MANASSAS – (Press Release) Virginia National Ballet proudly presents the ballet Carmen, and Life in the Fast Lane, a rocking contemporary ballet to The Eagles greatest hits, at the Hylton Performing Arts Center on Sunday, April 28, 2019, at 3 pm.
Carmen, the powerful ballet about the ill-fated Gypsy, based on the famous opera by Bizet, was choreographed by Artistic Director Rafik Hegab, and originally premiered by VNB in 2016. Life in the Fast Lane is a brand-new contemporary ballet receiving its premiere as the opening performance in the program. Get ready for some fun honky-tonk, sizzling rock dances, and powerful love ballads!
An unusual addition to VNB’s ballet Carmen is the addition of one scene from the original opera with live singing, the famous “La Chanson Bohème”. The soloist is VNB’s Managing Director Elysabeth Muscat, an opera singer who sang leading roles in top European Opera companies in Switzerland, Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria. VNB is the only one to add this scene from the original opera.
The role of Carmen will be danced by Virginia National Ballet Principal Dancer Saaya Pikula, and the role of her lover, Don Jose will be danced by VNB Principal Emanuel Tavares. Pikula and Tavares recently wowed audiences as Aladdin and Jasmine in VNB’s incredibly popular premiere of the ballet Aladdin at the Hylton Performing Arts Center this past February, and they regularly perform together as principal dancers in all VNB’s productions.
Also featured are Henry Santos as Escamillo, and company members Daniela Moya, Lydia Sanders, Quinn Fielstone, Olga Aru, Masaya Kaneko, Regan Shaw, Seulbi Lee, Amanda Michel, and Omar Rodriguez. Supporting the corps de ballet are Junior Company members Jade Condrell, Zoe Frantz, Camila Griggs, and Laura Rosendale.
The ballet Carmen is based on the opera by Georges Bizet, one of the most popular operas performed throughout the world, with instantly recognizable music such as the Toreador Song, Carmen’s Habanera, the famous overture, and more. The music for Rafik Hegab’s production is the Carmen Suite for orchestra by Rodion Shchedrin and includes one section with live singing from the original opera by Bizet.
The program opens with Life in the Fast Lane, a fun, high energy one act contemporary ballet to The Eagles greatest hits, choreographed by Rafik Hegab.
Tickets are available at the Hylton Box Office.
Virginia National Ballet is an Affiliate of the Hylton Performing Arts Center and is supported in part by The National Endowment for the Arts, Prince William County, Virginia Commission for the Arts, and NOVEC, and is a member of the Virginia Commission for the Arts Tour Directory. For more information, please visit virginianationalballet.org.
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