Attending Ballet’s; Etiquette
- You are attending a live performance. Feel free to dress up for the occasion.
- Be seated on time; Auditorium doors open 30 minutes before performances. Even though all seats are assigned/reserved please ensure that you arrive at Wynona Thompson Auditorium at least 15 minutes prior to start time.
- Silence phones & other electronics and refrain from using them during performances.
- Avoid putting on too much cologne or perfume or smoking before having a seat
- Refrain from other noise distractions; chewing gum loudly, unwrapping candies, coughing, etc.
- Remove any hats so that you do not hinder the view of those behind you.
- If you have to excuse yourself during the production, please do so when there is a break in the scenes or performance so not to disrupt those around you or the production.
- As with all performances and shows, live video and/or photography is NOT allowed. All dance productions by RMSA/RMDT are copyrighted. DVD’s of the performances are available to order. See program for more info.
- Use of cell phones and camera’s is not only extremely distracting but is also disrespectful to those around you and to those performing/producing/directing the show.
- While Rocky Mountain Dance Theatre / Rocky Mountain School of the Arts welcomes any child who can remain seated in a quiet manner through a performance, we recommend that children be at least 3-years-old to attend our productions.
- Please remind children to not talk once the performance begins and to not touch or kick the seat in front of them. If your child does become disruptive or distracting please immediately excuse yourself and your child to the lobby. Also, please note that there are no refunds, credits or exchanges if you must leave the performance because your child was unhappy or disruptive.
- Dance performance etiquette is different than orchestra or piano concerts. During dance performances; feel free to clap, hoot, and holler (with class) or even shout out “Brovo” or “Brava” when something moves or impresses you. Dancing is hard work and dancers thrive off of the audience’s energy and response!
- If you have to excuse yourself during the production, please do so when there is a break in the scenes or performance. Typically there will be a 15 minute intermission.
2024 Cinderella: Coming Soon
2023 Le Corsaire
Debut: 1856 at the Paris Opera | Original Composer: Adolphe Adam
Original Choreography: Maurice Petipa
Le Corsaire began at the Paris Opera in 1856. This ballet has seen many revivals in several countries since its inception. Although originally composed by Adolphe Adam and choreographed by Joseph Mazilier, many composers have contributed to the version we use today. Based on Lord Bryon’s poem “The Corsair”, this ballet is a tale of daring adventures, romance, and pirates. One of Miss Liz’s personal favorites. Many excerpts from Le Corsaire are considered classical ballet’s most famous, including The Three Odalisques, in which you will see performed by our advanced dancers.
PLOT:
Medora, a young Greek girl, is sold to Pasha by a slave dealer. The pirate Conrad seizes Medora and declares his love for her. Conrad’s right-hand-man, who is jealous of Conrad, sends Medora back to the slave dealer who again sells her to Pasha. Conrad and his men show up to take Medora away again but he is recognized through his disguise, captured, and sentenced to death. To save his life, Medora, who is in love with Conrad, plots with a slave girl, Gulnare, to escape. Medora agrees to marry Pasha but during the ceremony Gulnare takes Medora’s place, having the ring placed on her finger. That evening Medora dances for Pasha, having convinced him to lay down his weapons, and Conrad enters to take her away. Gulnare produces the ring and declares herself Pasha’s lawful wife. The ship on which Medora and Conrad escape sinks in a terrible storm but the two lovers are saved when they wash up on a rocky island.
2023 La Fille Mal Gardee
Debut: 1786, Bordeaux, France | Original Composer: Johann Wilhelm Hertel
Original Choreography: Jean (Bercher) Dauberval
La Fille Mal Gardee is considered the oldest ballet still in production. Very little of the original choreography has survived, but the story and intent of the choreography is still visible in the many revised versions. The story centers around Lise, a who is in love her friend, Colas. Lise’s mother, a prosperous widow, has a different idea for Lise’s future. However, in the end, love wins. Lise and Colas marry without the permission of Lise’s mother, but in the end, she forgives them and rejoices in their marriage.
2023 Swan Lake
Debut: 1877, Bolshoi Ballet, Moscow | Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Original Choreography: Julius Reisinger
The scenario was fashioned from Russian folk tales and tells the story of Odette, a princess turned into a swan by an evil sorcerer’s curse.
2022 Don Quixote
Plot
Based on the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote is a romantic old knight who invents stories to fulfil his need for adventure.
PROLOGUE
Don Quixote is in his study, asleep. As he sleeps, he dreams of his ideal woman Dulcinea. He awakes ready to set out on an adventure to find Dulcinea.
ACT I: A SQUARE IN BARCELONA
At a square in Barcelona, festivities and dancing are taking place. Kitri, daughter of an innkeeper, professes her love for Basilio, a barber. Don Quixote arrives in the square causing a commotion. When Don Quixote sees Kitri, he mistakes her for Dulcinea, and the two briefly dance a minuet. At the height of the celebration, Kitri and Basilio sneak off, pursued by Don Quixote.
ACT II, SCENE I: A GYPSY CAMP
Kitri and Basilio meet a group of Gypsies in a field of windmills and are warmly welcomed. As Don Quixote arrives, Kitri and Basilio hide as the Gypsies dance. During the performance, Don Quixote believes he sees Dulcinea. As he pursues Dulcinea, he is caught by a windmill and is hurled to the ground and falls into a deep sleep.
ACT II, SCENE 2: THE DREAM
Don Quixote dreams he is a knight surrounded by a forest of nymphs and cupids; in the dream, Kitri symbolizes his ideal woman, Dulcinea. At sunrise, Don Quixote awakens, realizing Dulcinea is a figment of his imagination.
ACT III: THE WEDDING
The village celebrates the marriage of Kitri and Basilio. With Don Quixote as the guest of honor, the happy lovers dance for him. Don Quixote congratulates them, then bids farewell to all.
2021 Giselle
A tale that includes love, heartbreak, and Wilis; Giselle is considered the last ballet of the Romantic Era. Giselle’s grand opening was in 1841, Paris. Composed by Adolph Adams and choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot, with lead prima ballerina, Carlotta Grisi; Giselle, was a huge success. As Paris moved away from Romanticism to realism, stories about fantasy and imagination fell out of vogue, making Giselle the last ballet of its kind during this era. Depictions of character and social life took center stage, along with a taste for spectacle, changing ballet and art of the time. Giselle did survive history as the focus of ballet turned from Paris to Russia. The Russian version eventually made its way back to Paris, with the Ballets Russes, in the twentieth century.
PLOT:
The ghost-filled ballet tells the tragic, romantic story of a beautiful young peasant girl who falls for the flirtations of the deceitful and disguised nobleman Albrecht. When the ruse is revealed, the fragile Giselle dies of heartbreak, and Albrecht must face the otherworldly consequences of his careless seduction.
The second act is largely dominated by the Wilis, the spirits of maidens who died after being betrayed by their lovers, and take revenge in the night by dancing men to death by exhaustion (a popular theme in Romantic-era ballets). Led by Myrtha, the Queen of the Wilis, they summon Giselle from her grave and target her lover for her death, but Giselle’s great love frees him from their grasp. They gain their power in numbers as they effortlessly move through dramatic patterns and synchronized movements, and control the stage with their long tulle dresses and stoic expressions, creating an ethereal atmosphere that builds as they gradually close in on Albrecht. By saving Albrecht from the Wilis, Giselle also saves herself from becoming one of them.
2021 La Esmeralda
Inspired by the novel Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, La Esmeralda, first performed by Carlotta Grisi, was presented in 1844 in London. La Esmeralda was originally choreographed by Jules Perrot to music by Cesare Pugni. The full length ballet is rarely performed in the United States, but many variations from the ballet are considered classical repertoire for aspiring ballerinas.
PLOT:
A beautiful gypsy girl Esmeralda marries the poet Pierre Gringoire, to save him from death in the hands of the gypsy king. The groom is smitten with his new bride, but she makes it clear that the marriage is strictly one of convenience. Gringoire is not the only one infatuated with Esmeralda, the archdeacon of Notre Dame cathedral, Claude Frollo, is dangerously obsessed with the girl and orders his deformed henchman, Quasimodo, to abduct her. When Quasimodo attacks Esmeralda in the street, she is rescued by the King’s Archers, led by their handsome captain Phoebus de Chateaupers, who capture Quasimodo. They plan to torture him, but Esmeralda asks for his release. The hunchback is deeply touched by her kindness. Phoebus is enchanted by the girl and gives her a scarf that was given to him by his fiancée, Fleur de Lys.
The next day, Fleur de Lys and her mother hold a grand celebration for her engagement to Phoebus, who is distracted by thoughts of Esmeralda. She arrives to entertain the guests, but is left heartbroken when she sees that Fleur de Lys’ fiancé is none other than her beloved Phoebus. Fleur de Lys notices that Esmeralda is wearing the scarf that she gave to Phoebus and realizing that he has fallen in love with another, angrily calls off the engagement. Phoebus leaves with Esmeralda. Alone in a tavern, the two declare their love for each other, unaware that the archdeacon Frollo is also there, eavesdropping on them. Taking a dagger that he stole from Esmeralda’s room, Frollo sneaks up behind the lovers and stabs Phoebus, who falls unconscious to the ground. Frollo calls for the authorities, shows them the body of Phoebus and the dagger that was used to stab him, which is identified as Esmeralda’s. The poor girl is taken away and sentenced to death.
At dawn the following morning, the Festival of Fools is under way and Esmeralda is due to be hanged for the murder of Phoebus. Her friends and Gringoire are all present and bid her farewell, while Frollo watches in triumph. Just as Esmeralda is led to the gallows, Phoebus arrives alive and well, having survived and recovered from the stabbing. He reveals the true culprit to be Frollo and announces that Esmeralda is innocent of any crime. Frollo takes a dagger and attempts to do away with them, but Quasimodo wrests the dagger from his master and stabs him to death. Esmeralda and Phoebus are happily reunited.
2021 Le Corsaire
Le Corsaire began at the Paris Opera in 1856. This ballet has seen many revivals in several countries since its inception. Although originally composed by Adolphe Adam and choreographed by Joseph Mazilier, many composers have contributed to the version we use today. Based on Lord Bryon’s poem “The Corsair”, this ballet is a tale of daring adventures, romance, and pirates. One of Miss Liz’s personal favorites. Many excerpts from Le Corsaire are considered classical ballet’s most famous, including The Three Odalisques, in which you will see performed by our senior dancers.
PLOT:
Medora, a young Greek girl, is sold to Pasha by a slave dealer. The pirate Conrad seizes Medora and declares his love for her. Conrad’s right-hand-man, who is jealous of Conrad, sends Medora back to the slave dealer who again sells her to Pasha. Conrad and his men show up to take Medora away again but he is recognized through his disguise, captured, and sentenced to death. To save his life, Medora, who is in love with Conrad, plots with a slave girl, Gulnare, to escape. Medora agrees to marry Pasha but during the ceremony Gulnare takes Medora’s place, having the ring placed on her finger. That evening Medora dances for Pasha, having convinced him to lay down his weapons, and Conrad enters to take her away. Gulnare produces the ring and declares herself Pasha’s lawful wife. The ship on which Medora and Conrad escape sinks in a terrible storm but the two lovers are saved when they wash up on a rocky island.
2021 Sleeping Beauty
The impact of Sleeping Beauty is difficult to convey. Considered the first truly Russian Ballet, Sleeping Beauty refined ballet and elevated it to a classical art form. Choreographed by Maurice Petipa, and first performed in 1890, Sleeping Beauty is considered his greatest achievement. It was and still is a luxurious ballet with extravagant sets and costumes.
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed three ballets and although Swan Lake was the first, the version we know today, did not exist until after Sleeping Beauty. Sleeping Beauty is older than The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky’s last composition for ballet), and his music, considered revolutionary, changed ballet and created a new vocabulary because it challenged the physical aspects and range of the body. Dancers originally struggled with these challenges and were opposed to dancing to Tchaikovsky’s music. Petipa was faced with the task of refining ballet’s movements to fit the music. Reforming ballet in both style and execution, his choreography is considered as revolutionary as Tchaikovsky’s music. Tchaikovsky was the first composer of real stature to see ballet as a substantial art form. Although originally his music was considered too difficult by the public to understand, and dancers resisted his music in the beginning, he elevated classical music and ballet to a new level.
PLOT:
Disney’s version of Sleeping Beauty is much like the ballet; featuring good fairies and one evil fairy, Carabosse that casts a spell on Aurora during her christening that at the age of 16 she will prick her finger on a spindle and die. The Lilac fairy counters the spell with a 100 year slumber that will only be woken by the kiss of a prince. As predicted all comes true and the kingdom is cast into slumber also. A century later, Prince Désiré is on a hunting party with some friends in the same forest where Aurora lies. In a moment of solitude Lilac Fairy appears, tells him the Princess’ story, and asks if he will be the one to kiss her. Smitten by the vision of beauty, he immediately agrees. Upon kissing Aurora, the entire court also awakens. The King and Queen approve of Prince Désiré’s proposal to marry their daughter; Aurora accepts. Soon after a royal wedding takes place and guests in attendance include the Jewel Fairies and fairy tale characters.
2020 Coppélia
First presented in 1870 by the Paris Opera, Coppelia is considered one of ballet’s great comedies. Both The Nutcracker and Coppelia are based on stories written by E.T.A. Hoffman, and one can see character similarities between The Nutcracker’s Drosselmeyer and Coppelia’s Dr. Coppelius.
Originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Leon, the version we know today is that of Marius Petipa. He was a choreographer for the Imperial Ballet of St. Petersburg, and is Coppelia is composed by Leo Delibes, who is deemed by many to be the first great ballet composer.
Plot
Act I
Swanilda and Franz are set to marry, when Swanilda realizes Franz is paying more attention to the girl in the window, Coppelia. Coppelia lives in the house of Doctor Coppelius, a somewhat crazy inventor. When Dr. Coppelius leaves his house, he accidently drops his keys. Swanilda and her friends see the keys and decide to sneak into the house, hoping to confront Coppelia. At the same time, Franz has decided to climb a ladder to the balcony to see if he can meet the mysterious Coppelia.
Act II
Sneaking into Dr. Coppelia’s house, Swanilda and her friends discover there are many life-size mechanical dolls in Dr. Coppelius’s workshop. Finding Coppelia, the girls realize she too is a doll. Dr. Coppelius returns home and although upset the girls have intruded, he sees Franz in the window and hopes he can persuade Franz to fall in love with Coppelia because he believes this will make Coppelia come to life.
Act III
France and Swanilda marry, living happily ever after.