Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS

New York ballet company closes out the ACANSA Festival Saturday.

By: Sep. 23, 2023
Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS

Central Arkansas is overflowing with talent. Not only do we have amazing artists, the ACANSA directors go in search of creative troupes to entertain and enhance our already thriving community. To finish out The Eighth Annual ACANSA Festival of the South, BALLETS WITH A TWIST will be serving up the drinks through dance at UA-PTC CHARTS Saturday, Sept. 23, at 7:30pm.  

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS
Choreographer Marilyn Kalus

Broadway World was thrilled to be able to chat with New York based company BALLETS WITH A TWIST Artistic Director and Choreographer Marilyn Klaus about their show and visit to North Little Rock 

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS
Photo Credit: Nico Malvaldi

BWW: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. We are excited that you guys are coming to PTC-CHARTS. 

Marilyn Klaus: Yeah, we're excited too. It's actually our first time. We've been trying to get down there earlier before the pandemic, and then all of that that happened, and so we are finally coming.  

BWW: Yes, the pandemic interrupted everyone’s lives, but we are thrilled that you agreed to bring COCKTAIL HOUR THE SHOW this year. How did all of that come about? You're out of New York, right?  

Marilyn: We first met people from ACANSA at one of the arts conferences that takes place in the United States-- there's a Midwest one, a Western one and a New York one. When the ACANSA representative visited our booth and viewed our videos that showed our dances, costumes and original music, he booked us right away.  

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS
Photo Credit: Nico Malvaldi

BWW: Well that is fortunate for us. So, this is not a tour? You’re coming to Arkansas specifically for us?  

Marilyn: Yes, we're coming down for you. We often do tour from state to state, but this time we are coming back to New York due to scheduling. Our dates are already set, so right our next show is in Augusta, Georgia, in October. After that, we go to Pennsylvania and South Carolina. Last year we toured in Iowa and Wisconsin. During that we did stay out on the road, you know, so it just depends on when the timing of an event is. I have been keeping my toes crossed that we won't have any inclement hurricane related weather, because we've been seeing how it has been messing up the flights. So, I've been making daily offerings to whomever to make sure we're going to be able to get those flights.  

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS
Photo Credit: Nico Malvaldi

BWW: We will do what we can here for you. How big is the company?   

Marilyn: We have 10 ladies and five gentlemen, all classical ballet dancers. Then,  I'm the choreographer, and the composer and costume designer and lighting designer. We all travel together.  

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS
Photo Credit: Nico Malvaldi

BWW: Like a big family.....that’s great. Sounds like fun. 

Marilyn: It's a big group, because we have a variety of numbers...something for everyone.  

BWW: Tell me about them. 

Marilyn: Hot Toddy is a big number that takes place around the 1920s like in a Speakeasy. It has characters, like guys in top hats and canes, and then their wives are society ladies, so that's a big number. We have some fun solos, like, Shirley Temple. Kids love her. She's kind of a hip hop kind of a Shirley Temple. She was dreadlocks and is a little bit of a Rockstar. We have Roy Rogers. That number was inspired by my kid brother, who would order the Roy Rogers when I would order the Shirley Temple. Of course, Roy Rogers is a country western number, so we have a variety. It's a family oriented show.  

BWW: Well, this is going to be so great. What about the music. 

Marilyn: Our music is pretty much all original, except for the Roy Rogers, which we do to the theme from the television show Rawhide.  

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS
Photo Credit: Nico Malvaldi

BWW: That will be fun to see! How long have y'all been doing BALLETS WITH A TWIST?   

Marilyn: Well, I started putting different choreographic pieces together in 1996, then we did our first show, Big Cocktail Hour show about 10 or 12 years ago. Since that time, we added a tremendous amount of repertory with different cocktails. Then we added other drinks, like Beer, which is a quintet for five gentlemen. We've only done it once before in Wisconsin, so we added it this year and will be doing that for you. It's really exciting seeing them all dance together. We are continually adding new work. We now have about 40 pieces, so when we return to places like Augusta, we have enough cocktails where we can do a completely new show.  

BWW: Not to give it all away, but what else do you have for us? 

Marilyn: We have Champagne, which has cultural references. Some of our pieces are historical. We do a Brandy Alexander, but have made it about Alexander the Great. We have Manhattan references with waiters and baristas and a woman who walks her little dog down 5th Ave. We have so many different characters. 

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS
Photo Credit: Nico Malvaldi

BWW: So why did you create this cocktail world?  

Marilyn: It’s important to us to really bring the audience in so that they not only enjoy the classical ballet, but they feel like they can understand it and are part of it.  

BWW: So is the dancing different?   

Marilyn: All of the dancers are classical ballet dancers, so it is interesting to see what the audience takes away. Every dance has completely different music, completely different styles and point of view. In every dance, the movement is created specifically to go with the concept, so even though we use the classic vocabulary due to our training, the dances are done with a twist. The dances wear all sorts of different shoes depending on the character. Some are wearing point shoes, but others have jazz shoes, or whatever the character needs. By combining the dancing with acting and costumes, we try to make it accessible for the audience.  

BWW: Well, I can’t wait to see it! I look forward to seeing you Saturday! This is going to be so much fun. 

For more information about BALLETS WITH A TWIST, visit their website at https://www.balletswithatwist.com. For tickets to the show, go to the ACANSA website at https://acansa.org/ticketing

Broadway World would like to thank Nico Malvaldi for the use of these beautiful photos. For more from this artist, check out the website at http://nicomalvaldi.com. 

Interview: Marilyn Klaus of BALLETS WITH A TWIST: COCKTAIL HOUR at PTC-CHARTS


BroadwayWorld Awards Voting

RELATED STORIES - Arkansas

1
Review: THE BREACH: STORIES OF SERVICE at Arkansas Repertory Theatre Photo
Review: THE BREACH: STORIES OF SERVICE at Arkansas Repertory Theatre

Veteran’s Day is always special for me, because had it not been for my Air Force dad marrying a woman he met in Okinawa, I wouldn’t be here. It doesn’t take much to make me tear up when it comes to our service men and women, and that is exactly what happened when I went to THE BREACH: STORIES OF SERVICE at The Arkansas Repertory Theatre, 601 Main St, in Little Rock, on Saturday, Nov. 11. Director Ben Grimes and Assistant Director Ben Barham, founders of Riverside Actors Theatre, brought together an array of service members who braved the stage and shared their lives that pulled the audience members closer together as we melted while feeling collective emotions for our storytellers.   

2
Latest Standings Announced For The 2023 BroadwayWorld Arkansas Awards; YOU CANT TAKE IT WI Photo
Latest Standings Announced For The 2023 BroadwayWorld Arkansas Awards; YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU Leads Best Play!

Happy Holidays! The latest wave of standings have been announced as of Monday, November 27th for the 2023 BroadwayWorld Arkansas Awards! Don't miss out on making sure that your favorite theatres, stars, and shows get the recognition they deserve!

3
Review: ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Red Curtain Theatre Photo
Review: ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Red Curtain Theatre

What did our critic think of ROCKY HORROR SHOW at Red Curtain Theatre?

4
Review: DISNEYS FROZEN at North Little Rock High School Performing Arts Center Photo
Review: DISNEY'S FROZEN at North Little Rock High School Performing Arts Center

What did our critic think of DISNEY'S FROZEN at North Little Rock High School Performing Arts Center?

From This Author - Theresa Bertram

Prior to becoming a writer for Broadway World, Theresa Bertram has had an extensive career in the media/entertainment business. Born in Las Vegas, Nevada to a professional poker-playing mother, Theres... Theresa Bertram">(read more about this author)

Videos


What the Constitution Means to Me in Arkansas What the Constitution Means to Me
Actors Theatre of Little Rock (9/11-9/21)
Hairspray (Non-Equity) in Arkansas Hairspray (Non-Equity)
Walton Arts Center [Baum Walker Hall] (5/03-5/05)
26 Pebbles in Arkansas 26 Pebbles
Actors Theatre of Little Rock (5/29-6/08)
WONDERFUL LIFE in Arkansas WONDERFUL LIFE
Main Stage Creative Community Center (11/24-12/26)PHOTOS
Les Miserables in Arkansas Les Miserables
Walton Arts Center [Baum Walker Hall] (1/02-1/07)
The Mountaintop in Arkansas The Mountaintop
Actors Theatre of Little Rock (2/07-2/17)
To Kill a Mockingbird in Arkansas To Kill a Mockingbird
Walton Arts Center [Baum Walker Hall] (4/16-4/21)
Tina: The Tina Turner Musical in Arkansas Tina: The Tina Turner Musical
Walton Arts Center [Baum Walker Hall] (12/12-12/17)
Company in Arkansas Company
Walton Arts Center [Baum Walker Hall] (2/20-2/25)
Black Nativity: The Gospel Christmas Musical Experience  in Arkansas Black Nativity: The Gospel Christmas Musical Experience
Actors Theatre of Little Rock (12/06-12/17)
VIEW ALL SHOWS  ADD A SHOW  

Recommended For You