The Siuslaw news., February 03, 2016, WEDNESDAY EDITION, Page 13, Image 34

Take ‘Fantastique’ ballet trip, more with SEAcoast
T
COURTESY PHOTOS
F E B RU A RY 20 1 6 • A r ts & En t e rt a in me n t • C OAST C ENTRAL •
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YELLOW
MAGENTA
ballet choreography.
“This performance will make for a
great date night; but Donna and
Hannah always make it tasteful and
compelling theater for younger audi-
ences,” says Smales.
This electrifying show is the fourth
in SEAcoast Entertainment
Association’s seven-concert season.
Upcoming performances include one
of most popular and sought after big
bands in the world, the Glenn Miller
Orchestra, which returns to Florence
on Friday, March 18. SEAcoast
Entertainment opens the Florence
Event Center’s flat floor so you can
enjoy big band music the way it was
intended — with dancing and cabaret-
style seating.
“You choose, we play,” say the
members of the world-class ensemble,
Shuffle Concert.
From Baroque to classical and
romantic; from jazz, to pop and
Broadway, this group is so multitalent-
ed they let the audience select the
pieces they will play.
You’ve never been to a concert like
this. Every performance is a complete-
ly customized and memorable experi-
ence! Don’t miss this rare Thursday
night concert on April 7.
You’ll be in luck on Friday, May 13,
when The New Hot Club of America
comes to “wow” Florence. This daz-
zling ensemble is comprised of some
of today's top gypsy jazz artists in
North America.
You’ll want to tango in your seat as
they recapture the sound, style, and
spirit of the 1930s-era Hot Club of
France.
Tickets, artist profiles, show times,
video clips, and more information are
available at are at SEAcoastEA.org.
Tickets are $30, or $10 for those under
18.
Tickets can also be purchased at the
Florence Events Center box office, 715
Quince St.; or by phone at 541-997-
1994 or online at www.event
center.org.
BLACK
Ballet Fantastique is just one of
several performances presented
by SEAcoast at the Florence
Events Center in 2016; (below) the
music group Shuffle will perform
April 7, allowing the audience to
choose what it will play.
CYAN
he adventurous in
Florence will want to
journey to the Florence
Events Center on Feb. 20
for Ballet Fantastique’s Dragon and
the Night Queen: Celtic Stories.
“Ballet Fantastique is fresh and
bold. They take ballet out of the
box, have a lot of fun, and build
new audiences for dance in the
process,” says Karen Smales,
SEAcoast board member and pro-
ducer for this event. “They’re based
in the fiercest Russian traditions of
classical dance, but are forging new
stories, a new dance vocabulary,
and a new brand of contemporary
narrative dance theater.”
“This will be one of the most
exciting ballets we’ve ever brought
to Florence,” adds Smales.
“Colorful, lively, and the costumes
are absolutely fabulous. They have
great taste in music and we are
proud to present their 100-percent
original work this season — espe-
cially with the live music.”
The Eugene troupe has proven a
Florence favorite and is sure to
thrill again with a bold, defiant new
telling of ancient Irish and Celtic
legends — a vivid exploration of
new borders, filled with elemental
powers and riotous spirit.
The performance includes live
music from Gerry Rempel
Ensemble and internationally-
renown Irish musician Eliot Grasso;
and a pre-concert talk at 6:15 p.m.
given by Rempel and
producers/choreographers Donna
and Hannah Bontrager.
Dragon and the Night Queen:
Celtic Stories takes the audience to
ancient Ireland, a mesmerizing
world haunted by elemental powers
and dragons, gatekeepers to other
worlds, and guardians of universal
treasures. The Bontragers forge a
new telling of ancient Irish legends
with dynamic live music by and
Grasso.
New choreography, drama, and
live songcraft capture the rich
myths of Morgan le Fay (sea god-
dess of the legends of Avalon), the
Night Queen Rhiannon, the
Morrigan, and the Dragon King. In
this story, medieval faerieworlds
collide through fantastical sets, cos-
tumes, and evocative, contemporary