TOURING REPERTOIRE

All choreography and staging by Director Riet Velthuisen
 

(Click on Ballet title for related pictures)

SWAN LAKE (Full-evening)

Swan Lake is one of the most beloved of classical ballets.   The ballet is set to the beautiful music by Tchaikovsky.    Director/Founder Riet Velthuisen has re-staged this ballet to fit into a two hour format.   Complete with beautiful costumes and sets, this full-length production is a feast for the eyes.  The story of Swan Lake begins at a birthday celebration for Prince Siegfried.  The Queen asks her son to choose a bride from among the guests.   The Prince cannot decide so instead he goes hunting with his new crossbow.  While hunting he is bewitched by the beauty of a flock of swans.  He encounters a beautiful maiden dancing by a pond at night.  The maiden is Odette, who was cursed by an evil sorcerer to be a human by night, and a swan by day.  Siegfried falls in love with Odette and promises to rescue her and marry her.  Shortly afterwards, Siegfried is attending a ball and in walks the sorcerer’s daughter, Odile, dressed as a black swan and looking exactly like Princess Odette.  Odile, is also in love with the Prince and with her father’s help, gets Siegfried to pledge to marry her.  Odette hears of this, is heartbroken and runs off.  The Prince runs to find her and…..well to find out the ending, you will have to come to the ballet!

SLEEPING BEAUTY (Full-evening)

The ballet Sleeping Beauty has been staged by Riet Velthuisen using the original music by Tchaikovsky and the addition of some of Mrs. Velthuisen's original choreography.    In this classic children’s fairy tale Princess Aurora has a spell cast on her that has puts her to sleep for 100 years.  She can only be awakened by a kiss from her true love.   The ballet will show the celebration on her awakening.    As one can imagine, special guests will be invited to the castle to celebrate this joyous occasion.    Traditional fairy tale characters such as Puss and Boots and Little Red Riding Hood are among the guests. 

CINDERELLA (Full-evening)
This is the classic fairy tale, touching and hilarious.  Cinderella and her Prince make a heart-warming dream come true while the hilarious stepfamily inspires nonstop laughter.  New costumes and sets and a tuneful original compilation of music by Rossini make this bright new production an irresistible family favorite.

NUTCRACKER (Full-evening)
The Holiday Season crown jewel!  Especially designed for families, this seasoned production develops themes of generosity, non-violence, and responsibility through the timeless tale of Clara's fantastic voyage to the Land of the Sugarplum Fairy with her magical godfather Drosselmeyer.  The Continental Ballet Company Nutcracker has toured throughout Minnesota and annually sells out O'Shaughnessy Auditorium in St. Paul in a special performance for the Girl Scouts of America.

COPPELIA, (Full-evening 3 acts)
In this hilarious scene from the 130-year-old favorite, beautiful and witty Swanhilda plays an elaborate prank on eccentric old Doctor Coppelius.  Mixing razor-sharp story-mime with bravura classical dance, this classic is also available for schools.

BONAE FORTUNAE, Music by Drigo  

In Latin, Bonae Fortunae means good fortune. What an appropriate name for this ballet! Riet Velthuisen choreographed this ballet to reflect her joy, honor and excitement in moving to Bloomington's Center for the Arts. The dancing is very precise, with quick movements and long graceful lines. Riet hopes the choreography expresses celebration of our “Bonae Fortunae”.

PAQUITA Pas de Deux, Music by Ludwig Minkus

Paquita is one of the most celebrated displays of technical fireworks from the old Imperial Russian Ballet. It was originally staged by Marius Petipa at the Paris Opera in 1846 and is embraced by many professional companies as a showcase for the grand classical style of Petipa’s choreography. Paquita is the story of a well-born young Spanish girl who is stolen by a band of gypsies and tells of her adventures before she is reunited with her family at a grand ball.   Most ballet companies perform the variations from Paquita rather than the full-length ballet.

PETER AND THE WOLF (30 minutes)
Well-suited to repertory evenings and school or community mini-performances, this version features a new twist on the ending.  Instead of killing the wolf, Peter and the Hunters capture it and carry it off to the zoo.  A staple of Continental Ballet Company's school residency work, this fable featuring a bird, a cat, a duck and a wolf has delighted children and adults alike throughout Minnesota.

EXCERPTS FROM RODEO and CLASSE DE DANSE (30 minutes)
The barn-burning Hoedown from Rodeo never fails to lift audiences from their seats, while the flirtatious Saturday Night Waltz captures a slice of Americana.  These twentieth-century evocations of America's cowboy heritage contract deliciously with Classe de Danse, an exquisite turn-of-the-last-century miniature inspired by the ballet paintings of Edgar Degas.

REPERTORY SELECTIONS (30 to 45 minutes)
Individual works from the extended repertoire may be combined to create a smorgasbord of exciting and lyric classical ballet.  Possibilities may include pas de deux and divertissements from Coppelia or Cinderella, selections from The Nutcracker (in season) and miscellaneous short works.  Check with Continental Ballet for currently available works.