My daughter (eleven) will be dancing with the Western Festival Ballet, in two productions this October:
--Choreographers Showcase features the work of choreographers Ronn Guidi, Michael Lowe, Danny Nguyen, and David Bertlin. Styles range from modern dance (Nguyen), to a jazz-influenced ballet (Guidi), to modern classical (Bertlin), and finally to a ballet that uses Asian music and themes (Lowe). (Fri, Oct 21, 8 p.m. and Sat, Oct 22, 2:00 p.m.)
--Hansel and Gretel is a ballet of the classic fairy tale and is great for children of all ages. This is the perfect way to get into Halloween....with a scary witch and a candy house, etc! (Sunday, October 23, 11:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.).
Both performances run a couple of hours with a brief intermission. The Western Festival Ballet features some professional ballet dancers, but mostly pre-professional dancers ranging in age from 11 to 20. It can sometimes be very inspiring to kids to see other kids doing this kind of (hard) stuff. Also, if you like dance, this will be interesting. (I recommend the choreographer's showcase for kids over 12 and for adults). The dancing is fresh and passionate. The shows are very well produced. There's not a bad seat in the house (300-seat auditorium), and the price is right. The fellow who is putting all this on is Ronn Guidi, founder of the Oakland Ballet and its artistic director for 33 years. Now he's retired...kind of ...but he can definitely still put on a show.
Shows will be staged at Regent's Theatre, Holy Names University, Oakland, California. (right near where 13 runs into 580) For detailed performance information and to order tickets ($20), go to
http://www.obacademy.com/performances/index.html
Or, contact me (offlist) and I will get tickets and leave them at Will Call for you.
Thanks,
Joanna