Richmond Ballet Studio Company will grace the stage in the Wise County Performing Arts Center at J.W. Adams in Pound at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 6. The program features Igor Antonov’s “The Legend of the Swan Queen,” a beautiful take on a classic favorite, set to the music of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, as well as a contemporary pas de deux, Colin Connor’s “Vestiges,” and a playful and energetic work from the ballet’s Associate Artistic Director entitled “Calling.” Tickets are $10 at the door. Children and students will be admitted free. For more information and to make reservations visit proartva.org.
Pro-Art dedicates this performance to the late Lona Roberts, a founding member of the organization who passed away in July of last year. She was instrumental in forming Pro-Art along with the nonprofit’s first Executive Director, Daisy Portuondo, and several other community members in the late 70’s. Roberts was also highly dedicated to her family, ensuring her daughters had the chance to study ballet from a young age. With the immense support of her mother and father, and 15 years of dedication to the art form, their daughter Tracy Roberts became a professional ballet dancer at 20 years old when she joined Richmond Ballet as one of their original professional company members. After learning Tracy had joined Richmond Ballet, Pro-Art made sure the company added a stop in Southwest Virginia to their tour—a tradition that has continued throughout the years, thanks in large part to a mother’s devotion to her family and community.
Get ready to be enchanted by “The Legend of the Swan Queen” featuring the spirited Prince Siegfried who falls in love with the beautiful Swan Queen Odette. An evil sorcerer comes between them as this story of magic, mystery, and transformation unfolds. Paired with the classical selections from Swan Lake with Tchaikovsky’s emotive score, “The Legend of the Swan Queen” displays the innovation of dance today. Igor Antonov is a former professional dancer from Ukraine who has danced for Donetsk Ballet, Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf, Germany, and was a medalist and Best Couple award winner at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi.
“Calling” is a vibrant, modern ballet filled with energetic movement and delicate partnering. Set to playful Mediterranean music by Kroke Trio and Goran Bregovic, Ma Cong’s work exudes passion and power. He has been widely recognized by the dance world as a bold, bright, and inspired artist and choreographer. Ma Cong started his dance career at the Beijing Dance Academy, where he trained in the art of Chinese classical dance. He danced with The National Ballet of China from 1995 until 1999, prior to his move to the USA.
In an excerpt from Colin Connor’s “Vestiges,” two dancers display their undeniable connection, reminiscent of a moth to a flame. With music by Michael Nyman, this contemporary and powerful duet explores what happens when our world is shattered and how we recapture the sources of our power, our natural elegance, and the immediacy of the world around us. Connor’s wide-ranging dance career encompasses being the award-winning choreographer of over sixty works, the Artistic Director of Limón Dance Company, an educator at many of the world’s foremost dance centers, a Professor Emeritus at the California Institute for the Arts, and a widely recognized dancer.
