Snow White Ballet photo, courtesy of Virginia National Ballet.Mirror, mirror, on the wall. Virginia National Ballet is excited to present the premiere of Artistic Director Rafik Hegab’s new Snow White, Friday, May 5 at 7 p.m. at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas for one night only!
Tickets range from $17 - $35 and can be purchased at the Hylton Box Office or online. Get your photo with Snow White! Children can also take a lovely photo with Snow White on stage at the Hylton with a scenic backdrop after the performance for only $5.
Snow White is Virginia National Ballet's final ballet of the 2016-17 season, which also featured the world premieres of La Boheme, accompanied by the Old Bridge Chamber Orchestra; Bohemian Rhapsody, a hard rock contemporary ballet to the music of Queen; and The Nutcracker.
Snow White is a charming, family-friendly neoclassical ballet with hilarious appearances by the Seven Dwarfs, thrilling bravura dancing from the Evil Queen, and gorgeous dancing by Snow White and the Prince supported Gainesville Ballet School students as adorable forest animals.
According to Managing Director Elysabeth Muscat Hegab, this will be Virginia National Ballet’s first “Fairy Tale” ballet with slapstick comedy, and the first time the company is including younger dancers in a performance. As such, this production is perfect for all age groups.
Hegabthis explains story is easy to follow, yet the audience should still expect professional level dancing and choreography and gorgeous sets and costumes include four different scenic backdrops.
Saaya Pikula, Principal Dancer, will be dancing the title role of Snow White. Sakura Oka, Principal, will be dancing the Evil Queen. Emanuel Tavares Filho is the Prince, Luiz Gustavo Madubuike is the Huntsman and one of the dwarfs, and the other company members will be dancing the parts of dwarfs and shades.
Two of the most senior dancers from Gainesville Ballet School will be dancing with the professional company as Shades: Zeli Frantz and Isabella Reilly. Zeli is junior at Patriot High School, and Isabella is a junor at Battlefield High School. Reilly has been a student at Gainesville Ballet for the last eight years and has danced in dozens of local school recitals, Nutcracker performances and company productions.
Virginia National Ballet - formerly named Gainesville Ballet - is only three years young, yet is quickly establishing its reputation as an important, growing dance company in the Mid-Atlantic Region that presents new, exciting repertoire with talented, award winning international dancers from around the globe.
The company is honored to have been chosen by the Virginia Commission for the Arts to be part of the Touring Directory for 2017-18. With its outstanding creative Artistic Director, Rafik Hegab, the company continues to lead the region with unique repertoire. Hegab debuted his choreographic skills with Carmina Burana in March, 2014, which received standing ovations and rave reviews and followed in 2015 with the ballets Carmen and Collection.
"Virginia National Ballet’s company dancers are thoroughly enjoying working with their Artistic Director, Rafik Hegab. They love the intelligent and unique choices of repertoire, his original choreography, and the wonderful work atmosphere he creates in the studio," said a spokesperson for VNB.
The international group includes ten dancers from the USA, Japan and Brazil. International dancers include Saaya Pikula, Sakura Oka, Emily Hashiguchi, Luiz Gustavo Madubuike, Emanuel and Tavares Filho. American dancers are Savanna Alfanos, Esmae Gold, Rebecca Morneau, Madeline Sosna and Matthew Waters.
Level 5 VNB students Zoe Frantz, Camila Griggs, Laura Rosendale, Jade Condrell, Maria Mantalvanos, and Level 4 students Leila Beale, Isabella Brown, Annabelle Farrell, Anjali Jammulamadaka, Paula Lemus, Sophia Rebholz, Heidi Shoemaker and Sophia Velez-Ferrer are all thrilled to have been selected to dance in the production.
Again, tickets can be purchased at the Hylton Performing Arts Box office or online for the May 5 show.
Additionally, audience members can purchase a Raffle ticket for $5 with the chance to win the prize of a $10 gift card to Milkberry, a $35 gift certificate to Cork and Fork, a free family photo shoot with photographer Mort Goldstrom (value $150), and a free pilates class at the Pilates Studio of Gainesville, value of $25, for a total in-kind value of $220.
The article was submitted by the Virginia National Ballet.
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