Ballet 2014

As a contrast to the previous post about this year's ballet, Giselle, here's a look at last year's ballet -- Super Mario Brothers. Yes, I'm aware someone did a little Mario-Princess Peach number on one of those competition-style television shows.  This, however, was a full length ballet, written before that dance was shown on television, and including more characters:

(Annabeth played Mario)

 Princess Peach, Princess Daisy and Toad were included:

As was Bowser (and Bowser Jr.):

Plus other of Bowser's minions such as the koopa troopas and the Hammer Bros:

And a bunch of goombas:

Early in the ballet the Hammer Bros, working for Bowser, kidnapped Peach.  In the meantime, Bowser Jr was after Daisy.  Queen Rosaline begged Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, et al, to rescue Peach.

Mario made his way through Water World

Down a pole (doesn't look like much here, but was really difficult to stage):

Battles ensued.  Many parts of the game were played out on stage, including Mario shrinking down to a smaller size (played by a young child) and being restored by the Wishing Star.

(Honestly, the first time I saw Bowser flinging Mario around like this I sort of panicked, like, "holy %&&*^$, you're about to bash her head in!")

But in the end, justice prevailed. Bowser was driven away, and all was well.  

Or was it?

Overall, an incredibly imaginative, fun, show.  

My part of it was making the costumes for Mario and Luigi.  Also, buying various compression tubes for Mario's shin splints, since doing the Mario-style gait really did a number on her shins.

Ballet 2015

This year's ballet was a classical ballet -- Giselle.

We have a new tech director/teacher, and this was the first set he had his class make.  It was really lovely:

My assignment was to make sleeves for the Friends costumes.  They were re-using old recital costumes that had straps.  One mom added aprons, another added more tulle to give more fluff to the skirts, and I added the sleeves:

(It turned out that I had to do Giselle's sleeves and the sleeves of the Ladies in Waiting.  Lots of sleeves.  I really don't like sleeves in the first place, but, by golly, I have a lot more insight into how they are attached onto ballet bodices.)

Of course, after act 1 the Friends transform into

deadly Willis.  These three (Myrtha and her head minions Moyna and Zulme) had struck this exact pose during the first act scene pictured above -- foreshadowing! -- but to my knowledge no one managed to catch it in a photo:

Annabeth played Moyna, shown here floating around a graveyard terrorizing Hilarion:

The chug scene -- Annabeth is in front:

Death of Hilarion:

Very beautiful ballet.  Much pointe work.  Many "dead" pointe shoes after the whole thing was over.  Many sleeves.  Many revamps of the bodices of the Willis costumes (the tutus themselves were several hundred dollars, so inexpensive bodices were purchased ... which didn't work with the tutus.  So, much sewing and fiddling around to get the whole thing to work.) (Also, my habit of carrying around electrical tape in my backstage-costume-repair-kit actually came in handy, so that was cool.)

We can't wait to see what next year's ballet will be!