Submitted by Phil Devlin
(January 4, 2024) — Ballet Theatre Company of West Hartford (BTC) is putting the final touches on its 2024 performance schedule as we continue our 25th Anniversary Celebration. From a trip to Spain, and an evening in Paris, to a whimsical storybook adventure, and topping it all off with a rock-n-roll party, BTC has something to entertain everyone this year.
January 2024
To start the new year, BTC will present our second intimate, mixed-repertoire performance of Season 25, Up Close: Winter. Presented in the Ron and Nancy Compton Studio, January 26-28, 2024, Up Close: Winter will include a series of four performances.
Up Close: Winter offers the unique chance to view Ballet Theatre Company’s resident dancers and advanced students of the Junior Corps de Ballet at close range, giving a completely new perspective on ballet, and appealing to new and returning audience members alike.
The program will feature “Apres Degas,” choreographed by Marguerite de Anguera of the Connecticut Valley Regional Ballet in 1975 and later reconstructed and restaged at BTC by Tracy Dorman. “Apres Degas” is a comic spoof on the ballet paintings of Edgar Degas. The ballet depicts a day in the life of the Paris Opera Ballet during the Romantic Era of the mid-1800s; daily class is enacted including barre and center, followed by rehearsal.
Alongside “Apres Degas,” BTC will present several excerpts from the vivacious ballet Don Quixote.
February 2024
Dancing into February, BTC invites you to join us for our Second Annual “One Night in…” themed event. This year BTC travels to the City of Love to offer you the ultimate Parisian experience at “One Night in Paris,” held at the West Hartford Town Hall on February 10, 2024. Don’t wait to get your tickets! Last year’s “One Night in Hollywood” event sold out in minutes!
The event will include French-inspired cocktails, both vintage and modern, paired with wine from BTC’s wine sponsor, Brignole Vineyards. French hors d’oeuvres will be served from local restaurants Cafe Louise and Le Mazet, and DJ Q-Boogie will keep you on the dance floor all night long.
To polish off the evening, BTC’s professional dancers and members of the Junior Corps de Ballet will perform Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas’s “An American in Paris Suite.”
March 2024
The final, and newly added performance of BTC’s intimate, mixed-repertoire performances, Up Close: Spring, will be presented March 8-10, 2024. Up Close: Spring will feature Resident Choreographer Derek Brockington’s (Dance Theatre of Harlem) world premiere, Starburst, a piece that explores three main themes: joy, profound loss, and rediscovery.
“I’ve challenged myself to use music composed by Black artists,” explains Brockington. “I find that the music tells another side of history with personal stories that influence the sound. The music for the first movement is composed by Jessie Montgomery, a prominent new Black female composer. This music is bright and full of vitality, representing joy for me. The second piece is composed by William Grant Still, a prolific artist with over 200 rarely used works. As we begin to create the other movements, we will delve into the other themes.”
April 2024
April 20-21, 2024, BTC will premiere Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas’s Snow White on The Bushnell stage. The beloved fairytale originated as a story written by the Brothers Grimm in the early 19th century and has since been retold in styles ranging from a Broadway play to Disney’s first animated feature film.
Dattellas’s rendition of Snow White blends elements from the traditional tale with distinctive ballet twists, following Snow White as she experiences hardships and friendships, and faces trials with unwavering kindness. This innovative spin on the classic tale embodies the triumph of good over evil and will leave audience members with full hearts as they depart the theater.
BTC first premiered Snow White as a live-action film in June 2021. During the height of the pandemic when theaters remained closed, BTC and its troupe of artists banded together to create a little magic. Scenes were filmed in historic locations throughout the state of Connecticut including Topsmead State Forest, Old New-Gate Prison and Copper Mine, and the Wadsworth Mansion at Long Hill. The film was choreographed, directed, and scripted by Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas and filmed by Peter Cofrancesco of Creation Dream Video. BTC is looking forward to transitioning its original film for the stage!
May 2024
Finally, on May 18, 2024, BTC will return to the West Hartford Town Hall to close out its performance season with its annual Ballet Soirée. The theme, “Diamonds and Pearls,” will honor the traditions that have inspired BTC to seek innovation in today’s modern world of ballet.
The gala serves as the largest fundraiser for BTC’s 25th Season, where we hope to raise $100,000 to support our mission to enrich Greater Hartford by producing professional dance productions and partnering with community organizations to make the art of dance enjoyable and accessible to all through its Community Enrichment Program and training school.
Coupled with a delectable dinner experience, the event will also include live entertainment and premiere an original ballet, crafted exclusively for the celebration by Artistic Director Stephanie Dattellas. The rock-n-roll-inspired piece features music entirely by music legend Prince.
For more information, visit dancebtc.org/season-25-tickets. Ballet Theatre Company of West Hartford is a 501(c)(3) not for profit organization. Support for Season 25 is provided by: Connecticut Humanities. State of Connecticut Office of the Arts, The Maximilian E. & Marion O. Hoffman Foundation, The Edward C. and Ann T. Roberts Foundation, The J. Walton Bissell Foundation, The William & Alice Mortensen Foundation, Ahearn Family Foundation, The Ellen Jeanne Goldfarb Memorial Charitable Trust, The Davenport Hatch Foundation, Henry Hall Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A. Trustee, The Buchalter and Breslow Family, The John and Kelly Hartman Foundation, The Petit Family Foundation, The Robert & Margaret Patricelli Family Foundation, The Ensworth Charitable Trust, We-Ha.com, Laurel Graphic Design, Cricket Press, Connecticut Public, Massage Envy West Hartford, Homestead Funding, Theatrical Stage Employees Local 84, and Beam & Barre.
Photos provided by Ballet Theatre Company
