Lake Tahoe Dance Collective
presents
The 8th Annual

LAKE TAHOE DANCE FESTIVAL

NIGHT ONE: AMERICAN CLASSICAL BALLET

Featuring Works by AGNES de MILLE, ANTHONY TUDOR, & LAUREN LOVETTE

Hosted by CHRISTIN HANNA & CONSTANTINE BAECHER
Special Guests DANIEL BAUDENDISTEL, STEPHEN HANNA, ADRIAN DANCHIG-WARING, & ASHLEY BOUDER

laketahoedancecollective.org

July 22, 2020

Night One of the festival features works that defined the beginnings of American ballet and laid the groundwork for modern ballet’s choreography and style. Video clips from past and present include a pas-de-deux from the Bolshoi. Balanchine’s “Apollo”, a classic since its 1928 debut, is performed on a Long Island lawn. De Mille’s touching “The Other” shows the elation of young love. Tudor’s “Jardin Aux Lilas” (“Garden of Lilacs”) is a clip from the New York Theatre Ballet. So many delightful snippets of elegant, emotive ballets. A joy to watch.

Hostess CHRISTIN HANNA and her guests explain so much about the choreographers and the evolution of ballet. They give the night’s performances a lovely, personal depth. The evening is a joy. The last piece, “Red Spotted Purple”, is a modern commissioned work danced on an outdoor stage by ASHLEY BOUDER. It displays her youth, grace, and a real feeling of freedom not often seen in what we would call classical ballet.

Perfectly executed and produced, this festival provides an hour of sweet release. It replaces worry with a mind full of admiration for the dancers, the choreographers, and the composers.

Standing ovation for everyone involved. Bravo!

-Karen D’Onofrio-