LAKE BUENA VISTA — Headline: “Cirque du Soleil and the Orlando Ballet Merge – For Just One Night …”
And the results?
Amazing …
The Orlando Ballet and Cirque du Soleil performed the annual one-of-a-kind choreographic “fusion dance” project designed to stimulate and encourage young emerging talent last night under the calliope of state-of-the-art rigging normally in full production at the La Nouba stage. Under the guidance of the Orlando Ballet’s artistic director, Robert Hill, and La Nouba’s artistic director, Daniel Ross, the two collaborated to present a beautiful, romantic and very funny production called “A Choreographer’s Showcase, a Project Designed to Stimulate and Encourage Artistic Growth”, at the La Nouba Theater at Downtown Disney.
Ballet? Fancy spinning acrobats? Experimental dancing fusion? All yes.

And the results were fantastic.
The performance blended the skills and talents of both companies – in a way that worked. I’m no ballet critic nor art critic, but at times the entire packed house was rolling with laughter and gasping at the stunning visual power of the artistic and athletic magic being performed on stage.
The newness and freshness of the Cirque dancers, combined with the more traditional expressions of the Orlando Ballet, was like a Lennon and McCartney song: a bit poetic, a bit naughty, but all craft, beauty and certainly entertaining.
The stage was simple, but effective: designed to showcase new types of creative expression from the dancers, performers, lighting and sound teams. It was a collaboration of creativeness, rather than an overly polished and finished production“A Choreographer’s Showcase” is part of Cirque du Soleil’s commitment to the arts community and ongoing support in promoting artistic institutions.
The goal is to inspire others to go into the arts, to be creative and to not be too confined by genre – and that’s what happened on Monday night.
Proceeds from the showcase presentation will benefit the Orlando Ballet and its S.T.E.P.S (Scholarship Training for the Enrichment of Primary Students) program and the at-risk kids that program helps through dance, by providing them with an opportunity to learn this skilled craft.
For more information, call 407-426-1739 or go to orlandoballet.org.

Contact Brek Dalrymple at FreelineOrlando@Gmail.com.