“Flights of Fantasy” to take off on Saturday night

Its physical demands rival the toughest of sports and under a thin veil of poise and elegance, competition is as intense as it gets. I’m talking about ballet and while it might not be as popular as football or cycling, these young athletes are determined to be the best Belize has to offer. News Five’s Kendra Griffith reports.

Kendra Griffith, Reporting
This weekend over a hundred dancers from the Ballet Art School will take to the stage at the Bliss Centre for the Performing Arts.

Mamie Martinez, Dir., Ballet Art School
?The name of the show is Flight of Fantasy. It will include excerpts from ballets like Swan Lake. We will have a special performance of ?The Sea Bed?, which is the brainchild of George Price, which is a ballet that tells us about conserving the environment, taking care of the environment. And then we have a beautiful grand finale called Majisimo that depicts the Majas in Spain.?

The event is held every year at the end of the school term and is an opportunity for the ballerinas to show off their skills.

Director of the Ballet Art School, Mamie Martinez says she is pleased with the increased attention the art form is receiving from the public and hopes it will eventually lead to more male performers.

Mamie Martinez
?One of the things that we would like to see is more young men dancing. Most of the school?all of the students are from about the age of four to about sixteen and we would like to see boys getting involved in ballet.?

But more than boys, this weekend the students of the Ballet Art School are hoping to attract a big audience.

Mamie Martinez
?They would be in for a real treat. It?s something very uplifting, the music, the costumes, the dance, the backdrop. It?s very beautiful, it?s a thing of beauty and the performing arts are always something that I believe uplifts the spirits. When you leave a ballet show, you feel inspired and you feel very happy to have been part of it.?

Flight of Fantasy is scheduled to start on Saturday evening at seven and Sunday at five at the Bliss.

Kendra Griffith reporting for News 5.

Tickets for Flights of Fantasy are twenty dollars for premier, fifteen for reserve and ten for general. This weekend’s shows will also feature a special intermission piece written by George Price, called the Sea Bed.