dance
BY HAILEY CHAMBERLAIN
Fantastique Movements
Ballet Fantastique continues to amaze audiences
with creative takes on old favorites, like the Wild West
version of As You Like It, or the dramatization of Van
Gogh’s “Cafe Terrace at Night,” but the thriving mother-
daughter-powered dance company doesn’t sacrifi ce skill
for novelty. The core of every production is classical
ballet and highly trained dancers.
Ultimately, what allows Ballet Fantastique to be such
a successful and imaginative force is having a small,
close-knit company of seven strong performers. This
allows for an intimate and almost intuitive collaboration
within the troupe. The dancers and choreographers work
closely to perfect their vibrant performances, and in the
process create long-lasting bonds between everyone in
the company.
Cinderella: A Rock Opera takes the classic tale of
Cinderella on a wild ride by setting it in the time period
of the ‘60s. Fred Davis, Prince Charming in the upcoming
Ballet Fantastique production, looks at his role as a
means of broadening his abilities as an artist. Davis
prepared for his part by immersing himself in the ‘60s era
to understand what life then was like, scouring reading
material and mining the memories of his older family
members. This, paired with Davis’ past experience of
playing Prince Charming in more traditional productions,
made it easy for him to convey what
he feels is the message behind Ballet
Fantastique’s version of Cinderella: “If
you’re not with someone you love the
most, your life will never be complete,
because love is the most powerful thing
there is,” Davis says.
The exciting dynamic between the
mother-daughter team that directs and
choreographs Ballet Fantastique is another
prominent factor in the success of the
company. Donna and Hannah Bontrager are
the artistic and executive directors, while
Hannah is also a dancer alongside her sister
Ashley. It might seem diffi cult for a mother
and her daughters to work so closely, but Donna
says that the company was something she always
wanted them to do together, and she raised them
to love dance as much as she does.
“I think we’ve worked really well together,”
Donna says. “Our goal is so similar: we want
to create beautiful dance for people.”
Cinderella: A Rock Opera Ballet runs May 12-13 at the
Hult; Prices vary.
STANDHARDT STUDIO
On Now - May 13
Thru
5th Street Public Market Presents
Asian Food
Market
Largest Selection
of Asian Groceries
Seaweed, rice, noodles, frozen products,
deli, snacks, drinks, sauces, spices,
produce, housewares, and more.
We carry groceries from Holland,
India, Pakistan and Polynesia
Sushi & Asian deli take-out
Mother’s Day
Special
OPEN MOTHER’S DAY 10AM - 6PM
10%
OFF EVERYTHING
IN THE STORE!
OPEN STUDIO &
POTTERY SALE
Kenneth Standhardt Studio
Sat. May 12th 10 to 5
Sun. May 13th 11 to 4
* Excluding rice, case prices
and phone cards.
Offer expires 5/16/12
www.sunriseasianfood.com
M-Th 9am-7pmsF 9am-8pmsSa 9am-7pmsSu 10am-6pm
For more information call
541 514 4646
10 TH ANNUAL
Eugene
Scottish
Festival
the art of gardens
ON No
Now through may 13
S ATURDAY , M AY 19 10 AM -5 PM
www .bloomeugene .com
SEE Spectacular Gardenscapes inspired by Art + Gardens 0f the
World, featuring some of the areas top landscape architects,
designers and gardeners. Also, Meet the pros, win garden
inspired prizes, and more.
See details at The Market, or at bloomeugene.com.
BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
FIFTH STREET PUBLIC MARKET I 296 EAST FIFTH AVENUE
ShopDinesipUnwind
North Eugene High School
200 Silver Lane Lane, Eugene
Scottish-Irish Music all day, family fun,
Scottish food, wagon rides, children’s games,
clans, vendors
A DMISSION : $3 (4 J STUDENTS FREE W / ID )
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F RIDAY M AY 18
Highlander’s Concert: Scottish pipes,
Drums, Fiddles, Songs
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North Eugene High School Auditorium
36 MAY 10, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
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