Ballet Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Pennsylvania Ballet At 50

This special showcases one of Philadelphia’s cultural treasures, Pennsylvania Ballet, and honors the company’s golden anniversary. Pennsylvania Ballet At 50 will present performances in three spectacular works, premiering Friday, May 2 at 9 p.m. on West Virginia PBS.

Featured are the pas de deux from After the Rain by Christopher Wheeldon, Under the Sun Pas de Deux by Margo Sappington and “Diamonds” from Jewels by George Balanchine. Included are interviews with Barbara Weisberger, Pennsylvania Ballet founder, and Roy Kaiser, artistic director of the company.

Artists of Pennsylvania Ballet in George Balanchine’s Diamonds from Jewels.

Sleeping Beauty, A Romance For All Ages

Great Performances: Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty airs Friday, April 25 at 9 p.m., repeats Saturday, April 26 at 2 a.m. on West Virginia PBS.

This timeless fairy tale about a princess cursed to sleep for a hundred years was adapted into a ballet by Tchaikovsky and choreographer Marius Petipa in 1890. In a highly theatrical production, Bourne takes this date as his starting point, setting the story at the height of the fin de siècle epoch when fairies, vampires and decadent opulence fed the gothic imagination. As the heroine Aurora matures into a young woman, the period shifts to the confines of the Edwardian era. Decades later, awakening from her century-long slumber, Aurora finds herself in the modern day — a world she finds more mysterious and wonderful than any fairy tale. Bourne’s haunting new scenario is a romance for all ages. Choreographer Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty marks the choreographer’s return to the music of Tchaikovsky to complete his acclaimed reinterpretations of the composer’s trio of masterworks that began in 1992 with Nutcracker! and followed in 1995 with Swan Lake.

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell Brought to Life By Milwaukee Ballet

It was the toast of Milwaukee’s performing arts community and now Peter Pan From the Milwaukee Ballet, recorded and produced for television by Milwaukee Public Television (MPTV), will premiere on Friday, April 18 at 9 p.m. on West Virginia PBS.

Choreographed by Milwaukee Ballet Artistic Director Michael Pink, Peter Pan took Milwaukee by storm, playing to sold-out houses and earning standing ovations nightly. Featuring an original score from British composer Philip Feeney, this impressive stage show features dancers flying high over the action and a looming, full pirate ship that sails across the stage

The ballet features Leading Artist Marc Petrocci as the iconic Peter Pan and rising star Valerie Harmon as Wendy. The production also boasts a top-notch creative team, including Emmy Award-winning lighting designer David Grill.

Peter Pan from the Milwaukee Ballet is part of the ongoing, multi-platform “PBS Arts” initiative, which highlights PBS’s commitment to the performing and visual arts, and gives millions of viewers a front-row seat and a backstage pass for the best music, theater, dance, art, and cultural history programs on-air and online. For more information, visit www.pbs.org/arts.