Photo courtesy of L’Etoile Ballet Academy.
Pretty, pastel costumes, new ribbons on the toe shoes, tiaras that sparkle bright as a shiny new penny. These are signs of spring recitals where young dancers awaken to the beauty of ballet.
And no one puts on a lovelier dance program than Svetlana Kravtsova and Vadim Pijicov, founding directors. Of L’Etoile, The Classical Ballet Theatre of Maryland. Their Howard County-based company plus students and guest artists will perform ” A Tribute to Classical Ballet” this Saturday evening at the Jim Rouse Theatre.
At a recent program for guests and families, we watched Kravtsofa rehearse the rarely staged “Ramona,” a work that showcases L’Etoile’s well-trained dancers. It highlights the bravura of guest artist, Jie-Siou Wu, who was recently invited to dance with the Washington Ballet.
Set to a gorgeous score by Alexander Glazunov, “Ramonda” was originally created by Marius Petipa in 1898. Kravtsova has re-staged the work with her authentic Vaganova technique training and teaching. Here is a chance to see real Russian ballet, performed by Russian-trained dancers. Think dashing Cavaliers and princesses and lots of flying leaps across the stage. Flying high will be guest artist Jie Siou Wu who reminds this writer of a young Rudy Nureyev.
For me, it was a special treat to watch Kratsova’s teenage ballerinas ready to take the stage with grace and aplomb. Kudos to Natalie DuCharme, Mabelle Liu, Lily Shen, Gabrielle Fish, Emma Pan, Charlotte Tettlin, Sasha Cheloff, and Jeslyn Li, among others.
“A Tribute to Classical Ballet” by The Classical Ballet Theatre of Maryland and L’Etoile Ballet Academy will be performed on Saturday, June 4, 2022 at 5 p.m. at the Jim Rouse Theatre, Wilde Lake High School, Trumpeter Road, Columbia, MD 21044. For more information about tickets, please click here.
