Ballet

Dancers from the Media City Ballet Company and guest artists will take the stage Saturday at the Alex Theatre for a night of ballet with a Spanish twist, complete with bold costumes, scorching choreography and dramatic music. The program for the ?Noche de Sabor? (?Night of Flavor?) performance will include a smorgasbord of ballet, flamenco, salsa and tango sets arranged to music from the likes of Astor Piazzolla, the master of tango, to ballet composer Ludwig Minkus. Natasha Middleton, the artistic director and founder of the company, decided a Spanish theme would make sense for a performance in August because of its associations with heat and passion.

Joyce Rudolph GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE -- Dancers and musicians from Glendale and the foothills will join in the third annual production of the ballet "The Snow Queen" this weekend at the Glendale Community College auditorium, 1500 N. Verdugo Road. For the first time, the ballet will be performed with an orchestra. The La Canada Flintridge-based Dance Street Performers have scheduled shows for their original ballet at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Fred Ortega Alenoush Ellen Mirzaians began taking dance classes last fall at Glendale Community College and immediately fell in love with the program. So when the UCLA business school graduate realized that the college's dance department was being forced to cancel several classes due to a lack of funding, she decided to spring into action. The result of Mirzaians' efforts is "Heartbeat," a collaboration of dance and live music. The production, which brings together professional and student dancers, choreographers and musicians, will be held Aug. 26, 27 and 28 at the Glendale Community College Auditorium, with all proceeds going to the college's dance program.

Joyce Rudolph Dedication outranks skill when Natasha Middleton is scrutinizing dancers for her new junior ballet company. Middleton is constantly seeking individuals who never miss a class, routinely arrive early to prepare and stretch for a class and dancers who continue to work at the things they didn't do well in class, long after the students have been dismissed. "They live it, breathe it and are constantly asking questions," she said. "They are hard to find but they do exist out there."

Ballet Petit Performing Arts Center will present a double bill on June 23 and 24 at the historic Alex Theatre. The world premiere of "Johnnie Appleseed," written and directed by Tracy Vonder Haar, will be performed by the tap company, and the senior, junior and ballet companies in residence at the Performing Arts Center. The cast will be rounded out by students from the tap, jazz and hip-hop departments. It is an adorable, toe-tapping tale of John Chapman, or in this case the female "Johnnie," sure to please audiences of all ages.

Alecia Foster NORTHEAST GLENDALE -- The annual spring dance production at Glendale Community College will begin a nine-show run on May 8. Dance Performance 2001, featuring jazz, ballet and modern styles, will be danced and choreographed by students and alumni. Professor Lynn McMurrey is the production's artistic director. Students are in the artist-in-residence class, ballet and jazz workshops. The guest artist-in-residence is Takeshi Hamagaki. Weekday shows are an hour, while evening shows are two hours.

Friday Flix ?Bee Movie? will play from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Glendale Public Library Children?s Room, 222 E. Harvard St., Glendale. The movie is rated PG. For more information, call (818) 548-2035 or visit www.glendalepublic library.org. ? A dance recital by students of The Burbank School of the Ballet and the Burbank Youth Ballet Company from 6:30 to 8 p.m. will be at Glendale Community College, 1500 N Verdugo Road, Glendale. The director is Lisa Sutton. The performance includes ballet, jazz, hip-hop, tap and modern dance styles.

Joyce Rudolph When selecting dancers for lead roles, Jill Sanzo looks for a strong acting ability during auditions. "We look for a certain childlike quality of enthrallment, wonderment, which sometimes is hard to find with children these days. They grow up too fast," she said. Two young dancers, Alyssa Cuervo of La Canada Flintridge and Arielle Poblador of Los Angeles, displayed that quality, and they share the role of Clara for this year's Ballet of the Foothills production of "The Nutcracker" this weekend at The Alex Theatre.

The Fremont Elementary auditorium filled with giggles and cheers as the acting company of "We Tell Stories" jumped from the stage into the audience during their performance Nov. 12. The students of Fremont got to see, hear and even participate in two stories, "One Chanukah in Chelm," by Shalom Aleichem, and "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," by Eta Hoffman. The extremely energetic actors, Stacy Turner, Armando Ortega and Ova Saopeng, did not let the show slow down once as they had the kids roaring with laughter with their version of these books.

Judy Seckler GLENDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE -- Students and alumni will participate in a six-day dance festival that will give the community a taste of modern, ballet, native and jazz-style dancing. Pieces in the show have provocative titles such as "Ekonkon," "Sisters by Chance, Friends by Choice," "Lullaby for a Vampire," "Skin," "The One," and "Let's Get Groovy Baby." The festival is directed by dance professor Lynn McMurrey. The event will be from noon to 8 p.m. today and Thursday, 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Friday, 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the GCC North Gym Dance Theatre.

Highly pedigreed? You bet. Well-known in the dance world? No question. But Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary have also passed the acid test: As directors of the Los Angeles Ballet, now in its sixth season, they can take a collective bow for their thoroughly sterling production of “Swan Lake.” Just remember, not any old company can stage this icon of classical ballet. Oh, many with lesser artistic resources try. But to put on a show of so fine a caliber normally takes a bigger-than-big budget, dancer bench-depth, masterly and dedicated coaching.

Christmas had taken a lot of out me. Trying to accommodate to Kaitzer and the girls' schedules, not to mention having to rescue Charlie, was more than I could handle. All I wanted to do on Jan. 2 was watch football. About a month prior, Simone became ecstatic about the promise of going “en pointe” and purchasing her first ballet pointe shoes. Her excitement increased exponentially and reached a crescendo that morning. Simone began dancing at the age of 3 but since joining the Revolution Dance Center in Montrose, dance has become her passion.

"The Nutcracker" is often the usual Christmas classic, but locals know another story: "The Snow Queen. " California Contemporary Ballet will perform Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale of good prevailing over evil Dec. 17 to 19. The story tells of two best friends, Gerta and Kai, and Gerta's path to reach Kai after the Snow Queen places him under an evil spell. "The Snow Queen" features a cast of 60 performers in a mix of classical ballet and contemporary dance. Dancers also take flight through aerial ballet.

The Burbank School of the Ballet had a grand-opening celebration in its new digs Sunday, and the adorable factor was off the charts. Pink and black balloons, echoing the hues of the tiny dancers’ leotards and tights, floated above parents nervously chasing daughters with bobby pins and lithe young women stretching their legs beyond places God meant legs to go. In its 13th year of operation, the school has just moved from cramped quarters...

A company known for its annual “Nutcracker” performance is breaking tradition and dancing only excerpts from the holiday ballet while not straying far from the story. Media City Ballet of Los Angeles will integrate five companies that feature different ethnic styles of dance into the show “A World of Holiday Dance” on Tuesday night at the Alex Theatre. The theme mirrors Clara’s visit to the Land of the Sweets in the holiday tale, said Artistic Director Natasha Middleton.

Producers forecast a frosting of renewed energy in dance and music for California Contemporary Ballet?s 12th annual performance of ?The Snow Queen? next weekend. Based on the classic by Hans Christian Andersen, the story is about a little girl named Gerda who saves her friend Kai from an evil spell. Emma Mesrobian of Glendale returns this year to dance the role of the Gypsy Woman, and she infuses the character with a lot of passion, said Erin Holt, artistic director of the professional nonprofit company.

Raquel Cordova has her heart set on developing a new dance company, combining contemporary ballet and modern dance styles with a dash of Peruvian panache. The Burbank resident is artistic director of Creations Dance Theatre along with fellow dancer Felicia Guzman. Cordova?s husband, Anthony Flores, is chief financial officer. Incorporated in July, the company performed Sunday at the TriArt Festival in San Pedro and will introduce their methods to students during upcoming workshops at dance studios in Glendale and La Cañada Flintridge.

?Charlatan? at the Sidewalk Studio Theatre in Burbank is a perfect example of simple theater at its captivating best. It is the story of a compelling figure in Europe?s cultural history. Sergei Diaghilev, patron of the arts and founder of the Ballets Russes, the Russian Ballet company that took Paris by storm in 1909, was a passionate and emotionally driven man, fascinated by fame and beauty, sex and youth. Director, writer and veteran actor Tony Tanner brings Diaghilev to life with brilliant artistry.

When audiences are all Nutcrackered out this season but still want to see a beautiful holiday ballet filled with a queen, two snow-crossed lovers and a scary forest they need to look no further than the California Contemporary Ballet’s production of the “Snow Queen.” The original ballet, conceived, directed and choreographed by Erin Holt, has been enchanting audiences for years. In this the 11th year of the performance, Holt continues to find new angles to the story.

A new guardian angel and reorchestrated prologue signal the dawn of a new era for “The Snow Queen Ballet Redefined,” which has been produced for the past 11 years by the California Contemporary Ballet, company officials said. The ballet returns this weekend to the theater on the Glendale Community College campus. Based on the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, the story is about Gerda, who comes to the rescue of her friend Kay, who is held captive by the Snow Queen.