Dancers rehearse "Hansel and Gretel."
More than 50 dancers and extras will perform the Brothers Grimm fairytale “Hansel & Gretel” the last weekend in October in a production of the San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet.
“The story of Hansel and Gretel tells of the brother and sister who go deep into the forest to gather strawberries and come upon a house made of sweets,” said Susan Connally, the company’s artistic director. “They encounter a wicked witch who intends to bake Hansel into a gingerbread cookie after she fattens him up.
“Fortunately, thechildren find a way to spoil her plan.”
The two-act ballet features a wicked witch, gingerbread children, villagers, vendors, a dew drop fairy, a dream-weaver, a cat, a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker, spun sugar, gumdrops, peppermints, gypsies, owls, bats, birds, stars and angels.
“This is a performance that will delight all ages,” said Karin Connally, associate director and resident choreographer of SA Met. “The dancers, costumes, sets and enchanting music make this storybook fairytale come alive.”
The ballet, now in its 28th year, is a participating member organization of the Fiesta San Antonio Commission. The ballet’s Fiesta event is Dance Kaleidoscope.
The public can see “Hansel and Gretel” Oct. 29 and 30 at 2:30 p.m. at the Carver Community Cultural Center, 226 N. Hackberry. Tickets cost $12 for children 12 and under, $16 for active military, students and seniors, and $20 for adults. They are available through Ticketmaster.com or at the Carver Box Office, (210) 207-2234. Children are urged to wear their Halloween costumes for a festive afternoon.
San Antonio Metropolitan Ballet is a pre-professional nonprofit performing arts organization that nurtures area dancers. Go to www.sametballet.org for more information on the company’s history and mission. You can also follow SA Met Ballet on Facebook.
