CHAMBERSBURG– The Chambersburg Ballet presents the classic tale “The Little Mermaid” in Lavinia Reid’s innovative ballet adaptation of the beloved under-the-sea tale.
The production marries the whimsical Disney film version to the 1837 Hans Christian Andersen original fairy tale, which ends with the Little Mermaid desperately throwing herself into the sea after the prince she’s in love with marries the princess. Reid’s rendition, however, ends with the prince marrying the Little Mermaid.
Over forty dancers ranging from 4-year-olds to professionals will take The Capitol Theatre stage in handmade costumes colored with blacklight pigments to create a glow-in-the-dark experience in the dimly lighted theater. This allows for interesting special effects including a luminescent underwater garden and fireworks.
The Chambersburg Ballet Theatre debuts its budding young 4- and 5-year-old dancers as starfish who will perform alongside dancers from the CBT company as well as professional dancers Maria Alvarez, Patrick Ward and Xavier Núñez.
The ballet features Reid’s original choreography, costumes, sets and music. The Little Mermaid will be performed on Saturday, June 10th at 2pm and 6:30pm at the Capitol Theatre in downtown Chambersburg. Tickets are at www.chambersburgballet.org.
The Little Mermaid will be Lavinia Reid’s last production as Artistic Director of the Chambersburg Ballet as she is retiring. Reid founded the Chambersburg Ballet Theatre (CBT) School in 1999, the only dance organization in Franklin County that offers comprehensive training in classical ballet, along with contemporary dance forms. Since its founding, over 600 students have studied – some going on to become professional dancers – and thousands more people have been touched by its performances. The Chambersburg Ballet Guild, the non-profit affiliate of the CBT School, is recruiting a new Artistic Director to lead the school and affiliated dance company.
