AC Ballet Kicks Off Their Spring Season At The Strand in Lakewood

On the heels of their successful west coast tour, the Atlantic City Ballet begins their spring season at The Strand Theater in Lakewood with a program that has something for everyone. An Evening of Dance consists of three ballets that reflect the versatility and range of the dancers and the company. Anchored by the ballet Mountain Legend which is set to the Pulitzer Prize winning Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copeland, An Evening of Dance will have two other ballets on the program Les Patinuers and Pas de dix. All three of these ballets are part of the ballet's repertoire and have not been seen for quite some time. "As part of our 35th season it was important to give audiences a chance to see some of the ballets I did in the early years." said Ms. Papa, the company's Founding Artistic Director," It's an important part of the company's history."

Each ballet on the program is vastly different. Le Patinuers also known as the Skaters Waltz, depicts a Victorian skating party that takes place on a frozen pond on a winter's evening. Pas de dix (dance for ten), is actually part of a full length ballet entitled Raymonda, and is the celebration during the third acts wedding. Mountain Legend captures the flavor of life in a rural American town in the 1930's. The March 24th performance at The Strand will be dedicated to former Governor Brendan Byrne who passed away last month and was a strong advocate for the company. "We were saddened to hear of Governor Byrne's passing and wanted to do something to honor him." according to Ms. Papa.

Founded in 1982, by International Ballerina, Phyllis Papa, the Atlantic City Ballet is comprised of professional dancers from around the world and have earned national acclaim for their technical expertise and exuberant stage presence. Although their home base is in Historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, the Ballet has performed in theaters all along the east coast and have just recently returned from their first west coast tour. Their repertoire of original works includes such classics as A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake but Ms. Papa is most known for her innovative works such as Dracula, Caught Up In The Swing and her full length Carmen. Since its inception, the Atlantic City Ballet has served as one of the cultural treasures of New Jersey and continues a tradition of dance excellence for future generations of ballet audiences

An Evening of Dance featuring Appalachian Spring by Aaron Copeland The Strand Theater-Lakewood, NJ
Saturday March 24, 2018-7:00pm
Tickets may be purchased at www.strand.org or www.acballet.org

For a complete list of performances visit www.acballet.org or call 609-348-7201 for more information.

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