First State Ballet Theatre is on a mission to show Delawareans that we are your ballet company. And if you think you don’t like ballet — we want to change your mind.
Since 2003, FSBT has lived on top floor of the baby grand. Six days a week, we operate a ballet school, a professional company with a season at The Grand, and outreach dance classes for children in schools in the City of Wilmington.
The studios are almost always filled.
In a post-COVID world, FSBT is more determined than ever to make ballet accessible to as many people in our communities as we can. Art is the universal language, a way to connect us all. FSBT has a history of working with others who may serve a wider or a different audience, and this season we are working hard to expand our reach.
Since 2004, we’ve been collaborating with The Grand on “Danceworks!” — a year-long dance program for students in the City of Wilmington, who walk each week to our studio for dance class. This year, Serviam Girls Academy, a middle school serving at-risk girls, joined the program.
Since 2008, we have been working with the fantastic team at the Freeman Arts Pavilion to put on a free performance in Sussex County to kick off our season. In 2008, we had about 15 die-hards in the audience. This year’s performance attracted approximately 1,000 enthusiastic downstate Delawareans.
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Since 2021, we’ve been working with the dedicated team at Loblolly Acres to attract new audiences in Kent County with a free or reduced-cost performance in their beautiful outdoor space.
This season we hosted aspiring dancers from Christina Cultural Arts Center at the dress rehearsal of “Dracula,” where they had a conversation with company dancer Danielle Guirma about her journey in the professional dance world.
This fall, we’ve popped up to dance at the Delaware Art Museum for the Sculpture Garden Happy Hour and at The Delaware Contemporary for Art Loop.
Look for us at the Wilmington Public Library and the Brandywine Hundred Library for Storytime with the Sugar Plum Fairy in December.
Coming up on Nov. 18 to 20 is our popular “Up Front on Market,” an intimate mixed-rep performance offering an eclectic blend of the best of the classical repertoire and contemporary pieces created for the company.
We welcome back choreographer Zach Kapeluck, formerly of Philadelphia’s contemporary dance company BalletX, whose moving pas de deux “Dusk”was a favorite of our “Up Front” audiences last season. And we are thrilled to bring in the talented and versatile Maeghan McHale, whose sleek and dynamic style earned her Youth America Grand Prix’s Outstanding Choreographer Award in 2018.
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From Dec. 16 to18, First State Ballet Theatre celebrates its 20th anniversary of ”The Nutcracker” on the Copeland Hall Stage. Our first production at The Grand in 2002 featured two professional guest artists heading a cast of students dancing multiple roles. Now, the 2022 version features FSBT’s company of 21 professional artists from around the world who live, work and dance here in Delaware. Over 35 students from The School of First State Ballet Theatre will round out the cast in the children’s roles.
Every year, the production is updated with new choreography, new costumes and new dancers, but theatergoers come year after year to hear the effervescent Tchaikovsky score, be swept away by the fantastical story of Marie and her handsome prince and their magical journey to the Land of Sweets, and to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.
There is more to ballet than ”The Nutcracker” – but, if you want that extra dose of Christmas spirit, there’s nothing like sitting in a red velvet seat, marveling at the painted, gilded ceiling of The Grand Opera House, and settling in as the theater begins to darken and the delicate and delightful Miniature Overture begins.
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Who knows? Maybe a few crystalline snowflakes will fall on to your winter coat as you leave the theater.
If you’ve never seen an FSBT performance, we hope this year you will give it a try and take a step into a new world you’ve never experienced before. You may find yourself pleasantly surprised.
For information about all our programming, visit www.firststateballet.org.
Joan Beatson is the director of advancement at First State Ballet Theatre.
