Catawba County News
Storytime Ballet: Swan Lake
Published: August 28, 2019
In September, the Library continues its partnership with Hickory Ballet and Performing Arts to showcase another classic ballet: Swan Lake.
The Tchaikovsky work, loosely based on European folk tales, centers around Odette, a princess who is turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer, and her budding relationship with Prince Siegfried, whose love has the potential to restore her to human form forever.
The Library performances focus on storytelling, namely the techniques dancers use to communicate events and emotions to an audience when words aren’t available to them. Students from Hickory Ballet will demonstrate the various ways they use gesture, expression, and other physical movements to help people understand what is happening on stage from moment to moment.
In addition to seeing portions of the ballet performed, children will have the chance to learn some ballet steps themselves. Not only will they discover the discipline needed to perform, but they’ll also realize how precise the actions must be to tell an effective story.
For young people – male and female – interested in seeing what the real work of dance performance looks like, this workshop is a terrific introduction.
The first programs take place at the following locations:
- Saturday, September 7 at 10 am at the Maiden Branch Library
- Saturday, September 7 at 11:15 am at the Main Library in Newton
- Saturday, September 7 at 12:30 pm at the Southwest Branch Library.
Additional programs will follow in October.