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Festival Ballet Providence presents Peter and the Wolf

Presented by Festival Ballet Providence at Festival Ballet Providence's Black Box Theatre

October 16-October 24, 2010

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Mihailo Djuric announces the company’s first family program of the fall. The company’s chatterBOXtheatre production of Valerie Cookson’s Peter and the Wolf has charmed full-house audiences in past seasons and promises to do so again this year.

The Peter and the Wolf series will be performed on two weekends, October 16-17, and 23-24, 2010, at the company’s Black Box Theater, 825 Hope Street, on Providence’s East Side. This series gives audiences an intimate theater experience, and is highly recommended for young families and children.

The company’s 90 seat ChatterBOX Theatre hosts Valerie Cookson’s innovative and clever Peter and The Wolf. Set to Sergei Prokofiev’s winsome score, the ballet’s characters are each represented in a dance form that suits the character’s corresponding musical instrument. For instance, Peter, played by the strings is danced in a folkloric style; the bird played by the flute, in a classical ballet style, complete with blue feathered tutu; the cat, played by the clarinet, is performed in a neo-classical style; the grandfather played by the bassoon is danced in a grounded Graham style; the duck, played by the oboe, performs in tap shoes; the wolf, played by the French horn, is danced in a jazz style; and the hunters played by the timpani, are in a musical theater style. This story of a boy who disregards his grandfather’s rules, and faces a menacing wolf, is a perfect tale for children of all ages. As performed with gusto by Festival Ballet Providence’s international cadre of dancers, the story’s drama and humor create memorable, indelible images.

As reviewed in October 2009 by Kids Info:

The performance was delightful. After an introduction by Mihailo Djuric, Festival’s artistic director, one of the dancers introduced the story and its characters along with demonstrations of their dance style and music accompaniment. The stage is simply set with just enough to hint at trees and a meadow allowing room for the dancers to move, while the narrator and music guided the young audience through the story. Afterwards everyone was invited up for milk and cookies and “chat” time. Parents will appreciate how well-suited this format is for kids.

...Exposing our kids from a young age to dance, music and theater I believe plays an important role in their creative development, impacting what they value as they grow up. I applaud Festival Ballet for thinking outside the box and partnering with the community to create a magical space in the neighborhood where children can experience and learn more about dance and the arts.