Ballet 101 Miniseries: A Fairytale in Dance, Episode 1: Story Ballets

This three-episode miniseries discusses the components of romantic and classical era story ballets, examining their history and the evolution their choreography, their structure, and audiences’ expectations, with a special look at our upcoming production of Swan Lake. The series will drop on consecutive Fridays in March. Series is hosted by Jim Sparrow and Karen Gibbons-Brown. This episode debuts new theme music by John Dawkins.

Episode 1: The Story Ballet 

In our first episode, we look at the history of story ballets, from the supernatural tragedies of Giselle and Swan Lake to the playful dreamlands of Nutcracker. How did dancers’ roles evolve over time, and how did audience demands reshaped the expectations of the story.