State Street Ballet will present a modern take on the favorite fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at The Granada Theatre. It is the newest story ballet in the dance company’s Family Series, romantically reflecting the cycle of the seasons, an allegory of life.
Set to Tchaikovsky’s celebrated score, the choreography showcases classical and modern elements, innovative sets, and puppetry, including a 15-foot-tall wearable dragon, designed by artist Christina McCarthy.
A former dancer herself, McCarthy said, “I love storytelling in the body and the intersection of theater and dance.”
In addition to her work as a puppet and mask designer and creator, McCarthy has taught contemporary modern dance technique, choreography and digital video editing for dance at UCSB for the last decade, and has worked in partnership with Santa Barbara High School as a choreographer for its top-ranked performing arts program for 15 years.
State Street Ballet’s professional track trainees, as well as students from Gustafson Dance, join the company’s professional dancers to fill Sleeping Beauty’s 86 character roles. Presented in two acts with a running time of 90 minutes and a 20-minute intermission, the performance is suitable for audiences of all ages.
Tickets are available at granadasb.org or The Granada box office, 805-899-2222.
The production previewed at the Saroyan Theatre in Fresno on Feb. 28, following a week of residency there. In Santa Barbara, the company will present an outreach show for more than 1,000 elementary students on March 13.
State Street Ballet’s silver anniversary season continues with Modern Masters, the annual showcase of contemporary choreography, May 8-9, at the New Vic.
The company’s 2019-20 season is sponsored by Tim Mikel, Margo-Cohen Feinberg and Robert Feinberg, and Sara Miller McCune.
Sleeping Beauty is sponsored by Patricia Gregory for the Baker Foundation; Anne Smith Towbes for the Poomer Fund; Belle Hahn for The Little One Foundation; the Léni Fé Bland Performing Arts Partnership, a project of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation; and the Santa Barbara Bowl and Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.
Additional funding was provided by Barbara Burger and Paul E. Munch.
Visit statestreetballet.com for the season schedule, to meet the artists, or buy tickets.