‘Sleeping Beauty: True Love’s Kiss’ to be presented Jan. 27-29 in AHB Auditorium

King Maldoer (Dillon Davis) and Maleficent (Sophia Sparks) rehearse a scene from “Sleeping Beauty: True Love’s Kiss,” the upcoming production by Central Ballet Theatre of Greeneville.

Central Ballet Theatre of Greeneville will bring the timeless tale of Sleeping Beauty to the stage Jan. 27-29 in a multi-faceted production.

Four performances of “Sleeping Beauty: True Love’s Kiss” are scheduled for the last weekend in January in the auditorium of the Annie Hogan Byrd Fine Arts Building on the Tusculum College campus. The ballet will be performed at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 27; at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 28, and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29. The production is a part of Tusculum College Arts Outreach’s 2016-17 Acts, Arts, Academia performance and lecture series.

“Sleeping Beauty” continues Central Ballet’s tradition of presenting a multi-dimensional production and will feature majestic sets and backdrops, dynamic lighting and technical surprises brought together through classical and contemporary choreography to tell stories with emotional and spiritual depth. This year’s production will feature choreography that is much more contemporary in style to match the intense dance scenes found while also including the always popular pointe work and classical ballet.

A story of destruction wrought by bitterness and guilt and the overcoming power of forgiveness are the heart of “Sleeping Beauty.” Similar to the recent movie, “Maleficent,” Central Ballet’s “Sleeping Beauty” brings audiences into the world  of evil fairy, Maleficent, and helps them understand the anger and bitterness that leads her to curse the innocent baby Princess Aurora. The story follows what happens as Maleficent follows the growth of the princess and changes begin to happen in the heart of the maligned fairy, and a young Prince arrives on the scene, falling in love with the sweet princess.

Professional dancers Dillon Davis and Dante Adela join the local performers in the Central Ballet company for this production. In his third Central Ballet production, Davis will dance the role of King Maldoer. A member of Chattanooga Ballet, Dillon started his professional career as a trainee at Alabama Ballet under the direction of Wes Chapman. After completing his training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Dillon performed professionally with Nashville Ballet and Dance Theater of Tennessee. While with Dance Theater of Tennessee, he had the opportunity to work with world renowned choreographers Ma Cong, Darrell Grand-Moultrie and Ron De Jesus of Hubbard Street.

Adela returns to Central Ballet stage as the Raven in “Sleeping Beauty.”  Adeala just completed touring for four years as Yao, the lead in Cirque du Soleil’s “Dralion.” Adela trained in dance at North Carolina School of the Arts and Lou Conte Dance Studio in Chicago then went on to dance in several professional companies including Orlando Ballet and Cedar Lake Ensemble. In past seasons with Central Ballet Theatre, Adela has danced Trumpkin in “Prince Caspian” and Pharoah’s son in “Exodus.”

Aurora will be danced by Meg Butler, a student at Greeneville High School, while Queen Oscilla will be portrayed by Katie Kricko, also a student at Greeneville High. Sophia Sparks, a performer from Greeneville will portray “Maleficent.” Two interesting characters added to the ballet’s storyline are Neene (the giver of evil) played by Elizabeth Bosse of Dandridge and Nahal (the good angel) played by Hallie Frank, a student at Chuckey-Doak High School.

A special addition to this version of “Sleeping Beauty” is speaking during the actual scenes versus a live narrator. CBT held two auditions this year: a dance audition and a voice audition. The voice for each character has its own actor, similar to characters in animated films. “We are quite pleased with the quality of our character portrayals through voice,” said Lori Ann Sparks, artistic director of Central Ballet Theatre. “It is an exciting new feature for our ballets!”

Central Ballet’s productions are the result of countless hours of a number of volunteers sharing their time and expertise. The process of writing the script, choosing music, preparing choreography, setting the scenes on the dancers, rehearsing, and topping the ballet off with local artists designing, building, and decorating sets, costuming, and technical preparations takes ten months and requires approximately 150 volunteer production hours per minute of the show.

“We have an amazing group of enthusiastic helpers who work together sharing ideas, building sets, designing and sewing special costumes, painting, moving dance floors, and construction whatever is needed,” said Blair Berry, secretary of Central Ballet. “We are blessed with a wonderful family of volunteers.”

In addition to its yearly ballet production, Central Ballet Theatre strives to offer outreach to the community. The company performs for nursing homes and gives classes to the Boys and Girls’ Club in Greeneville. “We are grateful for the support of our local and regional contributions from both the private and public sector which helps us afford these performances and give back to the community,” said Parke Brumit, president of Central Ballet.

Tickets for the ballet may be purchased at the General Morgan Inn, The Catalyst Coffee Company, Esther & Ella Boutique, Appalachian Chiropractic Center, from local dancers, or by calling 423-724-7014. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for students and seniors ages 60 and up.