We just completed our second week of work, rehearsing for our production of Swan Lake. Most of the corps is set, including the all of the Swans in Act 2 and Act 4, and the majority of Act 1. The principals and soloists have begun working on their roles this week. Our ballet masters, Viktor and Cosmin are hard at work re-staging the production that was first performed in 2008. Only a handful of our current dancers were in the original one, including: Leticia, Vilia, Jen, Mark H., Ilya, Christine, Roger, Kirsten, and myself. The company has grown so much since then and it’s nice to see the new dancers interpret some of the roles. The Village Youth, children from the school have been joining us on Saturdays, and a recent alumni company dancer, Beth Reilly recently joined us to be the Queen yesterday. It’s great seeing everything come together. I hope all of the dancers and staff have a great holiday today :)
Back in the studio, but we’re freezing!! Heat is broke and we are waiting to rehearse until they fix it. It’s nice to be back to work though and see everyone. “dancing in a freezer”
A week from now the dancers will be back in the studio beginning to prepare for Swan Lake. Misha and the staff have already been hard at work preparing for the production and the Gala that will precede it. Over 100 pairs of pointe shoes have been ordered for the females in this production from our friends at LaBrie Dance. At roughly $70 a pair, they add up quickly. If you want to help out or are interested in getting your tickets early for this production, check out our website at www.festivalballet.com.
Meanwhile, I am enjoying taking class daily, and then spending my afternoons walking Calvin (the dog we are puppy-sitting for) in this gorgeous weather. After “spring break” last week my classes start up at RIC as well tonight.
Hi friends, I will be writing a blog for our ballet company. You can access it on our website above or check it out here on Facebook :)
Right now the company dancers are in the middle of a 3 week layoff. We just finished a 3 weekend run of our Up Close on Hope performances and our Chatterbox show, Mother Goose. Some of the dancers who needed it welcomed the rest. I have been in the studios taking class trying to stay in shape. We start rehearsing for Swan Lake on March 27th. It’s a lot of demanding work, especially for the women involved and it’s important for me to keep my body moving during our breaks. Aside from taking class, I have been doing other things that I don’t get a chance to do while we work like going to the gym, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is Lauren Menger and I’ve been a professional ballet dancer with Festival Ballet Providence in Providence, RI for the past 7 years. I live in Providence with my husband Roger who is also a dancer in the company and our calico cat Amber. I grew up in Long Island, NY and after that graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington. I moved to RI right after graduation in 2005 and love my life here.
