Submitted by Phil Devlin
(February 17, 2024) — As part of its 25th Anniversary celebration, Ballet Theatre Company of West Hartford is proud to present two world premieres in its next performance, Up Close: Spring. The intimate, mixed-repertoire performance series, Up Close: Spring, will be the final Up Close performance of BTC’s Season 25, and will be presented in the Ron and Nancy Compton Studio, 20 Jefferson Avenue in West Hartford on Saturday, March 9, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m., and Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 2:00 p.m.
A staple of BTC’s offerings, Up Close performances offer the unique chance to view BTC’s dancers at close range, giving a completely new perspective on ballet, and appealing to new and returning audience members alike. While dance in a traditional theater setting is thrilling, hearing the dancers’ breath and shoes on the floor, and watching them prepare in the “wings” between each entrance brings audience members enchanting insight into the physicality behind this powerful art form.
After an exciting sneak-peek of the work at Up Close: Fall, BTC’s Up Close: Spring performance series will feature the full premiere of Resident Choreographer Derek Brockington’s Starburst. Brockington, a dancer with world-renowned company, Dance Theatre of Harlem, has also been a long-time guest dancer with BTC, and first choreographed for the company in 2021.
As BTC’s first-ever Resident Choreographer, Brockington began working with the company dancers in early September (photo above), and has since returned throughout the season to continue developing and fine-tuning Starburst in anticipation of its March premiere.
In addition to the premiere of Brockington’s Starburst, the performance will also feature a new work by resident dancer Elizabeth van Heerden. Van Heerden was selected as part of an initiative newly-launched last spring by Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas that gives BTC’s resident professional dancers the opportunity to choreograph a piece on its Junior Corps de Ballet.
Interested dancers are invited to submit a choreographic proposal and one dancer is selected to choreograph and present their work as part of Up Close. Though Dattellas now has a repertoire of full-length ballets in her choreographic arsenal, she recognizes and highly values the impact of choreographic opportunities in addition to performance for interested dancers early on in their careers. Dattellas explains, “if I was never given a chance to choreograph, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I wanted to pay that forward.”
For further information, contact boxoffice@dancebtc.org or call the office at 860-570-0440 with any questions.
Photo provided by Ballet Theatre Company
