Purple Cast
The purple cast includes dancers in Creative Movement Thursday, Creative Movement Saturday 10:15am, Primary 1 Wednesday, Primary 2 Tuesday, and Primary 3 Tuesday/Friday.
All full cast rehearsals and performance week rehearsals will be at the studio. Friday, May 24th is the first day dancers will go to the Herberger Theater Center.
Please, plan for 15 extra minutes so you can park and then walk your dancer to the stage door for check-in. There is no safe drop-off spot on E. Van Buren St. However, there are many parking options downtown, including metered street spots. Click here to see the parking information provided by the Herberger. The Arizona Center, which is the cheapest parking garage in the area, has an entrance at 401 E. Fillmore St. You can pre-purchase Arizona Center parking from the Herberger or get your parking ticket validated at the Box Office, both options are $6.
- Clean or new tights and ballet slippers.
- Water bottle.
- NUT free snack - no almond, peanut, or any type of nut/butters as we have dancers with allergies.
- A mess free snack - no "orange" foods (like Cheetos or Doritos) or chocolate.
- Think apples, applesauce, pretzels, cheese sticks, graham crackers, oat granola bars, etc.
- A robe, wrap dress, or oversized button-up shirt to serve as a backstage cover-up.
- Extra pony tails, bobby pins, hairspray, hair brush, and hair gel for touch ups.
- Extra makeup for touch ups. Creative Movement - Primary 3 will put lipstick on once they are in costume.
- A screen free and quiet activity, including coloring books, games, and books. Please, NO markers.
- A blanket or yoga mat to sit on backstage while in the dressing room.
Tickets must be purchased through the Herberger Theater Center. Please, note this performance is under Convergence Ballet Company.
To avoid online fees, you can call the Herberger Theater Center at (602) 252-8497 or stop by the box office to purchase in person.
Prologue – The Christening
King Florestan and his Queen are holding a celebration for the christening of their baby, Princess Aurora. Amongst their guests are her fairy godmothers who each bestow a magical gift on the child: beauty, temperament, purity, joy, wit and generosity.
Carabosse, who is in a rage because the Head Courtier forgot to invite her, enters the celebration. As revenge for being overlooked she pronounces that Aurora will one day prick her finger and die. The Lilac Fairy, unable to completely overturn the curse, weakens it instead by promising that Aurora will not die but rather fall into a deep sleep from which she will be awakened by a prince’s kiss.
Act I – The Spell
It is Princess Aurora’s 16th birthday! All sharp objects have been banned at court and so when three women are found to have knitting needles the Queen sentences them to death for endangering Aurora’s life. The King intervenes to spare their lives. The celebration resumes with the townspeople dancing the Garland Waltz.
Aurora enters and is introduced to four princes. She dances with each of them in turn, as she decides which one to marry.
A mysterious cloaked guest arrives with a gift for Aurora, a spindle. Aurora dances with it, fascinated. She pricks her finger on the spindle and the hooded guest reveals herself as Carabosse, reiterating her curse before disappearing. The Lilac Fairy appears and to protect Aurora, casts a spell over the palace and its entire people, sending them to sleep.
Act II – The Vision, 100 years later
While Prince Désiré is dancing with the villagers, the Lilac Fairy appears and presents a vision of Princess Aurora to him. He pleads with her to take him to where the lovely vision sleeps. They journey together through the forest to the overgrown palace where the Prince awakens Aurora with a kiss. The spell is broken and Carabosse is vanquished.
Act III – The Wedding
The Court is jubilant with the wedding celebrations of Princess Aurora and Prince Désiré. The guests include the fairytale characters Puss in Boots and the White Cat, the Bluebird and Princess Florine, Red Riding Hood and the Wolf all of whom pay their respects to the radiant couple.
Performance Weekend
Please allow 20 - 30 minutes of extra time to make it to the theater. Downtown Phoenix will be busy with events happening at the Phoenix Convention Center.
Dancers should arrive in show ready hair and makeup, wearing a button, zip, or wrap front street clothes over their uniform. Tights should be clean and have no holes, snags, or runs!
If dancers are not "performance ready", a charge may occur on your account for hair bags and/or new tights.
ALL dancers will be checked in and out of the Herberger Theater Center stage door. The stage door is at the back of the building facing E. Van Buren St, across the street from the KPNX 12 News building.
HAIR: Classical Ballet Bun
Please make sure that you are using bobby pins, hair pins, hair gel, hairspray, hair bands, and a matching hair net. These are the only things that should be found in your dancers hair. Make sure to pack lots of extra supplies, including bobby pins so that we can assist with anything that may need fixing and ALSO to attach headpieces properly at the theater.
- Dancers must have their hair done upon arrival to ALL rehearsals and performances.
- All buns must be secured with hair nets and bobby pins.
- Use hair gel, hairspray, mousse, etc. to secure stray hairs and have a smooth, polish appearance. BANGS MUST BE SLICKED BACK
- Hair kits are available for purchase at BTP.
MAKEUP:
- Mascara
- Light pink or brown eyeshadow
- Light pink blush
- Pack light pink or coral lipstick. The room parent will apply lipstick after costumes are on and dancers are stage ready. Any dancer that arrives with lipstick will have it wiped off and reapplied after costuming.
The stage lighting is very bright and the audience is far away. Please consider the use of makeup so that your dancer can pop on stage during the performance and captured on video.
MISCELLANEOUS:
- No Jewelry - including little bracelets and earrings
- No nail polish
- Clean pink tights. Please make sure your tights are not too faded or too grayed from washing.
- Clean or new ballet slippers. Please make sure shoes are clean and free from holes. You do not need new shoes unless they have holes or are no longer pink.
- Costumes will be waiting for the dancers in their dressing room.
- Dancers must have their tights, shoes, and leotards for dress rehearsal and performances.
The holiday classic performed annually in partnership with Convergence Ballet Company. Primary 1 - Level 7 dancers are eligible to be in The Nutcracker.
