Experience Ballet Fantastique's unmatched creativity and dramatic prowess. Comprised of 7 stunning dancers directed by mother-daughter team Donna and Hannah Bontrager, Ballet Fantastique presents productions full of sizzle and spice. Hailed as "la creme de la creme" (Eugene Weekly), Ballet Fantastique's all-original choreography infuses ballet with diverse new style, brave musical choices (from tango to Metallica), and passionate expression.
Father’s Day is coming up and what father doesn’t enjoy golf or at least sipping a mimosa by while enjoying the beauty of the golf course?
If you’re looking for somewhere to take you father or a great gift idea to give them? Then look no further! Come to Ballet Fantastique’s 4th Annual Golf Classic!
At our 4th Annual Golf Classic this year, tickets will get you:
- Green fees, unlimited practice balls, and use of the practice range
- Golf cart (may be shared with one other player)
- Tournament t-shirt, gift bag, and a complimentary raffle ticket
- Great summer BBQ dinner and all beverages throughout the day
Also available for purchase:
- Team photos
- Mulligans
This exciting day of fun is the final fundraiser in helping the team at Ballet Fantastique pay for plane tickets to Italy, where the dancers have been invited to perform! In fact, we are the FIRST dance company from North or South America that will perform in the city of San Benedetto. We need your help to make it to our first international performance.
When: Diamond Woods Golf Course
Schedule for the day:
12:15 pm - Registration/Check-In begins, team photos
First off, we would like to thank all of you who attended the show! We had two sold out shows on Saturday and Sunday, which would not have been possible without all of the love and support from all of you.
As always, we loved hearing the wonderful things you had to say about the premiere. So, as a tribute to our fans, we have put together a little blog post showcasing some of your praise for last weekend’s Pride & Prejudice: A Parisian Jazz Ballet.
“We LOVED this ballet… only wish the ticket office had been open on Sunday to renew our annual subscription…. we will” —Rebecca Joanna
“Great show – loved it all -” —Jacs Bruscato
“This was my first time seeing a show by Ballet Fantastique and I was very impressed! The costumes were bright and colorful, the live music was a perfect fit, and the dancing was extremely talented! I will see another show in a heartbeat” —Michelle Gilman
“Pride & Prejudice was a stunning performance…an exhilarating spin off of the original work” —Lara Eaton
We also had the pleasure of being highlighted twice in the Register Guard!
Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments with the dancers and our artistic team on Ballet Fantastique’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/balletfantastique) or by commenting below.
Stay tuned to hear more about BFan’s 13-14 season: NEW LEGENDS!
As we’re beginning the final countdown for Ballet Fantastique’s NEW Pride & Prejudice: A Parisian Jazz Ballet (Saturday, May 4 and Sunday May 5 at the Hult Center), we asked the dancers why this show is a must-see.
Reason #5: “The dancing is fast, wild, and fun!” —Alanna (Jane Bennette)
Reason #4: “The music, choreography and costumes are flashy and energetic. It is sure to bring you into the world of Jane Austen’s fabulous story.” —Leanne (Kitty Bennette)
Reason #3: “Our guest actor from Portland, Adam Goldthwaite, is returning to play the part of Mr. Collins, our narrator–and he is one of the most fun, funny collaborators Ballet Fantastique has ever worked with! You will be laughing out loud.” —Hannah (Lydia Bennette)
Reason #2: “The live jazz music will make you tap your foot and feel as if you are really in Paris in the Roaring 20′s. This is like stepping into Midnight in Paris.” —Justin (Charles Bingley)
And the biggest reason you should see Ballet Fantastique’s Pride & Prejudice: A Parisian Jazz Ballet is…..
Reason #1: “Ballet Fantastique, as always, combines contemporary all original choreography with authentic dance moves from that era which makes the show true to the original story, but with a little bit of spunk!” —Ashley (Lizzy Bennette)
Attention male dancers! Ballet Fantastique is on a national audition search for a male company dancer for the 2013-2014 season. Please pass the information along! More info
ballet fantastique contemporary chamber company (in gorgeous eugene, oregon)
tales from a floating world (live japanese taiko drumming)
Contract includes three new contemporary ballet premieres each season, plus touring. Competitive pay by the week and benefits, including shoes, massage assistance, and full physical therapy. Also available: additional opportunities for paid outreach and teaching work.
Competitive applicants will have strong classical ballet and contemporary vocabularies, and confidence with soloist and pas de deux work. Applicants must be a US citizen (or hold a green card or work permit), and are preferably 5’9” and up. Audition by DVD or in person (contact us for more details).
Additional skills of interest (desired but not requisite): Choreography, arts education, arts administration, dance instruction (ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, pas de deux, and/or hip-hop).
Well, we’re in the throes of Casanova (T minus 8 days to opening night).And ohmygoodness, this is FUN.
As a dancer and co-choreographer/producer, I’m feeling beautifully steeped in this decadent era (18th-century Venice). It’s just so full.
The words: In the process of creating this new ballet, Donna and I have been reading biographies of Giacomo Casanova—as well as his own writings, of course. (Aside: Cad, yes—as mum says, “sometimes I feel like I need to take a shower after I read this stuff!”—but the man was a charming and intelligent writer. In fact, some of his lines were just so good that they inspired us to add a bit of narration in the “voice of Casanova” to the ballet, threading through his misadventures.) We’ve been reading about Venetian customs and Carnival, and dear friend and history buff Genna Speer also insisted that I read a slim little novel by Georgette Heyer, Powder and Patch, to pick up on some playful period details (highly recommended to our more serious audience members).
The music: We’ve been listening to endless concerti, both from composers we already knew and loved (e.g., the prolific Venetian Vivaldi is of course key to our ballet), and from those we were less familiar with, like Jean-Philippe Rameau. Underpinning every decision was to choose music that would sound familiar, that would resonate, but that wouldn’t sound too familiar. THERE IS NO RITZ CARLTON ELEVATOR MUSIC IN THIS BALLET. A bit of my favorite discoveries: We stumbled in a You Tube search across this AWESOME version of his “Rondeau des Indes Galantes” by the Louvre Symphony Orchestra with authentic period instruments (WATCH—it rocks). And some darn beautiful stuff that won’t make it into this ballet (e.g., the piano duo Anderson and Roe’s haunting arrangement of Vivaldi’s “Sento in seno ch’in pioggia di lagrime”/”A rain of tears“—if you haven’t listened to it yet, do), but that we’re filing away for a later project. Even now, with our ballet score long-chosen, I’m listening to baroque music incessantly (e.g., literally right now), since I’m a snob about having perfect intermission music. In short, the music from this era and from our Casanova score alike are so gorgeous that I can’t stop listening. You just can’t get sick of it. The downside is that this is our one ballet this season without live music, but the upside is that it would be a little hard to get the Louvre Orchestra or four harpsichords on stage at the Soreng; the experience we’re building is a total immersion in how stunningly lovely—and genius—music was during this time.
See the rounded shape of Alanna’s arm in this shot from Giovanni Bruni’s pas de deux with Paulina (Casanova has just swooped in and is plotting his next move.) Photo: Steph Urso Photography
The movement: We’ve been studying baroque dance steps and watching authentic re-stagings of early ballet movement (recommended: Le RoiDanse). We’ve enlisted the help of a number of experienced fencers for our dance-duel scenes with single rapier. (Yes, I have BRUISES—this stuff is hard.) Donna and I are fiercely committed to challenging the company to have exquisitely nuanced musicality and especially arms and hands, and she’s making explicit decisions about some of the aesthetics, for example, there is very little traditional elongee in Casanova (where the dancer extends his/her arm, palm down); instead, she’s having us invert all of these shapes with palms up in a more traditional baroque style. There are cabrioles up the wazoo (this step was a big deal back then), and we don’t use as much epaulement with our feet, though there’s lots with our upper body. The movement has twist and is all about arms, so as a dancer, my body is LOVING it.
Ok, so we probably can’t get this kind of height, bu the idea is what we’re going for…
The costumes/set: Then, there’s the costumes…we’ve been studying fashion of the time (see our Casanova Pinterest page to peruse the designers’ inspiration board). The costumes are maybe the most gorgeous we’ve ever created (see a sneak peek on our Facebook page)—they are a contemporary spin on “baroque.” So, for example, we have these drop-dead cascading lace sleeves that fall from the elbow, but instead of connecting at the shoulder, they’re independent pieces that start at the women’s biceps so that we have more free movement. Then the skirts are built on a basic tutu from our professional costumer in LA, Primadonna, which we decided to do in ivory as if it’s a petticoat. Onto these tutu bases, demi-”bustles” are being overlaid, each woman’s slightly different, to get the dramatic curve out at the waist but without a floor-length skirt to get in the way of our dancing. We’ve been on the hunt in Springfield antique stores for the perfect jewels for Casanova’s women, making our Casanova (Elijah Labay) practice in his wig to make sure that his new ponytail doesn’t get taken off in any of our lifts, and using our hair extensions that were the beehives for Cinderella to build the ladies’ hair higher in a style evocative of baroque, but again, still danceable. All I can say is bless Allison Ditson, Rita Perini Vance, Katie Liane, and Beth Scott for their incredible, incredible artistry.
In sum, we’ve got gold paint on our hands (furniture that had to get taken up a notch), baroque music in our ears, and Casanova on our mind…
BFan intern Kristen here again! Whether the trend began with Sarah Jessica Parker’s character in Sex and the City or fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, ballet style is mainstream and as lovely as ever. Some of us may not be ballet dancers, but at least we can bring some ballet inspiration to our wardrobe!
I took the challenge to find the most fabulous, ballet-inspired, ready to wear, and versatile clothes on the market, and below are my top five:
ONE: I love this ballet-inspired dress from ASOS offered in three colors: black, green, and red. The fabric and bodice cut both have a leotard feel, with the tight gathers and wrapped shape.
THREE: Ruche launched an entire collection, En Pointe, based on ballet fashion. I absolutely adore this watercolor floral dress from that line! We may not have stage lights, but this fabric has a sheen and nuance to it that would look great in any light. It’s just decadent.
FOUR & FIVE: The clothing company Shabby Apple has created numerous tulle pleated skirts that say, “whimsical.” The white and black polka dot skirt on the left is the High Tea Skirt, and the lovely blue skirt on the right is the Music Hall Skirt. They both promise to float with the graceful play of a dancer’s skirt, and the double layers (underskirt and a tulle overskirt) on the latter are totally ballet-esque. Love.
Are you as enamored with ballet fashion as I am? What are some of your favorite ballet-inspired items?
p.s. Tune in next week for glimpses into our costume designs for our upcoming show, The Misadventures of Casanova! Let me just say that the sketches and fabric swatches I’ve seen so far are just stunning…think a high fashion contemporary spin on “baroque.” Fashionistas, prepare yourselves!
Event Coordinator Intern, Kristen here again! This last weekend, we had a splendid performance by our Academy dancers in the Home for the Holidays jazzy ballet concert at the Wildish Theater. After the performance I interviewed three very talented ladies, Brenna (age 5), Naomi (age 10 1/2), and Emily W. (age 22).
Brenna, age 5
BFan: What was your favorite part of the performance? B: The Whole Thing!!!
BF: Were you nervous? B: No
BF: What did you do to calm your nerves? B: I smiled!
BF: What do you love most about ballet? B: Because I get to go to performances.
Naomi, age 10.5
BF: How often would you dance in a day or week? N: About four days a week.
BF: What are your favorite steps/moves to perform? N: I love a lot of them, but I would have to say jumps, pas de bourrée, and frappé!
BF: What gives you inspiration to train so hard? N: Seeing the older girls gives me inspiration. They are so good, I want to be like them.
Emily W., age 22
BF: What are the most important things you do to get ready for a performance? E: One, obviously warm up, so I do not pull something on stage. Two, I always take a moment to breathe, to just avoid the noise and loudness.
BF: How long have you been dancing and when did you start? E: Hmm, about 9 years ago, if I am doing the math right. I started my freshman year of high school.
BF: What is the hardest thing about ballet? E: For me personally, to get my arms correct. In ballet, you need to have a fluid line. It is not just one position to achieve, that is the hardest for me.
We’re proud of you, ladies! Great work on stage up there.
It’s BFan Events Coordinator intern Kristen here. Not sure what to get your loved one for the holidays this season? Look no further than your local contemporary ballet company, Ballet Fantastique for a gift that’s unique, fun, local, and a double-whammy…you get to give it now, and enjoy it later. :)
Here are my top five gift ideas to put a smile on pretty much anyone’s face:
Tickets to The Misadventures of Casanova! Come see this new contemporary ballet premiere with lush costumes, decadent music, romance and intrigue making the way to the stage at the Hult center this coming February 2 and 3, 2013! It’s two-in-one: holiday gift and Valentine’s event wrapped up in one.
While you’re at it, you might want to consider making a bigger bang for your buck with a Ballet Fantastique Season Subscription for the rest of our 2012-2013: VENTURE lineup (The Misadventures of Casanova and Pride & Prejudice: A Parisian Jazz Ballet with live jazz!). Your pro-rated (read: discounted) season subscription will include tickets to the remaining two contemporary ballet premieres at the Hult Center, free Open Barre pass (for preview rehearsal/wine tasting reception at the City Center for Dance), additional savings from the community, and more VIP treatment! BFan’s last three productions sold out, so a season subscription also guarantees that you’ll get seats. These start at just $50 each, for all these goodies (and $24 for kids). Read more about the perks and get ‘em now here.
Know someone who has always wanted to try something new—or who loved ballet and been wanting to get back into it? Or been talking about whipping into shape as a new year’s resolution? How about a Class Card for Ballet Fantastique’s hoppin’ Adult Drop-In Program? Class times are convenient, class cards don’t expire for a whole year, and teacher Leanne Mizzoni from Washington, DC is rumored to be absolutely incredible. Get a class card online for one, 10, or 20 classes and get the dance party started.
Do you have a little one pulling on your heart strings? A daughter/son or niece/nephew? Try a gift certificate to our Young Dancer Program (ages 4+) or our Training Division (ages 7-preprofessional) as a gift. Fill out this little form and Hannah or Emily will get back to you right away to get you outfitted with a pretty gift certificate to wrap up.
Adopt a Dancer—give the gift of a scholarship to a young dancer giving him or her the opportunity to study professional dance right alongside his or her more privileged peers. A certificate for your lucky recipient will outline the difference being made in the life of a youngster, thanks to you!
But above all, remember to enjoy this holiday season with the ones you love! Happy holidays from our BFan family to yours.
Job opening: Male contemporary ballet dancer for Ballet Fantastique
Ballet Fantastique Contemporary Chamber Company is hiring a male soloist dancer beginning as early as January 2013 and as late as July 2013 (start date negotiable) for a full contract of 30 weeks of paid work including three new contemporary ballet premieres plus national/international touring as scheduled, with competitive pay by the week and benefits, including shoe allowance, physical therapy and massage assistance. Contract also includes additional opportunities for paid outreach and teaching work.
We seek a new company member with talent, strength, artistic voice, a great work ethic and sense of humor, personality, and an insatiable appetite for what’s next. Competitive applicants will have strong classical and contemporary vocabularies, and confidence with pas de deux work. Applicants must be a US citizen (or hold a green card or work permit), and are preferably 5’9” and up.
Additional skills of interest (desired but not requisite): Choreography, arts education, arts administration, dance instruction (ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, pas de deux, and/or hip-hop).
As we move one step closer to our performance, the fantastic reasons to see the show are becoming more apparent. Company dancer Krislyn is ecstatic to share her top 5 reasons to Cirque! Krislyn dances the role of Yvette, the “aspiring starlet.”
1. Ballerinas doing circus acts, what’s not to love?
2. The choreography is really difficult. Because of this, it is really cool!
3. There are three live bands! We are so overjoyed to share the stage with them.
4. Raymond, the acrobat from Miami. He adds lots of fun elements to our show.
5. It’s definitely not your stereotypical ballet, we’d love to share this show with you!
For more information and tickets please visit the BFan website or stop by the Hult Center!
