Brandon Ballet to Present 'Coppelia' April 20-21

The comical ballet is suitable for dance lovers of all ages.

Residents are invited to see the Brandon Ballet in action as it presents its spring ballet, "Coppelia," a comical ballet suitable for dance lovers of all ages. Under the artistic direction of Octavio Martin with choreography by Marius Petipa, the ballet will be staged at Spoto High School, 8538 Eagle Palm Dr., Riverview, Saturday, April 20 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, April 21 at 2 p.m. The Sunday performance will be presented in partnership with the Giving Hope Through Faith Foundation, a Valrico-based nonprofit that provides help to families battling cancer. For more details, click here. Got an event of your own? Post word of it for free in the Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch events calendar.  ______________ Bloomingdale-Riverview Patch is an …

• Photos (1)

Ballet Dancers Invited to Audition for Summer Intensive Program

The program is open to dancers age 9 and older.

Serious training ballet dancers age 9 and older are invited to audition for Brandon Ballet's 2013 Summer Intensive program. The intensive is three weeks of detailed ballet instruction with an emphasis on technique and additional classes in pointe work, pas de deux (certain levels) men's classes, character, jazz, modern, African, conditioning and more. Admission is by audition only, and class sizes are limited; male scholarships are available. Faculty will include guest professional instructors, Artistic Director Octavio Martin and Ballet Mistress Yaima Franco. The intensive runs June 10-28, with classes on Monday through Friday. A special presentation of choreography is held on the last day of the intensive. Auditions will take place …

• Photos (1)

Wondering What to Do This Weekend? Here's Some Ideas

Check our picks for the activities to hit.

CHRISTMAS FESTIVAL The Music Showcase Christmas Festival will be Saturday, Dec. 8, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at 402 Oakfield Dr. in Brandon. There will be more than 60 vendors selling their homemade crafts, jewelry, makeup, clothing, food and more. Some of the vendors include Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Thirty One, Miche Bag, PJ's Crafts World, Zumba, Visalus Sciences, Shaklee and Paparazzi. The event will feature live music inside the auditorium with Music Showcase students and outside on the patio with groups throughout area schools and the community including Riverview High School, Seffner Christian Academy, Leonard's Dance Academy, Dowdell High School and a Zumba demonstration. There also will be a bounce house, crafts, face painting and …

• Photos (1)

Brandon Ballet to Present 'Nutcracker' This Weekend

This annual presentation has become a holiday tradition in the community.

Brandon Ballet's 'Nutcracker' a Holiday Tradition

The ballet will stage the classic production Dec. 8-9.

Brandon Ballet will present four performances of the favorite seasonal ballet, Tchaikovsky’s  "The Nutcracker," Dec. 8-9. The holiday classic will feature new choreography by Brandon Ballet artistic director, Octavio Martin, professional dancers, lavish costumes and scenery, and a score that will leave audiences dazzled. The ballet tells the story of a little girl named Clara who, on the eve of Christmas, receives a wonderful gift, a wooden toy nutcracker from her mysterious Uncle Drosselmeyer. The toy leads Clara on a magical journey through an enchanted winter wonderland with wondrous dancing snowflakes and the elegant Snow Queen, then onto the land of the sweets where Clara meets the regal and majestic Sugar Plum Fairy.   "The …

• Photos (1)

Brandon Ballet to Host Lecture Series on 'Nutcracker'

Artistic director Octavio Martin and the ballet's professional dancers will answer questions about the ballet.

Brandon Ballet will kick off a new lecture series at The Regent on Wednesday, Oct. 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., featuring the ballet's new artistic director and professional dancers in the company. During the event, Brandon Ballet will present excerpts from the holiday classic, "The Nutcracker," and will teach audience members about the story of the ballet, costumes, choreography and music. Professional ballet dancers will be available for a question-and answer-session after they perform an excerpt from Brandon Ballet’s "The Nutcracker." Audience members also will have the opportunity to ask Octavio Martin questions about his new position as artistic director and what he has in store for the season. The event is free. The Regent is located …

• Photos (1)

Brandon Ballet to Host Annual Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party

The tea party will take place Sunday, Nov. 4.

Brandon Ballet will get a jumpstart on the holiday season Sunday, Nov. 4 when it brings a holiday favorite to The Regent. The ballet company will present an afternoon in the "Land of the Sweets!" The performance celebrates the story of "The Nutcracker," with desserts, story time and appearances by characters from the classic holiday ballet, including the Sugar Plum Fairy. The event is set for 1 to 3 p.m. at The Regent, 6437 Watson Road, Riverview. Tickets are $20 for children and adults 13 and older and $15 for children 12 and younger. For more information, call 813-684-4282, email dance@­brando­nballet.­org or visit the Brandon Ballet website. Tickets can also be ordered online.

• Photos (1)

Cuban Defector to Lead Brandon Ballet

Octavio Martin, who previously danced in the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, is the new artistic director of the Brandon Ballet.

News Report A Cuban defector who is now an American citizen has been named artistic director and master teacher for the Brandon Ballet. Octavio Martin was the Primer Bailarin for the Ballet Nacional de Cuba for five years, the highest position a dancer could hold in the ballet company that was founded in 1948, 11 years before Fidel Castro took power. Funded by the Cuban government, which provided salaries for artists and dancers, the Cuban National Ballet achieved worldwide recognition. Getting paid by the government to dance proved to be an attraction for talented artists. But for Octavio Martin and wife, Yakima Franco, the desire for freedom was an even greater attraction. The couple defected to the United States and, last year, became …

• Photos (2)

Learn These National Dance Day Routines To Perform With the Brandon Ballet at The Regent

The Brandon Ballet is participating in this year's National Dance Day grassroots celebration. Children ages 8 to 18 are asked to learn one or both dances created by the Dizzy Feet Foundation, and then join to perform July 28 at The Regent.

  The Brandon Ballet, at The Regent in Riverview on July 28, will be hosting children ages 8 to 18 for this year's National Dance Day, a grassroots movement created by Nigel Lythgoe, founder of the Dizzy Feet Foundation and executive producer and co-creator of the reality television show So You Think You Can Dance. "We want everyone to be involved with dance as much as possible," said Alice Holden Bock, artistic director of the Brandon Ballet, in residence at The Dance Center in Brandon. "We've never done the National Dance Day before and we're real excited about doing it. We'll have lights and music and it will be a fun time." The Dizzy Feet Foundation has created two routines for the event: an "Everybody Dance" routine from Zumba Fitness…

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)
• Videos (2)

Brandon Ballerina Accepted to Joffrey Intensive Program

Alissa Heath received a merit scholarship to attend the jazz and contemporary program in New York City.

News Report Brandon Ballet announced that company dancer Alissa Heath will be attending the Joffrey Jazz & Contemporary Intensive this summer in New York City on a full merit scholarship. For dancers age 12 to 25, the intensive focuses on jazz, contemporary and modern dance forms culminating in a professionally produced theater performance. Classes also include ballet technique (both classical and contemporary), hip hop, pilates and yoga. The program runs July 30 to Aug. 17. Heath was also accepted by audition to study for the summer at the LA Joffrey West, the Joffrey Miami Jazz & Contemporary Program and the Joffrey Year-Round Jazz & Contemporary Program as a trainee in New York City with a 30 percent merit scholarship.

• Photos (1)