Excerpts from LA BAYADERE, SLEEPING BEAUTY & More Set for The Hartt School's 'From Studio to Stage'

The Hartt School Community Division (HCD) Dance Department presents an evening of ballet-The Kingdom Of The Shades from the full-length ballet La Bayadere, Aurora's Wedding from the ballet classic The Sleeping Beauty, and two ballets by legendary choreographer Antony Tudor-on Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in Millard Auditorium at the University of Hartford, 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford. Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased via the University Box Office at 800.274.8587 or online at hartford.edu/tickets.

The Kingdom Of The Shades is one of the most celebrated and recognizable excerpts in all classical ballet. As part of the full-length ballet La Bayedere (The Temple Dancer), The Kingdom Of The Shades is a dream sequence in which the hero, Solor, dreams of his love Nikiya. Set in the Royal India of the past, La Bayadère is a story of eternal love. Guest artists and American Ballet Theatre members Paulina Waski and Marshall Whitely dance the leads. Accompanying The Kingdom Of The Shades on the program is Aurora's Wedding, from the third act of the ballet The Sleeping Beauty. First performed in 1890, The Sleeping Beauty remains one of the most popular and endearing classical ballets.

In act three, the royal wedding is underway. Fairytale characters are in attendance, including Puss in Boots and The White Cat, Princess Florine and the Bluebird, and others. A grand pas de deux is danced by Aurora and her Prince and all live happily ever after.

Rounding out this program are two pieces by famEd English choreographer Antony Tudor. Little Improvisations, created in 1953, depicts two children playing in the attic on a rainy day. Tudor's Continuo is a long continuous lyrical outpouring, a signature piece of his highly recognizable style.

This full evening of ballet culminates a concentrated month of preprofessional study during the HCD Dance Department's From Studio to Stage (FSTS), a national summer intensive ballet program designed to provide rigorous technical coaching and intensive rehearsals. The dancers showcased represent an impressive assortment of talented preprofessionals and professionals from across the United States of America. Join us an outstanding performance of these classic love stories staged by guest directors Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner from American Ballet Theatre.

About the Guest Artistic Directors:

Amanda McKerrow has enjoyed a career as one of America's acclaimed ballerinas. She has the honor of being the first American to receive a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1981. McKerrow joined American Ballet Theatre in 1982 under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov. She was appointed Soloist in 1983, and became a Principal Dancer in 1987. She is married to fellow dancer and repetiteur, John Gardner.

In 1978 John Gardner joined the main company of American Ballet Theatre, and was promoted to the rank of Soloist in 1984. He is a sanctioned repetiteur for the Antony Tudor Ballet Trust, and also stages the ballets of Agnes DeMille and Benjamin Millepied. He has been invited to work in these many capacities for ballet companies and schools around the world, including American Ballet Theatre, Colorado Ballet, Ballet West, Houston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and Washington Ballet. Gardner is married to fellow dancer and repetiteur Amanda McKerrow.

From Studio to Stage (FSTS) is a summer preprofessional ballet program offering extensive performance experience to empower young dancers to enter today's dance industry. This multi-faceted, rigorous, 4-week curriculum takes dancers beyond technique and leads them to improved performance both on and off-stage. For more information about FSTS, visit our website at hartford.edu/hcd.

The Hartt School Community Division (HCD) is a comprehensive community arts school that provides instruction in music and dance for people of all ages and experience levels. At our locations in West Hartford, Hartford, and Simsbury, Conn., we are proud to serve over 2,800 students of all ages and backgrounds. As the community arm of The University of Hartford's Hartt School, the mission of HCD is to enrich lives through innovative and unparalleled performing arts education. For more information on The Hartt School Community Division, visit hartford.edu/hcd.

The Hartt School is the performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920, Hartt has been an integral part of the University of Hartford since its charter merged the then Hartt School of Music, the Hartford Art School, and Hillyer College to create the University in 1957. With more than 400 concerts, recitals, plays, master classes, dance performances, and musical theatre productions each year, performance is central to Hartt's curriculum. For more information about The Hartt School, visit hartford.edu/hartt.

The University of Hartford's The Hartt School is a performing arts conservatory that offers innovative degree programs in music, dance, and theatre. Founded in 1920, Hartt has been an integral part of the University of Hartford since its charter merged the then Hartt School of Music, the Hartford Art School, and Hillyer College to create the University in 1957. Hartt marked its 90th year of providing world-class performing arts education to students in Greater Hartford and around the world in 2010. With more than 400 concerts, recitals, plays, master classes, dance performances, and musical theatre productions each year, performance is central to Hartt's curriculum. For more information about The Hartt School, visit www.hartford.edu/hartt.