Ballet meets Broadway at Northwest Michigan Ballet Theatre’s upcoming show “Scenes From a Park,” held at Dennos Museum Center in Traverse City on March 11.
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Get ready for a ballet-meets-Broadway production held right in downtown Traverse City. “Scenes From a Park” will hit the Dennos Museum Center stage on March 11, presented by the talented team at Northwest Michigan Ballet Theatre.
Artistic Director Thomas Morrell describes the inspiration behind the ballet, which all started on a trip to Paris, France.
“While vacationing in Paris several years ago, I found myself people-watching as I sat alone in a small city park. I observed children, an old man, couples, businessmen and fashionable ladies,” Morrell shared. “The one thing they all had in common was that they shared this little microcosm in the midst of a large city. It then occurred to me that this park could be anywhere in the world. People are the same wherever you are.”
Performed by 19 dancers ages 11 to 22, the ballet will be presented as a series of short vignettes telling the story of unique characters and everyday occurrences in a city park set in the 1940s. Instead of tutus and tights, performers will sport stylish dresses and suits, knickers and vests, military uniforms and more. The score is also a compilation of songs by Composer Irving Berlin, whose music forms a large part of the Great American Songbook.
Photo by Northwest Michigan Ballet Theatre