past Performances: ballets and galas
Arts Ballet also performs/has performed at the Port Warwick Art and Sculpture Festival, CNU/NNPS STEM Days in May/June, and other community events.
2024: Beauty & the Beast: Arts Ballet Academy's Beauty and the Beast is an all-new youth ballet especially made for our academy. This project was planned and begun in 2019-2020, but due to Covid, never reached the stage. We were deligted to bring it back for May 2024 and see it reach the stage! Choreography/Story/Music was by Emily Hill, with choreography, direction, and rehearsals by Brooke Cousins, Samantha Brittain, Thomas McDonnell, Ciara Campbell, Kellie Brummerstedt, Kristina Lorelli, Lois Nichols.
2023: Contemporary Gala: Our fourth Gala was performed at the Williamsburg Library Theater on Saturday, November 11th, with a tribute to Veterans Day. This show again showcased our level 2-6 Arts Ballet Youth Company dancers in a variety of works. The choreography came from both faculty, guests, and some of our Advanced Students. The one-day, black-box show was a fantastic way to hold this type of production and let our students, faculty, and guests showcase different styles of choreography from classical ballet, to modern/contemporary, to jazz/hip-hop.
2023: Port Warwick Art Festival: Arts Ballet Academy & Youth Company continued our tradition of performing for our community at the Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival October 15th! This tradition of ours began here in 2013! We enjoy dancing for our community and bringing free paper mache masks to a table for kids of all ages to color and take home. It was a lovely autumn afternoon dancing in Styron Square, Newport News, VA.
2023: Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass: Arts Ballet Academy's "Alice" was an imaginative, creative, and whimsical adaptaion of the classic stories of Alice as she adventures in Wonderland in the first book and Through the Looking Glass in the second book. This original ballet was created for our youth ballet company by artistic director Emily Hill with a new Act 2 added and many new works by our talented faculty. Choreography was by Emily Hill, Rachael Hrinda, Samantha Brittain, Brooke Cousins, Thomas McDonnell, Kristina Lorelli, Lois Nichols, guest piece by Joel Casanova, and previous works from our first Alice ballet in 2017.
2022: The Nutcracker: Arts Ballet Academy & Youth Company staged this beautiful, holiday ballet! Artistic Director Emily Hill and choreographers Rachael Hrinda, Samantha Brittain, Brooke Cousins, Thomas McDonnell, Kristina Lorelli, and Lois Nichols staged this holiday tradition from the Victorian Party to the dramatic battle, and into the Land of Sweets.
It was a delightful event for the season and our communty. This Nutcracker was held at the Scottish Rite of Newport News.
2022: Port Warwick Art Festival: Arts Ballet Academy & Youth Company continued our tradition of performing for our community at the Port Warwick Art & Sculpture Festival October 9th! This tradition of ours began here in 2013! We enjoy dancing for our community and bringing free paper mache masks to a table for kids of all ages to color and take home. It was a lovely autumn afternoon dancing in Styron Square, Newport News, VA.
2022: Cinderella Arts Ballet Academy's Cinderella was a delightful adaptaion of the classic fairy tale. This original ballet was created for our youth ballet company by artistic director Emily Hill with a new score and many new works by our talented faculty. Cchoreography was by Patrizia Melega-Jones, Kimberly Strunk, Emily Hill, Rachael Hrinda, Samantha Brittain, and Bailey Fantauzzo-Moon.
2021: Winter Gala: Our third Gala was performed at the Williamsburg Library Theater in December 2021. This show showcased our level 1b-6 Arts Ballet Youth Company dancers in a variety of works. The one-day, show was a fantastic way to celebrate together our return to performing in a theater with a live audience!
2021: The Wizard of Oz: Arts Ballet Academy’s The Wizard of Oz was created from scratch and planned as a Movie. In place of performing in a theater, dances were filmed in front of families and a full-length movie was produced which was presented virtually.
2020: The Nutcracker: Arts Ballet Academy’s The Nutcracker 2020 was a unique production that enriched our students with the opportunity to learn different dances, perform in costumes, and be coached in the techniques of ballet as well as its artistry and musicality. In place of performing in a theater, a movie was produced which was presented virtually.
2020: Contemporary Gala Our second Gala was performed at the Williamsburg Library Theater in January 2020. This show again showcased our level 3-6 Arts Ballet Youth Company dancers in a variety of works. The choreography came from both faculty, guests, and some of our Advanced Students. The one-day, black-box show was a fantastic way to hold this type of production and let our new, student choreographers showcase their work.
2019: The Little Mermaid was adapted for our youth ballet company by artistic director Emily Hill with a new score and many new works by our talented faculty. This full-length, original ballet was beautiful, entertaining, tragic, and creative, as we used the original Hans Christian Anderson story, and not the Disney adaptation for the ending. We also focused on the Romantic Era of ballet, so that our classical ballet had an angelic ending. The ballet had choreography by Emily Hill, Patrizia Melega-Jones, Bailey Fantauzzo-Moon, Kimberly Strunk, and Rachael Hrinda. Six performances were well recieved at the Scottish Rite Theater in Newport News, Virginia.
2018: Nutcracker Ballet + Tea & Sweets Party was adapted for the second time for our youth ballet company by artistic director Emily Hill, and choreographers Patrizia Melega-Jones, Kimberly Strunk, and Bailey Fantauzzo-Moon. We provided three lovely tea party & Nutcracker ballet events for the whole family. The Nutcracker Tea & Sweets had the full Nutcracker story, while the Sugar Plum Tea & Sweets was just for our youngest audience and included Act II dances, candies, and photo-opportunities with our costumed dancers. It was a delightful event for the season and our communty. This Nutcracker was held at the Scottish Rite of Newport News.
2018: Once Upon a Time featured original choreography based on several fairy tales by Hans Christian Andersen. The audience delighted in The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Snow White, Frau Holle, and LIttle Red Riding Hood. The ballet performance included dancers ages 3-19. The beautiful dancing was enriched with newly designed sets, an original musical composition, and colorful costuming.
2017: Contemporary Gala was led by Bailey Fantauzzo-Moon and Patrizia Melega-Jones. Our Upper School students had the chance to work with a number of choreographers, both faculty and guests, to create an in-studio Gala of Dance. This fun event was held November 2017, following our dancing at the Port Warwick Art Festival in October 2017.
2017: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was adapted for the second time for our youth ballet company by artistic director Emily Hill with a new score and many new works by our talented faculty. This full-length, original ballet was beautiful, entertaining, hilarious, and creative - as is appropriate for any journey down the rabbit hole. The ballet had choreography by Emily Hill, Patrizia Melega-Jones, Liana Carpio, Bailey Fantauzzo-Moon, Megan Fields, Kimberly Strunk, and Grace Wildemann. Six performances were well recieved at the Peninsula Community Theatre in Newport News, Virginia.
2016: A Storybook Nutcracker Our Arts Ballet Youth Company Dancers performed a slightly abbreviated, narrated Nutcracker Ballet at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center. The all-original Nutcracker featured our students in pre-ballet throgh level six. Dancing was choreographed and rehearsed by Emily Hill, Liana Carpio, Megan Brown, Bailey Fantauzzo-Moon, Kimberly Strunk, and Grace Wildemann. Two shows deligted audiences and were performed beautifully by the dancers of Arts Ballet Academy.
2016: The Phantom of the Opera Seven of our Arts Ballet Youth Company Dancers were selected to perform in a one-night benefit of the Phantom of the Opera at the Bryd Theater in Richmond, VA. Their beautiful dancing was staged by Emily Hill and was based on the dances from "Dance of the Hours" in La Gioconda. The dancers were featured in two sections and performed with professionalism and grace.
2015: The Snow Queen classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen was transformed to an all-new ballet by artistic director Emily Hill. Our dancers ages 3-18 performed brilliantly and entertained the audience with this wonderful story and their passion for dance. This lovely children's ballet was performed at the Peninsula Community Theatre in Newport News, Virginia.
2015: Peter Pan This exciting original children's ballet by artistic director Emily Hill took the audience into the imagination of J. M. Barrie's story as we followed the Darling children to Neverland. The ballet performance included dancers ages 3-19. We enjoyed enriching our beautiful dancing with newly designed sets, an original musical composition, colorful costuming, and a projected video to "fly" from London to Neverland. It was an memorable performance at the Peninsula Community Theatre in Newport News, VA.
2014: Fairy Doll This endearing children's ballet by artistic director Emily Hill took the audience into the imaginary world of a toy shop that comes to life at night under the direction of the beautiful Fairy Doll. Our entire ballet program participated, which included dancers ages 3-18. This lovely children's ballet was performed at Hidenwood Presbyterian Church in Newport News, VA.
2014: Carnival of the Animals This creative, original children's ballet by artistic director Emily Hill will transport you through Camille Saint-Saens' classic musical score "Carnival of the Animals". We have interpreted the music to include Aesop's fable of "The Lion and the Mouse," where the mouse escapes the lion but he chases her through an array of colorful animals: turtles who dance themselves out of their shells; mermaids who float with glowing jellyfish; and a lovely swan who is shunned by the birds but saved by the mouse's kindness. All ends well when the lion is caught by a net and the mouse rescues him.
2013: The Snow Queen classic tale by Hans Christian Andersen was transformed to a 90 minute ballet by artistic director Emily Hill. Our dancers ages 3-13 performed brilliantly and entertained the audience with this wonderful story and their passion for dance. This lovely children's ballet was performed at the James-York Playhouse in Williamsburg, Virginia.
2012: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz took the audience on a creative journey through the land of Oz as Dorothy encountered the Munchkins and Good Witch of the North, met her companions, slept in the poppies, met the mice and wildcats, overcame the Wicked Witch of the West, waved farewell to the Wizard, passed the Fighting Trees and the Land of the China People, and finally found Glinda the Good Wtich of the South and her Quadlings. Dorothy learned she could click her heels three times and wish to return home. The performance was arranged and choreographed by artistic director Emily Hill and lasted one hour.
2011: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was adapted by artistic director Emily Hill into a 40 minute children's ballet that took the audience from the beginning of Alice's dream through the Mad Hatter Tea Party. Our first ballet production, Alice in Wonderland was a delightful tale for our dancers ages 3-11 to begin their performing experience. We followed this fun show with a tea party for dancers and their families!
For all of our students and families, volunteers and teachers, thank you for making this possible.
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