IRVING BERLIN'S DOUBLE FEATURE BALLET, MEET THE DANCER & DOCENT February 2, 2008

IRVING BERLIN'S DOUBLE FEATURE BALLET, MEET THE DANCER & DOCENT

At 6:30 PM we have organized a private event to "Meet A Dancer". Before the ballet our Real Live People Party members will be treated to a private 45 minute talk with one of the dancers. The dancer will escort us and share insights into the life of a dancer and answer any questions about the performance we will be attending. He or she will also share interesting moments from the history of both NYCB and their home the New York State Theater. The breathtaking highlight of the evening will be the view of the auditorium from on-stage. How cool is that!

At 7.30 PM we will meet with an NYCB docent who will be giving our members a different private tour. This tour will allow us to learn more about the company and gain an insight into the program they will be seeing, the dancers who are dancing and any other important notes.

At 8:00 PM we will be seated for the ballet. Our tickets are in the 4th ring seating area.

The evening will feature a full length ballet called "Double Feature".

("The Blue Necklace" featuring musical selections by Irving Berlin, and "Makin' Whoopee" featuring musical selections by Walter Donaldson).

Here is a description of the ballet:

This piece is a balletic parody of silent films and the vaudeville stage. Sixty dancers take turns in melodramatic and comic roles often, with props. Both ballets feature lavish costumes in the silver screen palette, enhanced by inventive sets and lighting, with silent screen dialog hovering on the backdrop.

This double bill opens with "The Blue Necklace," a Broadway Cinderella story. Irving Berlins music sets the pace for the drama which includes a wicked stepmother and a dream ballet. True to the fairytale, the young woman finds the love she deserves in the end, defeating the manipulations of her stepmother and inept stepsister.

"Makin' Whoopee," filled with familiar Walter Donaldson tunes, is an acting and dancing showcase for the lead male dancer, with situations reminiscent of Buster Keaton films. The hero, sad but comical, also displays technical virtuosity. He must find a bride or loose his uncles inheritance. This dilemma begins a zany race to the alter filled with inventive staging for gold-digging brides, and cute canine antics as all live happily ever after in the end.

Official Website: http://www.reallivepeopleparty.com/singles-parties/event1257.html