The Westmoreland Ballet Company will celebrate spring with a show at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Robertshaw Amphitheater in St. Clair Park, along Maple Avenue in downtown Greensburg.
The highlight of the performance will be “Precious Jewels”, an extract from “The Sleeping Beauty”. Four other pieces are also on the bill, including a special guest piece, The Dance Alley of Latrobe.
“‘Precious Jewels’ will be our big featured number and the only cutting edge track,” said artistic director Lacey Gigliotti. “It will feature our most advanced dancers.”
The dancers represent fairies presenting gifts at the wedding of Prince Desire and Princess Aurora, Sleeping Beauty. They represent emerald, diamond, sapphire and ruby, Gigliotti said.
Traditionally presented as a pas de quatre, or dance for four, this version of “Precious Jewels” will feature eight dancers, two of whom will represent each jewel, she said.
Gigliotti described Westmoreland Ballet’s other pieces as follows:
• “Morning in the garden”, a light piece with an original choreography set to music by the Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, in which the intermediate dancers represent katydids and the preschoolers represent flower petals.
• “Piccolo Piece”, a whimsical piece “full of curiosity and mischief” with choreography by emerging artist Genevieve Shultz to classical music by English composer Benjamin Britten.
• “Dawn is rising”, a neoclassical/abstract ballet to “In Your Eyes” and “Red Rain”, songs from Peter Gabriel’s 1986 album “So”.
“It expresses the anticipation of a new adventure, the hope that we have that covid will be over soon and that good things will happen,” Gigliotti said. “It’s a tribute to the inspiration, dedication and perseverance of these dancers through all that has happened over the past year.”
Dance Alley is “another lyrical and hopeful piece” from choreographer/company director Amanda Dumnich, Gigliotti said.
The performance will last between 45 and 60 minutes. Noting the possibility of rain in Saturday’s forecast, Gigliotti said it would continue regardless of weather conditions.
A basket raffle will also be held featuring approximately 20 themed baskets including lottery tickets, pet products, coffee, merchandise and gift certificates from local businesses, restaurants, breweries and vineyards.
While ticket presales are over, tickets will be available at the door. The cost is $15 for bleacher seats or $5 for reserved garden seats.
Details: westmorelandballet.com
Shirley McMarlin is editor of Tribune-Review. You can contact Shirley at 724-836-5750, smcmarlin@triblive.com or via Twitter .
