Ballet Is Out In The Meadow This Weekend

By Shannon Hicks

Dancers of Newtown’s Marsha Ismailoff Mark School of Ballet will return to the outdoor stage at 57 Mt Pleasant Road this weekend for two performances of the annual event “Ballet in the Meadow.” Students of all ages will present a two-plus hour performance, which is free of admission and open to the public.

Audience members should bring blankets and low lawn chairs for seating. Picnics are welcome.

The fantastic presentation will include performances by all of the school’s students. This year’s program will include four acts, and will open with Ballet Etudes, a major performance piece that was choreographed by school founder and director Marsha Ismailoff Mark. There are a number of scenes within Ballet Etudes, with music from the composers Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Delibes among those featured.

The second act is titled “Variations,” and will present seven dances, all choreographed by the students of the school. The third act, Peter and the Wolf, with music by Prokofiev, will be performed by dancers of the Malenkee Ballet segment of the school and narrated by Ms Mark.

Following the third intermission will be Circus, to the music of Kabalevsky. The choreography for the third and fourth scenes of “Ballet in the Meadow” have been handled by Ms Mark. Circus will present dancers playing the roles of everything traditionally found under the big top, from the ringmaster to clowns, tightrope walkers, and elephants, horses and bears.

Dress rehearsals were held on the grounds of the dance studio last weekend, with dancers and instructors working for hours on making last-minute changes, additions and adjustments to their performances. This will be the final year for “Ballet in the Meadow” to be held at its current location, as the Marsha and Robert Mark have decided to put their home and studio on the market. The couple plans to remain in Newtown.

For additional information concerning “Ballet in the Meadow,” Marsha Ismailoff Mark School of Ballet can be reached by calling 426-0698.

Those planning to attend this weekend’s performances should park along Blackman Road, which is opposite the entrance/driveway to 57 Mt Pleasant Road, and carefully cross Mt Pleasant to gain entry to the performance area.