Caston Chamber Ballet
Hearts and Flowers
Classical to Contemporary
Saturday and Sunday Febuary 16 & 17 2pm
McKinley CJA 2156 Russell 63104
Tickets On Sale Febuary 1st!!
Call 314-968-6850 or e-mail castonballet.com
Special Gifts you can buy at the Ballet Boutique!
Great for Kids --
Bring your Camera and take pictures with the ballerinas after the show!
Pre-Sale Tickets $5 /$12 Children under 12 and Seniors/ Adults
Call for special rates on Groups of 10 or more!!
At the Door $7 / $15 Children under 12 and Seniors/ Adults
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Hearts and Flowers This Valentines Day Share the Love
What could be better than beautiful dancing to celebrate Valentines?
Torris and Shannon Caston started Hearts and Flowers
February 2004 in the Studio as a debut for the Caston Chamber Ballet Company!
Now it has become an annual performance event not only for the Company but also the Apprentices,
Trainees, and Junior Company. Containing dances from the reperatory and new premieres -
ranging from the classics to contemporary. The full performance lasts about one hour with options
to take photos with the performers at the end, it is an enjoyable event for the entire family!
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Waltz of the Flowers
Music- Tchiakovsky, Waltz of the Flowers from the Nutcracker
Choreography – Torris V. Caston 2000 Premiere McKinley CJA
Costumes- Metropolitan Ballet of St. Louis
Annual Reperatory – an audience favorite! Beautiful choreography, costumes and a chance to present a
new dew drop and sometimes new flowers are introduced! Caston Chamber Ballet Dancers.
Pas De Quatre
Music - Cesare Pugni
Choreography - Jules Perrot 1845 Staged by Torris Caston
Costumes- Metropolitan Ballet of St. Louis
Pas de Quatre is a ballet divertissement choreographed by Jules Perrot in 1845, on the suggestion of Benjamin
Lumley, Director at His Majestys Theatre
On the night it premiered in London, (July 1845) it caused a sensation from the critics and the public alike. The
reason for this was that it brought together, on one stage, the four greatest ballerinas of the time. The
ballerinas were, in order of appearance, Lucile Grahn, Carlotta Grisi, Fanny Cerrito, and Marie Taglioni. The
order of appearance was done by age, from youngest to oldest, to quelch further confrontations between them.
The original cast of Pas de Quatre only danced four performances together; Queen Victoria and Prince Albert
were in attendance on July 12, 1845, at the third of these four performances.
The fifth great Romantic ballerina of the time, Fanny Elssler, was invited to take part in the gala event but
declined to do so. She was replaced by the young dancer, Lucile Grahn, who accepted without hesitation.
We have been fortunate enough to have our Repetitour, Ms. Yulia Miller help in the restaging of this classic.
Her training from Novisibirsk included performing Pas De Quatre learning from instructors that taught in the style
of the famous Marinsky Theater! We will also be working with Ms. Jeanne Engle who had the fortune of
studying under the infamous Anton Dolin. Nearly one hundred years later, in 1941, the Ballet was restaged by
choreographer Anton Dolin. The dancers he used were, in order of appearance: Nathalie Krassovska as Lucile Grahn, Mia
Slavenska as Carlotta Grisi, Alexandra Danilova as Fanny Cerrito, and Alicia Markova as Marie Taglioni. Since then many ballet
companies and dancers have performed the piece. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pas_de_Quatre
Caston Chamber Ballet Dancers.
Wedding Party Ballet Corps from LA BAYADÈRE
Music - Ludwig Minkus
choreography: Marius Petipa adapted for the Jr. Company by Shannon Caston Premiere
Premiere of La Bayadère Maryinsky Theater, St. Petersburg, February 4, 1877
cosutmes - Shannon Caston Metropolitan Ballet of St. Louis
Students of Caston's Ballet Academie - Jr Company Dancers thru Trainnees
Gamzetti's Wedding Party Variation from LA BAYADÈRE
Music - Ludwig Minkus
choreography: Marius Petipa staged by Torris Caston
Premiere of La Bayadère Maryinsky Theater, St. Petersburg, February 4, 1877
costume- Jane Peterson Leslie Williams
Danced by the beautiful and powerful Haley Day, this variation is filled with beautiful big jumps and turns a
gorgeous celebration of ballet!
Pachabel's Cannon in D Tillie's Smile
Music - Pachabel
choreography - Torris Caston 1992
costumes- Metropolitan Ballet of St. Louis
One of the Caston's favorite songs (they actually walked down the isle to it 8 years ago...) Mr. Caston
choreographed this dance especially for his mother using movements that dancers new to pointe can perform.
The beautiful romantic red and gold tutus highlight the dancers beautiful adage poses.
Caston Chamber Ballet Dancers Thru Some of the Trainnees.
CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Fragile
Music - Sting Fragile World
choreography - Shannon Caston 2007
costumes- Knights LImited Shannon Caston
In tribute to the 9/11 tragedies felt throughout the world. A modern dance where the dancers clothed in taupe
tunics start off as individuals and become unified as a group throughout the dance symbolizing the final
cohesion of the victims brought together in such a short period of time. Alvin Ailey's Pilgrem of Sorrow's was
jumping off pointe.....
*Specially Selected McKinley Dancers **
Inconvient Truth
Music - Inconvient Truth
choreography - Torris Caston 2007
costume- Metropolitan Ballet of St. Louis
Using Al Gore's Piece Prize wining movie on Global Warming as its base a soloist dances amongst graphic
video sequences. (Sarah Ahn- Caston Chamber Ballet Member, due to her injury last June she was unable to
perform this work- we are glad to be able to present it now)
In Memory
Music - Sting They Dance Alone
choreography - Shannon Caston 2004
costume- Knights Limited Shannon Caston
A dance about women who have lost significant others, family and/or friends in war. The dancers wear white
dresses as if in their nightgowns and dancing in their dreams-- Giselle like and movements representative of
Balanchine's Serenade mixed Horten arms and with modern movements inspired by Sydney Dance of Australia
that is reminiscent of middle eastern, eastern, and celtic movements that are also heard in Sting's music- where
the dancers could be any woman regardless of ethnicity- tied together in their grief.
Some Students of Caston's Ballet Academie - and -Trainnees thru Company
?
Music - Dan Fogelberg
choreography - Torris Caston Premiere
costume- TBA
A solo created Caston Chamber Ballet Company member Sarah Johansen a beautiful sweet dance in tribute to
the recent passing of Dan Fogelberg a great Native American musician.
State of Being
Music - Enigma
choreography - Shannon Caston Premiere
costume- TBA
Starting off in a coccoon like state the dancers bodies breathe and appear to come to life as they move and
stretch in beautiful and unusual poses. Ms. Shannon used pre-concieved ideas along with inspirations that
came as the dancers free styled to the music. The dancers use fabric in the beginning which makes interesting
shapes on their bodies and in the air as if they have a special "mist around themselves". Gradually all the
dancers lose their protective coverings and they dance. They begin in a state of alikeness but as the dance
progress they use movements in groups and eventually as they become their own entities they all express their
individualism.
Some Dancers in the Jr. Associates thru Company
BBOYZ
-TBA
Yuki Izumi
A FEW OTHER SURPRISES by CCB and Other Dancers...TBA.....