Falmouth, Maine -- When Maine State Ballet Artistic Director Linda MacArthur Miele returned from New York earlier this year after attending a School of American Ballet reunion, she knew it was time for her company dancers to perform George Balanchine's classic ballet Serenade once again. Reminded of the value of Serenade as a teaching tool through conversations with her New York colleagues and through attending a performance of the ballet at Lincoln Center, Miele applied for the rights to stage Balanchine's masterpiece. As a former member of Balanchine's New York City Ballet and recently named a Repetiteur for the Balanchine Trust, Miele was granted the Serenade rights for the third time in the past decade.

"I don't know of a better ballet to teach young dancers how to become a corps de ballet while also helping our more seasoned ballerinas develop expression and musicality. In New York, everyone learns Serenade to develop timing, stamina and patterns," reflects Miele. In fact, George Balanchine choreographed Serenade, the first ballet he created in the United States after moving from Russia 1933, specifically to teach dancers stage technique. Interestingly, there is no concealed story in the ballet. "There are, simply, dancers in motion to a beautiful piece of music," stated Balanchine.

One Maine State Ballet dancer who excels in both stage expression and musicality is Katie Farwell. Familiar to area audiences in many lead roles including the Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker and Princess Elena in The Firebird, Farwell will dance again in the Serenade role that has become known as the Dark Angel. Farwell last danced this part in the summer of 2005. Miele acknowledges that "Katie's innate ability to interpret the music is exactly how Balanchine would have it phrased. She has a maturity about her that's necessary for that particular part…it draws the audience into interpretation."

Serenade will be presented at the Maine State Ballet Theater in Falmouth on August 7, 8, 14 and 15 at 7:00pm. Tickets, priced at $15, can be reserved by calling 207.781.7672. The program will include new choreography by Artistic Director Miele, a pas de deux to showcase the talent of two rising soloists staged to a musical segment from the ballet Napoli. Rounding out the evening is the Maine State Ballet signature work Britten and Sara Whale's ‘Til We Meet Again, a modern dance piece set to a poem on the Civil War.

Contact: Eliza Miller - 207-781-7672

photo credit: Katie Farwell in Serenade - C.C. Church Photography
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