Break out your favorite evening attire and join Fort Wayne Ballet for Opening Night!. 

On their website the ballet says, “The evening will feature Fancy Free, a collaboration between Jerome Robbins and Leonard Bernstein that led to the inspiration for the smash Broadway hit On the Town (Robbins and Bernstein would later produce West Side Story).

“Additional works include Italian Suite by Gerald Arpino, co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, and Three Virgins and a Devil by Agnes de Mille, known for her transformative work in American music theatre in the 1940s and 1950s including Rodeo and Oklahoma.”

The show will be held Friday and Saturday, Oct. 20-21, at Arts United Center.

Meeting Fancy Free standard

The featured repertoire of the evening, Fancy Free, can be described as “Broadway meets ballet” according to Karen Gibbons-Brown, artistic director of FWB. 

Fancy Free debuted in New York City in 1944 and was performed by Ballet Theatre (now American Ballet Theatre), according to New York City Ballet’s website. Since its premiere, it has been in at least one company’s repertoire somewhere in the world each year.  

“What’s amazing about it is not just its longevity but the snapshot of life that it provides,”  Gibbons-Brown said. 

To ensure Fancy Free is choreographically accurate when performed across the world, tutors called répétiteurs from the Robbins Rights Trust travel far and wide to set this piece on dancers. FWB had the privilege to have Robert La Fosse come to Fort Wayne to set the piece. 

In addition to making sure choreographic aspects are accurate, companies that wish to perform Fancy Free must meet standards for costuming and set design. 

“The sets, per the Trust, have to be exactly how they say,” Gibbons-Brown said. “We have pieces of the set being shipped to us and we have already received the costumes.” 

Getting to perform such an iconic piece of ballet repertoire is no small feat, which is why Fancy Free is not often seen outside of big cities. 

“You would normally have to go to a larger city to see a piece like this, so we are thrilled to bring it to the Fort Wayne community,” Gibbons-Brown said. 

Hop to it

Keeping with the theme of Broadway meeting ballet, audiences will also see Three Virgins and a Devil, a lighthearted parody on morality that was first performed in 1941, also by Ballet Theatre. Répétiteur Elena Zahlman of the De Mille Working Group was on hand to set this piece.

“It’s a fun piece,” Gibbons-Brown said. “I remember seeing this piece in my teenage years and being surprised by the pogo stick that ends up being used on stage.” 

If you didn’t have a chance to see where a pogo stick fits into a classical ballet performance when FWB performed this piece in 2022, you will definitely want to see it now. 

Additionally, audiences will be treated to a performance of Italian Suite by Gerald Arpino. 

Again, a répétiteur, this time from the Arpino Trust, was required to set this piece. Cameron Basden traveled to Fort Wayne to set this piece on the company as they prepared to perform the piece in Chicago as part of the Arpino Centennial Celebration. 

At this prestigious performance, FWB dancers took the stage alongside other notable companies including The Joffrey Ballet, Ballet West, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. 

“We’ve worked with the Arpino Trust for many years and have done many of the Arpino works,” Gibbons-Brown said. “Because of this, we were asked if we would like to participate in the Arpino Centennial Celebration. We did parts of Italian Suite in Chicago, but we will be performing the whole piece in Fort Wayne.”

Gibbons-Brown was adamant that if FWB would be performing the piece in Chicago, audiences in Fort Wayne must be given the chance to see it, too.  

“It always kind of lights a fire when you get to do something like that,” she said. “We want to make sure to share that passion with our local community.”

Bold New Look

If you’ve seen FWB content online recently, you may have noticed their new logo. 

The logo was shared in a recent Instagram post with the caption, “Last year, we announced we were taking BOLD MOVES to the future. This year, we are taking action. Our season is packed with our fabulous dancers, masterworks old and new, distinguished faculty and guest artists, all with a new look and invigoration mission.” 

In honor of its rebrand, FWB will be hosting an open house Saturday, Oct. 21, from 10 a.m.-noon. All members of the Fort Wayne community are welcome to stop by and check out the FWB studios and their new branding. 

Opening Night! will be a night to remember and a performance fans of ballet will not want to miss. 

“We often say that a show is a ‘must see,’ but this is a ‘must see’ for a different reason,” Gibbons-Brown said. “In addition to showcasing some of the most iconic pieces in modern ballet repertoire, it’s an entertaining evening with a lighthearted, lovely program.”