Fei Guo in Ballet BC
By Angela Lee
The rodeo is coming to Ballet BC.
And Ballet BC is coming to the ‘burbs.
As part of their GVRD tour series, Ballet BC will present two of the best pieces from their 20th Century ballet repertoire - classic works rarely seen outside of large urban centres.
Rodeo is a classic American ballet. Choreographed by Agnes de Mille to folk-inspired music by Aaron Copland, the ballet follows the hilarious adventures of a tomboyish cowgirl hopelessly in love with the ranch’s head wrangler.
Energetic and comedic, the ballet is filled with tap dancing, square dancing, honky-tonk music and romance sure to get audiences laughing and clapping along.
At the other end of the dramatic spectrum is Allegro Brillante, a swift and technically demanding piece choreographed by George Balanchine and set to Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 75.
Dancing the principle role is 31-year-old Fei Guo.
A native of Nanjing, a young Guo made her performance debut on TV as part of a Peking Opera troupe.
At 19, she joined Guangzhou Ballet, rising quickly in the small company to become a principal dancer. Stints with Singapore Dance Theatre and Hong Kong Ballet followed.
Then came a fateful trip to Vancouver where she met Ballet BC’s artistic director, John Alleyne, and the start of her Ballet BC career.
In Allegro Brillante, Guo and her partner to leave audiences awestruck with their dazzling display of footwork, timing and precision.
Patrons will also be treated to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of life as a professional dancer.
Before the start of each evening’s performance, the curtain will be raised, and audiences can watch all 18 of the company’s dancers go through their warm-up paces.
The evening will close with an interactive ‘Dancer Dialogue’, where company director John Alleyne fields questions from the audience.
Thu Nov 1 8pm, Surrey Arts Centre, 88 Ave, King George Hwy. Tickets: 604-501-5566.
Also playing at The ACT in Maple Ridge; Shadbolt Ctr in Burnaby; and Kay Meek Ctr, in West Vancouver.
