Dancers from all over the world have been spending time in Iowa in preparation for a string of performances this weekend. Carolyn Jenison is executive director of Ballet Des Moines. “Everywhere from Los Angeles to Venezuela, Brazil, Italy, Florida, New York…they all chose to come to our community for 26 weeks to live, work, and play and they love it,” Jenison says of the dancers.
Ballet Des Moines’ season opener is called “Celestial” and Jenison says it’s a great introduction for those who’ve never attended a ballet. The performance is divided into three 20-minute long ballets, each separated by 20-minute intermissions. “So, it’s really easy to digest and you can see different styles because we’ve got three different choreographers, three different kinds of music and dance styles…so, it’s a little introduction or taste of ballet,” Jenison says.
World renowned choreographer Ma Cong arranged one of the ballets for Celestial. Jenison is hoping Iowans who’ve never seen ballet live, will give it a chance. “Once you’ve seen ballet, you fall in love with it,” Jenison says. “For those who love the symphony and the opera, you have the physical, visual component to it…so you watch that while you enjoy this amazing music.”
Celestial will be performed three times this weekend at the Hoyt Sherman Theater in Des Moines; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.