Performance Preview

Some diehard baseball fans travel the country to see different baseball parks. If I had the time and the funding, I would do the same for ballet companies.

Ballet Across America makes that trip less necessary. The ballet companies are coming to me...and you (if you're in DC).

What is Ballet Across America? It's a festival celebrating the diversity of American ballet. Nine ballet companies from all different regions of the country will share the Kennedy Center stage this week. It's like a ballet convention.

I saw Ballet Across America two summers ago and I absolutely had to splurge on a ticket for this, the second installment. I'm seeing Program B featuring Ballet Memphis, Ballet Arizona and the Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Choosing a program was a really difficult decision for me because the Houston Ballet (in Program A) totally knocked my socks off last time around. They performed "Velocity" by Artistic Director Stanton Welch and left me picking my jaw up off the Opera House's floor. I was SO impressed by the athleticism of the male corps de ballet.

Alas, I doubt you'd see a bad performance this week during Ballet Across America. These companies are some of the best.

Here's a preview of Ballet Memphis in rehearsal:

Making of In Dreams from Trey McIntyre Project on Vimeo.