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.

Performance Preview

I'm crossing my fingers that I can get out of work early tomorrow and go see the Blue Eyed Soul Dance Company at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. (Side note- if you don't already know, the Millennium Stage has a FREE performance every night of the year. Check it out!)

According to their website, Blue Eyed Soul (@BESdance) is an inclusive dance company with disabled and non-disabled artists of all ages. "The Company aims to create a level playing field where people can step over their threshold of perceived possibility."

The videos of Blue Eyed Soul Dance Company's work are really touching and I think they are important for everyone to see. Dance is not only good exercise. It's an outlet for emotional release and artistic expression.

A passion for dance should not be limited to non-disabled persons. It's refreshing to see that companies like Blue Eyed Soul understand the therapeutic nature of the art and encourage all to get involved.

Tomorrow's performance is part of the 2010 International VSA Festival and begins at 6pm. Can't make it? The video will also be broadcast live and archived on the Millennium Stage website.