Submitted by Ballet Northwest
Ballet Northwest’s Swan Lake, Olympia’s favorite Mother’s Day weekend entertainment, is returning to The Washington Center.
When the beautiful Odette spurns the advances of the sorcerer von Rothbart, he delivers a curse that transforms her into a white swan. Prince Siegfried goes hunting and spies Odette as a lovely swan. He discovers her secret and they fall in love, but von Rothbart and his daughter Odile (the black swan) have other plans. Tchaikovsky’s dramatic score sets the tone for this iconic classical ballet, featuring lavish sets and costumes.
Ballet Northwest alumna, Ashley Baker, will dance the role of Odette, the Swan Queen. Ashley currently dances with Ballet Idaho, located in Boise, Idaho. She began her training at Johansen Olympia Dance Center and attended summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, BalletMet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre. She studied in the Professional Division at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, where she performed alongside company dancers in The Nutcracker. She also danced soloist and principal roles in the works of George Balanchine in PNB School productions. Local dancers Anthony Gamroth (Prince Siegfried), Emily Walter (Odile), and Jacob Brein (Von Rothbart) round out the lead roles.
Ballet Northwest’s dance company is comprised of over 70 dancers age 12 and older, drawn from Thurston, Pierce, and Mason counties. Dancers from the company recently studied at the summer programs of prestigious institutions such as American Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Oregon Ballet Theatre, among others.
The production is choreographed by Ballet Northwest’s Artistic Directors Ken and Josie Johnson and is sponsored by Andrew Kapust DDS, Olympia Federal Savings, The Olympian, and 94.5 ROXY.
WHO: Ballet Northwest
WHAT: Swan Lake, a ballet in two acts featuring a cast of 200 local dancers
WHEN: May 11 at 7:30 p.m., May 12 at 2:00 p.m. and May 13 at 2:00 p.m.
WHERE: The Washington Center for the Performing Arts, 512 Washington St SE Olympia, WA 98501
HOW: Ticket Office – 360-753-8586 or order online at www.washingtoncenter.org/bnw.
PRICES: Tickets are $14 to $33, plus $3.00 service fee. Student, senior, and youth discounts available. Student Rush tickets go on sale one hour before curtain.
