Thursday, August 26, 2010

Amherst Ballet performs at Eric Carle Museum


This weekend, New England children will be treated to an artistically interpreted ballet presentation of the classic children’s story, HANSEL AND GRETEL, performed by dancers of the Amherst Ballet in The Auditorium of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Massachusetts.

The ballet, based upon the original Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale, as illustrated by Lizbeth Zwerger, who is considered one of today’s foremost childrens’ picture book illustrators, coincides with a special exhibit of Zwerger’s works at the Museum, An Exquisite Vision: The Art of Lisbeth Zwerger.

The display of Zwerger’s beautifully rendered watercolor illustrations opened June 29 and runs until Sunday, September 26, 2010.

Zwerger’s work has been honored with one of the most prestigious awards in children’s books - the Hans Christian Andersen medal, which is considered the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for children’s literature.

The HANSEL AND GRETEL ballet is an original production that was commissioned by the Museum, and features the choreography of Amherst’s Ballet Director, Catherine Fair. The ballet’s sets and costumes were inspired by Zwerger’s works.

Music for HANSEL AND GRETEL will draw upon such classic composers as Camille Saint-Saens, Richard Wagner, Rimsky Korsakov and Engelbert Humperdinck, and will be performed by 24 dancers ages seven to 17.

The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art is located at 125 West Bay Road, Amherst, Massachusetts 01002.

The performances of HANSEL AND GRETEL are free with Museum admission and begin at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m, on Saturday, August 28, and 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., Sunday, August 29, 2010.

For further information about this event and other programs at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, telephone (413) 658-1100 or visit them online by following this link.

The video below features some of the young dancers from the Amherst Ballet, performing the Nutcracker, Dance of the Mirlitons with the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra on December 9, 2009.

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