Westminster Theater in Point Loma will enjoy “An Intimate Evening with San Diego Ballet” Friday and Saturday, Jan. 19 and 20.
This unique look at the San Diego Ballet invites guests to interact not only with Javier Velasco, artistic director of the group, but the dancers as well.
“We just moved into our new space here at Dance Place San Diego here in Point Loma, and we wanted to do something to sort of say ‘hi’ to our new neighborhood,” Velasco said.
The small theater, which seats approximately 200 people, provides an intimate arena for the dancers to show off their talent.
The evening includes various pieces, some in their entirety and others excerpts from larger ballets. The classic “Swan Lake” will make an appearance during the program with “The White Swam Pas De Deux” being performed by principal dancers Chelsea Meiss and Askar Alimbetov. A second “Pas De Deux” will be set to Mozart and choreographed by Velasco.
As part of their educational outreach program, the San Diego Ballet performs a short narrated ballet set to a jazz score by Jean Pierre Rampal, also choreographed by Velasco, which will also be included in the program.
The audience will get the chance to see fully costumed and rehearsed ballets such as excerpts from Shakespeare’s “Sonnets,” which was performed by the group last year, as well as a sneak preview of two pieces set for the upcoming 2007 schedule.
One ballet is set to the music of Scott Joplin, as played by violinist Itzahk Perlman, while the other is set to old jazz recordings.
“Even though they will be in the schedule next year, this is the first time that anyone of the public is going to be seeing what we’re actually going to be doing in 2007,” Velasco said. “Right now they are getting a little behind the scenes into what the piece looks like now, how it was chosen, how the dancers are chosen for specific pieces and they’ll be able to actually speak with the dancers as well.”
San Diego Ballet, located at 2650 Truxtun Road in the NTC Promenade, was part of the first phase of groups to move into the area as part of DancePlace San Diego. Each of the group’s studios have floor-to-ceiling glass windows to allow patrons of the promenade to see for themselves what dance and ballet is all about.
“We are very happy with [the new location],” Velasco said. “We’re getting great responses from both our old patrons and our old students and the new students who come in.”
Westminster Theater is located at 3598 Talbot St. The program begins at 8 p.m. both evenings. Tickets are $15 for students and children, $30 for adults and $28 for seniors and military. To order tickets, call (619) 294-7311.
For more information on San Diego Ballet, visit www.sandiegoballet.org.