Ballet students hit stage
Published 12:00 am Thursday, August 5, 2010
Students from the Andalusia Ballet will stage “Summer Dances” this weekend, following two weeks of intense summer study.
The production is the culmination of the dance school’s annual “Summer Intensive,” a two-week workshop designed to give serious ballet students ages 8 and up, the opportunity to train intensively with not only Andalusia Ballet’s artistic director, Meryane Murphy, but also with Elie Lazar, artistic director of the Montgomery Ballet, and professional dancers from the Montgomery Ballet.
More than 60 students from across the state are enrolled in Summer Intensive, including a number who are traveling from out of town, and some who have families in Andalusia with whom to stay, Murphy said.
The summer curriculum includes ballet technique, pointe, variations, men’s classes, pas de deux, conditioning and enrichment classes.
All of the students will perform in Saturday’s show, and the professional dancers from Montgomery will perform “How Far is Too Far,” a modern piece that Lazar said “is all about relationships” and explores how far partners push each other in relationships.
When the dancers from Montgomery Ballet leave Andalusia, they’ll be en route to Italy, where “How Far is Too Far,” will be among their performances during an international dance festival, Pietrasanta.
The local performance is set for 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Andalusia High School auditorium. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children.