone Ballet School, The Dance Center, and Main Street Dance Theater.
At 2:00 p.m. is Hiawatha. Produced and directed by Kathleen Rakela with moving narration by Robert Worobec, this powerful portrayal of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem barely left a dry eye in the audience. It features Christophe Maraval (principal Pacific Northwest Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet) as Hiawatha; Tricia Sundbeck (principal Sacramento Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet) as Minnehaha; Sergei Domrachev (Moscow Ballet) as the mischief maker Pau-Pu-Keewis; John Henry Reid (Houston Ballet, Colorado Ballet) as Hiawatha’s father Mudjekeeuws; Heather Holmes (Colorado Ballet) as Kahgagee the Raven; and Sabrina Lee (North Coast Dance Co.) as Hiawatha’s mother, Wenonah. This production features performers from Yellowstone Ballet School and guests from Sweden.
At 3:30 p.m. is the full-length classic ballet Swan Lake, produced and directed by Kathleen Rakela, with Sharon Wehner (principal Colorado Ballet) as the Swan Queen, Odette/Odile; Dimitri Trubchanov (principal Colorado Ballet, Kirov Ballet) as the Prince; Chris Taddiken (B.A. Dance, Mercyhurst College) as the evil magician Von Rothbart and a cast of 16 swans from Yellowstone Ballet School and Main Street Dance Theatre.
At 5:00 p.m. is the full-length classic ballet Cinderella, produced and directed by Kathleen Rakela, with Parsifal Pittendorfer (State Street Ballet) as the Prince; Lilit Hogtanian (State Street Ballet) as Cinderella; Sabrina Lee (North Coast Dance Co.) as the Step Mother; Sarah Skofield as Dumpy, Fiona Lee as Skinny and Karen Stengel as the Fairy Godmother. This production also features dancers from The Dance Center and Main Street Dance Theatre.
At 6:15 p.m. is the full-length classic ballet Giselle, produced and directed by Kathleen Rakela, with Dimitri Trubchanov (principal Colorado Ballet, Kirov Ballet) as the Prince; Kristi Capps (principal Cincinnati Ballet) as Giselle; Carolyn Lippert (ABT Studio Company) as Myrta, the Queen of the Willis; and Sabrina Lee (North Coast Dance Co.) as Hilarian. This ballet features 12 “willis” from Yellowstone Ballet School and Main Street Dance Theatre plus dancers form Helena’s Ballet Montana in the “Peasant Pas de Deux”.
Last but not least, at 7:30 p.m. is the full-length ballet, Romeo & Juliet of the Rockies. Produced and directed by Kathleen Rakela, this production sets Shakespeare’s tragedy in 1864, Montana Territory with Romeo and companions as soldiers stationed at Fort Ellis and Juliet and her family as Blackfeet Natives. Kathleen Rakela was awarded a Montana Arts Council Fellowship in the Performing Arts for its moving choreography highlighted in the pas de deux’s between Romeo and Juliet. The ballet was performed on 5 stages throughout Montana and received standing ovations in every town. Romeo & Juliet of the Rockies features: Jared Nelson (principal Sacramento Ballet) as Romeo; Tricia Sundbeck (principal Sacramento Ballet) as Juliet; Sergei Domrachev (Moscow Ballet) as Mercutio; Michael Stepanovich (Sacramento Ballet) as Paris; (Bolshoi Ballet) as Tybalt; Vitali as Benevelo. This production features dancers from Yellowstone Ballet School and Three Rivers Dance Theatre, Jackson Hole, WY.
Tickets for “A Day at the Movies with Yellowstone Ballet Company” will be available at the door on the day of performance, cash or check for $5 for one show or $10 for a day pass. Refreshments and sandwiches will also be available for those staying for several movies.
For more information go to www.yellowstoneballet.org, email Yellowstoneballet@gmail.com or call 406- 222-0430.
