Alexandria Area Arts Association presents comic ballet

The Alexandria Area Arts Association (AAAA) once again welcomes the Continental Ballet Company to the AAAA stage in downtown Alexandria to present the comic ballet, Coppelia, on Saturday, November 3 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children 10 or younger. Advance tickets may be purchased by calling the AAAA Box Office at (320) 762-8300. Tickets will also be available the evening of the performance.

Coppelia is a light-hearted, comical ballet that focuses on the story of two young lovers, Swanhilda and Franz, and a magical doll-maker, Dr. Coppelius. The ballet mixes story-mime with bravura classical dance.

Coppelia was developed in 1870 and set to the music of Leo Delibes. The original choreographer, Arthur St. Leon, included a folk dance in the ballet to reflect common people.

“Coppelia’s humor is in mistaken identity, much like farce,” said Benjamin Klipfel, executive director of the AAAA.

Under the direction of Riet Velthuisen, the Continental Ballet Company will present this ballet with a cast of professional dancers.

Veteran dancer John Munger will perform the role of Dr. Coppelius. The lead roles will be performed by Yuki Tokuda and Casey Juul. The company also includes Karen Siedsma, Katherine Hesterberg, Shuji Waseda, Zoe Henrot, Karissa Machacek, Leta Triebold, Joseph Bingham, Katie Daly, Jarod Boltjes and Annie Niemmo.

The Continental Ballet Company was founded in 1988 by Riet Velthuisen. Velthuisen is a native of Holland and has danced professionally with several European ballet companies, including the Dutch National Ballet. He studied classical ballet in Amsterdam, The Hague and Paris.

The Continental Ballet Company is a member of the Bloomington Fine Arts Council and resides at the Bloomington Center for the Arts.

In addition to the performing company, the Continental Ballet Company operates a studio of ballet offering dance lessons for students of all ages and abilities. The company is a nonprofit, 501(c)(3) corporation.

For more information, call (952) 563-5361 or visit www.continentalballet.com.

Tags: variety, ballet, entertainment