Post written by Carolina Cordova who attended as media. All opinions are our own.
This past Thursday night my mom and I attended the premiere of American Ballet Theatre “Harlequinade”. It was a super special occasion because we were both celebrating our birthdays! Every time American Ballet Theatre comes and visit Costa Mesa, they bring so much excitement to all the SoCal dance aficionados.The Segerstrom Center for the Arts always does an amazing job by creating activities for the audience before the ballet starts. This time they had different activities for children and we even got the opportunity to meet and greet two dancers of the corps de ballet! They were super sweet and we got to take a picture with them. “Harlequinade” was such a vibrant and colorful ballet. The principal dancers for the opening night were the espectacular Skylar Brandt and Daniil Simkin. Brandt’s portrayals of Columbine was flawless. She danced so delicately but strong at the same time. And Simkin’s jumps and turns were out of this world. It was a great night of ballet and an excellent birthday celebration.
STORY
“In the first act, the Harlequin and Columbine are kept apart by her father Cassandre, who would prefer that his daughter marry the wealthier (and older!) Lèandre. Not to be deterred, Harlequin tries futilely to win Cassandre over, only to be turned away again and again by Cassandre and his servant Pierrot. Finally, with the help of a Good Fairy and Pierrot’s sympathetic wife Pierrette, Harlequin’s bad fortunes are turned around, and Cassandre agrees to bless the union. Harlequin and Columbine are married in the festive second act, when love finally triumphs over all.”
AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE: HARLEQUINADE
- Choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky
- Music by Riccardo Drigo
- Sets and Costumes by Robert Perdziola
- Music performed live by Pacific Symphony
January 17 – 20, 2019
Segerstrom Center for the Arts – Segerstrom Hall
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Phone – (714) 556-2787
www.SCFTA.org
www.ABT.org
TICKETS – Start at $29
PERFORMANCES:
- Thursday – Friday at 7:30 pm
- Saturday at 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm
- Sunday at 1:00 pm
Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ 2018-19 International Dance Series also continues with the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg Pygmalion (American Premiere – May 24-26, 2019), Mark Morris Dance Group Pepperland (Center Premiere – June 14 & 15, 2019).