2016 SPRING SHOWCASE

BIG THANKS to everyone who worked so hard to make this year’s Showcase a great success!

Performances showcase the stars of tomorrow including Westside Ballet’s own Shelby Tzung who is the 2016 Spotlight Awards Grand Prize winner in classical ballet.

Shelby Tzung in Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux from Showcase 2015, with partner Seth Belliston.
Photo by Todd Lechtick.

Program Notes

On Sunday, May 8th, 2016, Westside Ballet of Santa Monica presents a mixed program highlighting excerpts from two of the world’s most beloved ballets, Swan Lake and Giselle, and reviving August Bournonville’s spirited variations from Napoli.

Performing the Odette solo in the matinée is Westside Ballet dancer Shelby Tzung, just awarded the prestigious 2016 Spotlight Awards Grand Prize in Classical Ballet. Ms. Tzung has trained exclusively at Westside School of Ballet, spending her summers as a scholarship student at the School of American Ballet. In addition to Odette, Ms. Tzung is also featured in Napoli and will dance another of her Spotlight Award-winning solos from Frederic Ashton’s famous ballet, La Fille Mal Gardée.

Featured pieces also include Balanchine’s famous comedic pas de deux, Harlequinade, first created and performed in 1952 by New York City Ballet with music by Drigo (presented with permission from the Balanchine Trust©).

Long-time resident choreographer and teacher Sophie Monat has created a fiery new contemporary ballet, Lift, to rapturous music by John Adams.

Westside’s younger ballerinas will perform Ecossaises with music by Beethoven and choreography by Westside Ballet’s founder, Yvonne Mounsey, whose original creations remain a storied part of the company’s rich repertoire. Our youngest dancers take the stage in Associate Artistic Director Caprice Walker’s charming ballet, Mozartiana, with music by Mozart.

By popular demand, the program will conclude with the return of Sweet Charity, the sensational Bob Fosse jazz piece choreographed and adapted by Westside’s own jazz director Michele Bachar.

An abbreviated, educational presentation is also planned for Friday, May 6, to be performed for 5th graders from the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School district.

A Note About Westside Ballet’s Spring Showcase

Each year, Westside Ballet of Santa Monica provides invaluable performing experiences for our students in a wide variety of ballets, allowing an exciting glimpse into the rewards of disciplined training. Such exposure was critical to Yvonne Mounsey’s own early ballet training, and as Founder of Westside Ballet, she gave generations of young dancers the same opportunities which continue today in her honor.

Martine Harley, Artistic Director says, “Our annual Spring Showcase is an opportunity for our gifted young dancers to perform in a wide variety of classical ballets and contemporary works, which is a critical part of their ballet training. This tradition was set forth by Yvonne Mounsey, Founder of Westside Ballet, who gave generations of young dancers the same opportunities. We continue to carry forward her exceptional legacy in this program. It illustrates the evolution of our dancers from an inspired foundation to polished pre-professionals whose refinement and versatility belies their ages.”