Footworks Youth Ballet is proud to announce a unique production of the classic fairy tale Snow White with performances on May 30 and 31 at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center. Snow White is not known as a traditional classical ballet but is often choreographed in the classical ballet tradition.

Artistic director and choreographer Kirsten Oakley from Oakley Ballet Center (the studio associated with Footworks Youth Ballet) has hand-selected classical music to accompany her original choreography to tell this enduring tale of good overcoming evil.

After spending hours researching and listening to different classical music, Oakley primarily landed upon the Russian composer Alexander Glazunov, a leading composer in the generation after Tchaikovsky (composer of The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty). A Romanticist at heart, Glazunov’s music, puzzle-fit together by Oakley, became the inspiration for the characters to develop within the story of Snow White. By hand-selecting the music, Oakley could also create choreography to showcase her young dancers, their personalities and their individual abilities. Snow White is performed by Ariana Castillo (Saturday) and Katelyn Sanchez (Sunday), Mikaela Roth performs the Evil Queen, and the three mirrors—Envy, Vanity and Pride—are performed by Evelyn Augros/Katelyn Sanchez, Ariana Castillo/Grace Story and Maya Holbrook. Snow White’s sweet friend, the Bluebird, is performed by Tessa Gallagher and the lead Deer is performed by Grace Story/Evelyn Augros.

The remaining cast of 65 dancers, ranging in age from 6-18 years of age, represent the woodland animals that Snow White encounters and the ever-endearing Seven Dwarfs.

Aside from the usual humor that Oakley injects into her ballets, an aspect of particular interest is the drama of the Queen who, in Oakley’s interpretation, is plagued by her character flaws of Envy, Vanity and Pride. She tries to rid herself of these evil traits, but when she goes to the Mirror, they always rise up and take control of her.

True to their mission to provide educational opportunities to young people through the art of ballet, Footworks Youth Ballet employs classical ballet as a teaching tool for their students. Each year they perform two full-scale productions.

Footworks Youth Ballet also continues to reach to the community through Outreach Performance, providing access to school children who might otherwise not be able to attend. The Snow White Outreach Event is sold out and will reach over 3,000 students on May 29th at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center.

Family Educational Hour is held one hour prior to each show. Learn about this unique production, the costumes, ballet history and the original score of this enchanting forest fantasy.

Snow White , Saturday May 30th and Sunday May 31st  2 p.m.

Tickets at http://www.footworksyouthballet.org or  486-2424.

Circus Vargas, America’s favorite traveling Big Top circus continues to thrill and enchant children of all ages with their new and amazing 2015 edition, Arlequin! Steeped in tradition and devoted to all things magnificent and happy, Circus Vargas presents an array of unparalleled artists and performers!

An amazing experience, built on tradition with vision and innovation, to create new and treasured memories for generations to come!

A world of wonder and awe await you under the big top at the Ventura County Fairgrounds May 21-25!

On May 17th, dozens of volunteers will fan out across Ventura to harvest fresh surplus fruit from backyard fruit trees in the first annual Citrus Sunday, sponsored by Food Forward.  All of the harvest will be donated to local food pantries feeding our neighbors in need. Volunteers can either register for a pick organized by Food Forward or harvest their own trees in a Do It Yourself (DIY) pick using boxes and equipment provided by Food Forward.  After the event, Food Forward will host a picnic at their office at 77 N. California St. (Across from city hall)

“We are seeking fruit trees to harvest, and volunteers to participate,” said Jim Mangis, Food Forward’s Ventura County Branch Manager. “This will be a great day of food rescue, fellowship, and sharing. Citrus, kumquats, vegetables, are all perfect foods for our program. “

Volunteers, and fruit donors can sign up at foodforward.org or by calling 630-2728.   DIY(Do it Yourself) Pick participants can pick up boxes to fill with fruit prior to the event and then drop off once they have collected fruit. For more information, and pick up and drop off locations contact [email protected].

Food Forward is a non-profit organization that organizes volunteers to harvest fresh, local produce that would otherwise go to waste, connecting this abundance with people in need. 3,600 volunteers have harvested over 9,000,000 pounds of fruit since 2009.