Pennsylvania's Second Ballet To Bring THE JUNGLE BOOK

By: Jan. 19, 2017
Enter Your Email to Unlock This Article

Plus, get the best of BroadwayWorld delivered to your inbox, and unlimited access to our editorial content across the globe.




Existing user? Just click login.

Pennsylvania Ballet II (PBII) will take families on a magical journey in their upcoming performances of The Jungle Book at The Prince Theater on Saturday, February 25th with a sensory friendly performance on Sunday, February 26th. Based on Rudyard Kipling's collection of stories from 1894, The Jungle Book uses dancers to portray animals in order to teach moral lessons and tell their quirky tales. Musicians from The Curtis Institute of Music perform the original score by John B Hedges for this family-friendly production.

"By creating an original Jungle Book we were able to bring an age-old story to life to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages," said PBII Ballet Master Eddy Tovar. "This performance serves as an opportunity for children to experience ballet first-hand through a story they know and love."

In 2015, Pennsylvania Ballet II, in partnership with The Curtis Institute of Music, brought together a unique group of talented Philadelphia artists to recreate this childhood classic. Choreographer Colby Damon collaborated with Philadelphia-based composer John B Hedges, a Curtis graduate, to bring his choreography to life. Costume designer Rebecca Kanach and set designer Sebastienne Mundheim provided costumes and sets that transported audiences into the story.

"They are all amazing artists that have used their talents to create magic on stage," said Pennsylvania Ballet Artistic Director Angel Corella. "The audience is able to experience this captivating story not only through dancing and narration, but also through the sets and costumes which evolve with the characters and story."

After a well-received debut at The Curtis Institute of Music in February 2016, Pennsylvania Ballet II has since performed Jungle Book throughout the Philadelphia region including Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, Cherry Hill West High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the Ware Center in Lancaster. This year marks the first time The Jungle Book will be performed on the main stage at the Prince Theater and the first time Pennsylvania Ballet II will perform a sensory-friendly performance of The Jungle Book.

Sensory Friendly Performance
Pennsylvania Ballet is proud to continue a partnership with Art-Reach, to provide a relaxed, sensory friendly production of The Jungle Book on Saturday, February 25 at 11:00a.m., at the Prince Theater. This production will be welcoming and inclusive of children and families with a wide range of sensory, learning, and communication differences including those on the autism spectrum. Individuals will be given space to move around, should feel comfortable verbalizing during the performance, and will be provided cool down areas to decompress with assistance from trained professionals. Especially important is that the house lights will not go completely dark during the performance, resulting in a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere for all. Prior to the performance, families will be given Program and Facility Guide Books which outline the story of The Jungle Book with visual images and the layout of the Prince Theater.

Performance Information:

  • Sensory Friendly Performance: Saturday, February 25, 2017, 11:00 AM, The Prince Theater
  • The Jungle Book Performance: Sunday, February 26, 2017, 3:00 PM, The Prince Theater

Tickets for the February 25 and February 26 performances are available online at http://www.paballet.org/jungle-book.

The Jungle Book is presented by Cigna.

Pennsylvania Ballet II (PBII) will take families on a magical journey in their upcoming performances of The Jungle Book at The Prince Theater on Saturday, February 25th with a sensory friendly performance on Sunday, February 26th. Based on Rudyard Kipling's collection of stories from 1894, The Jungle Book uses dancers to portray animals in order to teach moral lessons and tell their quirky tales. Musicians from The Curtis Institute of Music perform the original score by John B Hedges for this family-friendly production.

"By creating an original Jungle Book we were able to bring an age-old story to life to be enjoyed by audiences of all ages," said PBII Ballet Master Eddy Tovar. "This performance serves as an opportunity for children to experience ballet first-hand through a story they know and love."

In 2015, Pennsylvania Ballet II, in partnership with The Curtis Institute of Music, brought together a unique group of talented Philadelphia artists to recreate this childhood classic. Choreographer Colby Damon collaborated with Philadelphia-based composer John B Hedges, a Curtis graduate, to bring his choreography to life. Costume designer Rebecca Kanach and set designer Sebastienne Mundheim provided costumes and sets that transported audiences into the story.

"They are all amazing artists that have used their talents to create magic on stage," said Pennsylvania Ballet Artistic Director Angel Corella. "The audience is able to experience this captivating story not only through dancing and narration, but also through the sets and costumes which evolve with the characters and story."

After a well-received debut at The Curtis Institute of Music in February 2016, Pennsylvania Ballet II has since performed Jungle Book throughout the Philadelphia region including Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, Cherry Hill West High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and the Ware Center in Lancaster. This year marks the first time The Jungle Book will be performed on the main stage at the Prince Theater and the first time Pennsylvania Ballet II will perform a sensory-friendly performance of The Jungle Book.

Sensory Friendly Performance
Pennsylvania Ballet is proud to continue a partnership with Art-Reach, to provide a relaxed, sensory friendly production of The Jungle Book on Saturday, February 25 at 11:00a.m., at the Prince Theater. This production will be welcoming and inclusive of children and families with a wide range of sensory, learning, and communication differences including those on the autism spectrum. Individuals will be given space to move around, should feel comfortable verbalizing during the performance, and will be provided cool down areas to decompress with assistance from trained professionals. Especially important is that the house lights will not go completely dark during the performance, resulting in a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere for all. Prior to the performance, families will be given Program and Facility Guide Books which outline the story of The Jungle Book with visual images and the layout of the Prince Theater.

Performance Information:

Sensory Friendly Performance: Saturday, February 25, 2017, 11:00 AM, The Prince Theater

The Jungle Book Performance: Sunday, February 26, 2017, 3:00 PM, The Prince Theater

Tickets for the February 25 and February 26 performances are available online at http://www.paballet.org/jungle-book.

The Jungle Book is presented by Cigna.



Comments

To post a comment, you must register and login.
Vote Sponsor


Videos