The Firebird with Concerto and the Pas de Deux from Don Quixote

Friday, March 15, 2024 at 6:00pm & Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 2:00pm at the Niagara Arts & Cultural Center Theater, 1201 Pine Avenue, Niagara Falls, NY 14301

The Greater Niagara Ballet Company and the Niagara Arts & Cultural Center are proud to present our family-friendly ballet production of The Firebird along with the contemporary ballet Concerto and the famous Pas de Deux from Don Quixote on stage at the NACC theater this spring.

The Firebird

The Firebird is a renowned 1910 ballet originally choreographed by Michel Fokine and composed by Igor Stravinsky. The ballet tells the story of Prince Ivan’s encounter with the magical Firebird. With her help, they free the princesses who have been imprisoned in the forest by the sorcerer Koschei. The Firebird combines folklore, mesmerizing music and intricate dance to depict the themes of love, magic and transformation.

GNBC’s 2024 production of The Firebird is directed by GNBC Artistic Director Mary Schnepf and Assistant Artistic Director Mary Pappagallo. This production is the premiere of The Firebird for the Greater Niagara Ballet Company.

Concerto

A marriage of movement and music, the bright contemporary ballet Concerto was choreographed exclusively for the Greater Niagara Ballet Company in 1990 (while still the Niagara Civic Ballet Company) by Alexandra Auld, a former dancer with the National Ballet of Canada. Concerto is set to the famous “Concerto in B Minor for Four Violins” composed by Antonio Vivaldi.


Pas de Deux from Don Quixote

As a full length ballet, Don Quixote was first presented in 1869 with choreography by Marius Petipa and music composed by Ludwig Minkus. The story is tenuously based on the adventures of Cervantes’ errant knight, providing a vibrant setting for Petipa-style dances. The famous celebratory pas de deux in the final act, danced by the characters of Basilio and Kitri, is considered the virtuosic centerpiece of the ballet.