Swan Lake is one of the most famous ballets in the classical repertoire
Footworks Youth Ballet presents for the first time Tchaikovsky’s famous classical ballet Swan Lake in two full-length performances at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center at 2:00 p.m. on June 3rd and 4th. The tragic love story is about Odette, a princess who has been cursed by an evil sorcerer to become a swan by day but changed back to human form by night—a spell that can only be broken by a prince who swears his eternal love for her.
Swan Lake is one of the most famous ballets in the classical repertoire with demanding choreography for both principal dancers and the Corps de ballet. For those unfamiliar, Corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists, working as one beautiful unit with as many as 18-24 dancers. Their synchronized movements and formations on stage provide a backdrop to the soloists but are in every way a magical component to the overall presentation. As artistic director Kirsten Oakley explains, “The Corps work is very demanding and requires much discipline to be done well. “
The challenge doesn’t stop there. Being a youth ballet, Oakley has challenged her dancers (ages 6-18) with versions of the classical choreography used for this ballet by large-scale ballet companies. She states, “Surprisingly, the students are so excited and thrilled to be learning it, in spite of the difficulty.”
Oakley also challenges her senior dancers in principal roles partnered with male guest artists, an opportunity not often found in youth ballet companies.
Founded by Kirsten Oakley, Footworks Youth Ballet was created with the goal of providing a place for young people to thrive and grow through the joy of dance as they learn the art and discipline of classical ballet. Technique classes are offered through Oakley Ballet Center.
For each ballet production, Footworks Youth Ballet hosts a sold-out performance for over 3,000 school-aged children. Most of the tickets for the children are provided at the reduced fee of $5.00 and many of the students qualify for free tickets.
Swan Lake, presented by Footworks Youth Ballet
Sat. June 3, 2.00 pm
Sun. June 4, 2.00 pm
Oxnard Performing Arts Center
Tickets $14, $18, $22
Call 486.2424 to buy tickets, or order online at footworksyouthballet.org
