The ballet, “A Midsummer Night's Dream,” is coming to the Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, May 17-18.
TARPON SPRINGS - Based on Shakespeare's comic masterpiece, with music composed by Felix Mendelssohn, Tampa Dancecenter presents the full length ballet, A Midsummer Night's Dream.
The ballet, originally choreographed by George Balanchine, is an enchanting ode to the supernatural power of love. Performances are Saturday, May 17, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 18, at 2 p.m., at Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center, 324 Pine St.
Reserve seat tickets are $15; $13 for center members and students. Tickets are available by calling the box office at 727-942-5605 or online at www.tarponarts.org.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a masterful combination of storytelling and choreography. The ballet premiered at New York City Ballet in 1962, with Edward Villella as Oberon, Melissa Hayden as Titania, and Arthur Mitchell as Puck. It is a lavish production with a large cast.
Act I is a meticulous interpretation of Shakespeare's play about love and illusion involving Titania and Oberon, the Queen and King of the Fairies; the sprite, Puck; and two pairs of mismatched lovers. The first act ends with all the principal players united with their proper partners, and the second act begins with a wedding procession and ceremony. The highlight of Act II is a lyrical pas de deux that could stand alone, quite apart from the story. Act II does not end here: it concludes with a return to the forest and the fairies, as Puck sweeps "the dust behind the door."
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