Brandon Ballet to Present "Paquita"

For Alice Holden Bock, staging a ballet is never routine.

Each production the founder and director of the Brandon Ballet oversees represents a new opportunity to expose the community to the art of ballet and one more opportunity to mentor a dancer who may choose ballet as a career.

"I never get tired of it," said Holden Bock. "Every production we do is unique, even if it's a production like "The Nutcracker" that we do every year."

This year's annual spring production is no exception. For the first time, the Brandon Ballet, with a cast of 38 dancers, will stage the classic ballet, "Paquita."

The production will be presented April 9 at 3 and 5:30 p.m. in the Spoto High School auditorium, 8538 Eagle Palm Drive, Riverview.

The ballet tells the story of a Spanish gypsy girl, Paquita, who falls in love with a French nobleman, Lucien. Unfortunately, due to their differences in backgrounds and social standing, the two characters are incompatible. Later, it is discovered that the gypsies are not Paquita's true family. They saved her from a pirate massacre when she was just a child. Traveling the country, they find and reunite her with her family, revealing that she is the daughter of a nobleman. Then she and Lucien are reunited.

Since its premiere in 1846, a number of different versions of "Paquita" have been performed, said Holden Bock.

"We're doing a shorter version of the original ballet that is especially good for younger audiences," she said. "There is a lot of beautiful dancing and beautiful costumes, and you can appreciate it even if you don't know a lot about ballet."

"It's exciting to be a part of a production like this," said Rose Eshay, a Hillsborough Community College theater student who plays Lucien's mother in the production. "It's such a classic ballet."

Choreographer Claire Andrews has been working with the cast every Saturday for the past three months.

"We rehearse for about an hour each Saturday," she said. "Our dancers are very dedicated."

Holden Bock formed the nonprofit Brandon Ballet in 1993 to give young dancers a chance to perform with professionals in front of an audience. The ballet offers two major performances a year including the popular "Nutcracker" ballet in December.

In addition to providing young dancers with a venue for their talents, Holden Bock strives to educate the community about the art of ballet. To accomplish this, she holds free behind-the-scenes previews for home-schooled and other students, giving them a chance to learn more about the ballet and see the dancers in rehearsal.

"It's an economical way to give a child an education in the ballet arts," said Holden Bock, who provides students with a handout explaining the ballet and providing a history of its composer, original choreographer and its performances.

In addition to this weekend's performance of "Paquita," the Brandon Ballet will host a princess party Saturday, April 24 from 1 to 2:30 p.m. at the ballet's home, The Dance Center, 161 E. Bloomingdale Ave., Brandon. Open to ages 4 to 7, the princess party costs $15.

The ballet also is planning a fundraising "Wine and Dine" May 2 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Wine Exchange, 1609 Snow Ave., Tampa. For $50, guests will enjoy fine foods and wine.

For tickets to "Paquita" or for more information on the Brandon Ballet's upcoming events, call 813-684-4282 or e-mail dance@brandonballet.org.