Ballet Arkansas Launches New Children's Series
Going to the ballet doesn't have to be just for grownups anymore.
Ballet Arkansas is launching a new children's series for the 2017-18 season with hopes to have more young faces in the audience experiencing the beautiful art form.
"This year the goal was for us to be more accesible to the Little Rock community and the entire region and state," Associate Artistic Director Catherine Garratt Fothergill said. "These performances specifically target children's interests."
The organization has three children's shows planned for the season: "Peter and the Wolf" at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11, "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" at 2 p.m. on Feb. 17 and " The Toymaker: Excerpts From Coppelia" at 2 p.m. on May 5.
Each show will run about an hour long, much shorter than the regular Ballet Arkansas productions. There will also be opportunities for audience members to interact in the performances.
"'Peter and the Wolf' is a fairytale story that’s narrated and it’s interactive," Garratt Fothergill said. "There will be prompts for the children as a way for them to be involved. It’s a fun, beloved, classic story."
She also said that children will have a chance to meet the characters and take pictures after the show.
In "The Toymaker," there will be a large community cast of young dancers, giving them an opportunity to perform at a new level.
"We have a large community cast for nutcracker with over 200 children but we’d like to bring them another chance to get on stage with us," Garratt Fothergill said.
"Peter and the Wolf" and "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" will both take place at Charts Theater at Pulaski Technical College and "The Toymaker" will be performed at The Rep.
Tickets for "Peter and the Wolf" are $20 for ages 12 and under and $25 for adults. Visit Ballet Arkansas' website for more information.
"This is just the start of our vibrant children’s programming series," Garratt Fothergill said. "We’re excited that (each show) will be different so that people can come and see something new each time. What I find to be very special about them is that they’re interactive. They’re not just sitting in their seats - they’ll be involved. We’re very excited to have this start and to continue it and build on it."
In addition to the children's series, Ballet Arkansas will also offer student matinee tickets to "The Nutcracker" in December. The reservation deadline for those shows is Nov. 10. Click here for more information.