Ever wished you owned a tutu or secretly yearned to pirouette? The Ballet Performance Group’s spring revue, “Run It!” intends to cater to your desire. This semester’s performance, which will be held at 8 p.m. Friday, April 28, culminates months of tutus and tights, sweat and strength and even a broken bone. “Run It!” boasts a diverse dance repertoire sure to entertain the masses.
This semester’s show will feature 11 student-choreographed sensations which, coupled with classical ballet selections from “Coppelia,” promise an eclectic delve into the world of dance.
“The variety is our show’s best attribute,” BPG business manager and junior Taylor Coon said. “We pride ourselves on taking fundamental ballet technique and applying it to genres like hip-hop, jazz, lyrical and even swing. There’s bound to be something for everyone.”
Audience members can look forward to selections such as the show’s opener “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant” by Billy Joel, contemporary music like Incubus’s “Echo,” a sassy pointe piece to Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” and the show’s namesake, “Run It” by Chris Brown.
From the standpoint of classical ballet, the show will feature pieces from “Coppelia,” a French work choreographed by Arthur Saint-Lon with music by Lo Delibes. The ballet depicts a comic love story complicated by almost lifelike dolls that attract the attention of the hero, much to his fiance’s dismay.
Mixed in among dance selections, spectators will be dazzled by the Strong Jugglers and the Bhangra Team as guest performers.
Group historian and sophomore Jenni Fasching loves the group’s vibe.
“Each semester, the BPG show gets bigger and better. The dancers feed off of the audience’s energy and the audience gets pumped from the dancers’ intensity.” Fashing said. She hopes “Run It!” will be the strongest show to date, full of crowd-pleasing songs and eye-catching choreography. Additionally, this performance marks the end of an era for BPG’s 11 devoted seniors.
Both athletically appealing and aesthetically pleasing, ballet is one of the most unique forms of entertainment. BPG was founded in 1996 to keep ballet alive on the River Campus.
“We are passionate about ballet and stress its impact on all other art forms – the growing sizes of our group and our audience speak for its importance,” BPG President and senior Katie Lelli said. BPG’s 47 members work tirelessly to put on two full length dance revues each year in addition to performing at events like Kappa Delta’s Shamrock Project, Relay for Life and Spring Open Campus.
Anyone looking for an evening of spectacular dance entertainment should head to Strong Auditorium on Friday, April 28. Tickets are on sale for $4 at the Common Market or at the door.
Murphy can be reached atmmurphy@campustimes.org
