Redlands Festival Ballet Company, Crafton Hills Bring an Evening of Classical Ballet

The Redlands Festival Ballet Company, in conjunction with Crafton Hills College, presented An Evening of Classical Ballet last Friday and Saturday at the Finkelstein Performing Arts Center on the Crafton Hills College campus. The collaborative production, featuring excerpts from Grande Pas de Quartre, Le Corsaire, Grande Tarantella, Baroque Suite and Cinderella, was directed by Cecilia Hering, the artistic director of the Redlands Festival Ballet Company and School of International Ballet. Hering’s rendition of the ballroom scene from Cinderella featured Annalyn Bakland as Cinderella. Bakland has studied at the School of International Ballet and this year was awarded first place in the junior division of the Youth American Grand Prix regional dance competition held in Los Angeles. Daniel Whitehead danced the role of the Prince. Whitehead is currently a guest artist for Pacific Festival Ballet and was formerly a member of the Minnesota Ballet. An Evening of Classical Ballet featured performances by members of the Redlands Festival Ballet New Corps de Ballet and students from Crafton Hills College’s recently launched ballet and modern dance program. “This production represents not only the first collaboration between the college and the Redlands Festival Ballet but will also serve as a celebration of the new dance program at Crafton Hills,” said Rick Hogrefe, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Crafton Hills College. “This past spring, the college offered courses in modern dance for the first time. Modern dance classes will continue next year and ballet courses will be introduced in spring 2016,” Hogrefe said. “The addition of a dance program will complement our already exceptional programs in music and theatre arts.” The person responsible for bringing the company and college together is Crafton Hills College professor Jeff Schmidt. Schmidt is a graduate of the Julliard School and trained at the Joffrey Ballet School. He danced professionally with the Jose Limon Dance Company, served as a cultural ambassador to Asuncion, Paraguay and danced for President Bill Clinton and his guest, Ernesto Zedillo, president of Mexico, at the White House. Schmidt, who teaches Spanish and dance at the college, recruited many of the Crafton Hills College students who will perform in the production. “The Crafton Hills College students [had] enthusiastically taken on the challenge of learning choreography for Cinderella,” Schmidt said. “They have certainly acquired a feeling of what it is like to be part of the corps de ballet.” Hering agreed, saying, “I am impressed with the hard work of Crafton Hills College students and have thoroughly enjoyed working with them.” Crafton Hills College students and alumni who performed included Brendan Hampton, Shonda Lover, Ana Nunez, Zachary Phelps, Leah Richey, Alexandria Schmidt, Tamara Stayer and Malcom Sydney. The production featured solo performances by Crafton Hills College Associate Professor of Computer Science Margaret Yau, as well as Hannah Cases, Jennifer Schmidt, Samantha Schmidt, and junior apprentice Lauren Padgett. Soloist Cameren Alaniz performed courtesy of Inland Dance Theatre. Redlands Festival Ballet New Corps de Ballet members were Arupa Adhiarky, Savannah Irelan, Claire Le Sueur, Aria Opean and Riley Stelzner. Prior to each performance, Hering provided a brief commentary on history and context of the piece. Hering began her dance training in Los Angeles, training with teachers from Ballet Russe, Bolshoi, Kirov and Royal Ballet. Over the years, she has performed soloist and principal roles with Les Grandes Ballets Canadiens and State Ballet of Munich in Germany. Hering founded The Redlands Festival Ballet Company in 1981 to give students of the Ballet an opportunity to perform in a professional atmosphere with professional dancers, choreographers and musicians. The School of International Ballet is the official school for the company and has produced several professional dancers performing in the United States and abroad.