The art of ballet Ballet Western Reserve presents Night at the North

By STEPHANIE OTTEY

Several BWR alumni will take part in the evening.

Every year Ballet Western Reserve joins the Butler Institute of American Art to bring classic pieces of American artwork to life. This year the collaboration reflects on the history of both Youngstown institutions, as the Butler’s celebrates its 90th anniversary.

The newly titled A Night at the North, on Friday and Saturday at the Butler — North Building, will include dance pieces inspired by works from the Butler’s collection. Paintings like Norman Bluhm’s “Romulus and Remus” and Colleen Browning’s 1954 piece “Telephone” are created on stage through various dance styles.

“The paintings provide a jumping-off point for the creative process,” said Richard Dickinson, BWR artistic director and choreographer. “They sometimes suggest a subject matter I would not have chosen as a starting point for a dance work. With my piece, ‘The Flower Vendor,’ I am trying to tell the story behind the painting. It is a challenging process for both me and the dancers.”

Other local choreographers, including Kendall Garczewski, Jeff Lepore, Karen Westerfield and Virginia Hartman, have also contributed new pieces.

Director Emeritus Anita Lin will resurrect her staging of “The Little Dancer.” Lin’s piece is one of the most highly anticipated, with senior company members Natalia Hagan of Youngstown, Beth Clowes of Austintown and Quentin Burley of Poland dancing with junior Emma Rumberg, also from Poland.

A Cuban-style ballet, “The Little Dancer” was originally performed in 2002 with a different cast, some of whom will be in attendance as a part of a special alumni performance. Alexandra Burley and Jessica Terrell, both dancers in the original performance, will join Cathy Maschek and Jackie Cunningham for a very special alumni number titled “Yes, Tomorrow,” choreographed by Karen Westerfield.

The four former BWR dancers now have flourishing careers in the dance world. Cunningham and Terrell teach at BWR; Maschek choreographs for the Foothills Conservatory of Performing Arts in South Carolina; and Alexandra Burley has crafted a career as an independent choreographer and dancer in New York.

“BWR offers a wide variety of dance styles such as ballet, modern, tap, hip hop and jazz, with individual instruction that opened my eyes and encouraged me to take in as much information as I could,” said Cunningham, who has also choreographed a piece to be featured in the show. “In other words, if it hadn’t been for the Ballet Western Reserve, I wouldn’t have made dance my profession.”

She said that A Night at the North is a great example of what the Ballet Western Reserve can do. “[It] showcases the talent and well-roundedness of the Ballet Western Reserve’s staff and student dancers,” said Cunningham.

A Night at the North will begin with cocktails and appetizers prior to the performance, which is to take place in the Butler North performance space. Performances will begin at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday, elementary school children are invited to attend the abridged version. called “Art Can Dance.”