A Classical Spring: May 31st and June 1, 2025

At the Center Theatre at the Mendocino College. Saturday 5/31/25 at 7pm and Sunday 6/1/25 at 2pm.

Coppélia: Act II

This year, for our classical ballet excerpt we will be performing Coppélia: Act II. This will be performed by our dancers in our 'Art of Classical Ballet' Program. It is such a fun and light hearted ballet, full of intrigue.  We have not done this particular ballet in years (20+), so it will be a fun one to welcome in the Spring!

This story is about Dr Coppélius, a lonely doll maker who has a secret the village knows nothing about. He has a beautiful daughter named Coppélia, who reads her book on the balcony each evening.

In the village, Swanhilda and Franz are in love, and engaged to be married. After seeing Coppélia each night, Franz swoons over her, admiring her beauty and Swanhilda becomes jealous. One night by chance, Swanhilda discovers the keys to the doll makers workshop and she and her friends break into the workshop. What they discover you will have to find out for yourself! Come to our spring show and enjoy this fun classical ballet excerpt to discover the rest of the story!

We also will be introducing some new pieces, including two solo's that our Company Dancer's will be competing to be performed at RDA dance festival, as well as a piece by Trudy McCreanor, and Esther Hansen. We also have some student choreographers that are also excited to be included in our spring show!

Little Land

- Inspired by the poem of the same name by Robert Louis Stevenson-

For the second half of our show, we will be performing a charming story called Little Land, based on the poem by Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson is well know for his children's literature and poetry, and this poem brings us into the imagination of a little girl who wonders what it could be like to be as small as an ant...

Walking around as a tiny creature, with clovers for trees, and all the fun creatures she will meet on her adventure. I encourage you to read the whole poem, it is fun and delightful and a dream we all can relate to, if we dive deep into our inner child.

See the full poem below:

When at home alone I sit, And am very tired of it,
I have just to shut my eyes, To go sailing through the skies--
To go sailing far away, To the pleasant Land of Play;
To the fairy land afar, Where the Little People are;
Where the clover-tops are trees, And the rain-pools are the seas,
And the leaves, like little ships, Sail about on tiny trips;
And above the Daisy tree, Through the grasses,
High o'erhead the Bumble Bee, Hums and passes.

In that forest to and fro, I can wander, I can go;
See the spider and the fly, And the ants go marching by,
Carrying parcels with their feet, Down the green and grassy street.
I can in the sorrel sit, Where the ladybird alit.
I can climb the jointed grass, And on high, See the greater swallows pass
In the sky, And the round sun rolling by , Heeding no such things as I.

Through that forest I can pass, Till, as in a looking-glass,
Humming fly and daisy tree, And my tiny self I see,
Painted very clear and neat, On the rain-pool at my feet.
Should a leaflet come to land, Drifting near to where I stand,
Straight I'll board that tiny boat, Round the rain-pool sea to float.

Little thoughtful creatures sit, On the grassy coasts of it;
Little things with lovely eyes, See me sailing with surprise.
Some are clad in armour green-- (These have sure to battle been!)--
Some are pied with ev'ry hue, Black and crimson, gold and blue;
Some have wings and swift are gone;-- But they all look kindly on.

When my eyes I once again, Open, and see all things plain:
High bare walls, great bare floor; Great big knobs on drawer and door;
Great big people perched on chairs, Stitching tucks and mending tears,
Each a hill that I could climb, And talking nonsense all the time--
O dear me, That I could be, A sailor on a the rain-pool sea,
A climber in the clover tree, And just come back a sleepy-head,
Late at night to go to bed.