We have a fantastic season ahead of us. Beyond our two major productions, we will be producing a Fall Concert, as well as traveling to Arizona this spring for Midstates Regional Ballet Festival (joining of all regional festivals). A lot of work ahead for our company dancers, but very rewarding.
Our first production of the season is called Spirit Rising. It is a collaborative piece with artist Marcella Rose. Marcella designed and in so many words birthed, “Nimuué” out of bronze. "Lady of the Lake" or "Nimuué's" remains were discovered on hwy 59 near Pelican Rapids. Her remains are among the oldest ever discovered in North America. Artistic Director and choreographer Matt Gasper has been looking for a story to tell about the lakes (his own santuary). He began a loon piece last winter and discovered Nimuué and wanted to tell her story through dance. Join us this November and see Nimuué come to life on stage.
Artwork & Sources: Marcella Rose
Our second production is our holiday tradition The Classic Nutcracker! We are excited to bring back the holiday magic to our audiences. Also returning for their 4th season is the Wonderland Orchestre. The Wonderland Orchestra is made up of professional musicians in the Fargo-Moorhead and surrounding region. The orchestra is under the direction of Chrisina Chen-Beyer. It is such a joy to work with these professional musicians and bringing live music and dance together.
The Classic Nutcracker will grace the stage December 16 - 18 at NDSU Reineke Festival Concert Hall. Auditions will be held Sunday, September 18, 2016 at 2:00pm.
To round off our in-town productions, we travel down the yellow brick road to Oz in The Wizard of Oz. Join Dorothy on her journey home and encouter the unique characters along the way. This is a unique ballet, which is developed and choreographed by Artistic Director, Matt Gasper. Not only are we excited to travel down the yellow brick road with Dorothy, we are excited to be involved in this process with Matt Gasper.
Auditions for The Wizard of Oz will be held January 8, 2017, with performances March 25 & 26 at the historic Fargo Theatre (Downtown Fargo).
Finally, the FMBallet has the priviledge to travel to Arizona the first week of May for the Midstates Regional Dance Festival. The dancers will join not only our own region this season, but all regions for a full region festival. They will perform, take classes and also have the chance to audition for summer programs and scholarships. This is an exciting opportunity to have the company and our work performed at this festival. More detailst o come later in the season.