Yellowstone Ballet Co. PINOCCHIO with Milwauke Ballet Principals June 2 4:30 pm Willson Auditrorium

CHILDREN GO FREE to YBC PINOCCHIO June 2nd plus A COSTUME CONTEST AT INTERMISSION

Barry Molina was a baby when he was taken to Yellowstone Ballet Company’s first production of The Nutcracker in 1991. A few years later he attended YBC’s 5th annual production of The Nutcracker at the Livingston Civic Center. He was so excited to see the dancers that he could barely contain himself and began dancing around. His family then moved to Minnesota where he started ballet lessons at age six and then went on to train at the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York City.
In the year 2010, Yellowstone Ballet Company (YBC) Artistic Director, Kathleen Rakela, received a grant from the National Endowment of the Arts to create and choreograph an original ballet of Pinocchio. Rakela invited Molina who had just become a trainee of Milwaukee Ballet to perform the leading role. “All of the choreography was suited to Molina’s special qualities,” says Rakela.
 
After a year with Milwaukee Ballet, Molina felt like quitting. Then he received a life changing call from Milwaukee Ballet artistic director Michael Pink-- the dancer who was slated to perform the role of Peter’s Shadow in Peter Pan was sidelined and Molina, the understudy, had to take his place.
“It was a little bit of a surprise to me,” Molina says. “We walked through the steps right before the show, and they put me on stage. That moment was a turning point. It pushed me to want to do ballet as a career.”
After 13 years with Milwaukee Ballet and having risen to the level of principal dancer, Molina will be coming back to Montana to reprise his role in Pinocchio at the Willson Auditorium on Sunday, June 2nd 4:30 p.m.
Two other Milwaukee Ballet dancers will perform in Pinocchio with Molina. His wife Elizabeth Tripp will perform Luara, Queen of the Sea and Marko Micov from Macedonia as Neptune the Sea King.
The ballet is a 21st century adaptation in which Pinocchio faces the challenges of our times and includes narration by Terry Canady and original music by Dean Anderson.
Child goes with each adult ticket purchase and there is a costume contest with prizes during intermission.
Tickets are available online at www.Yellowstoneballet.info: https://app.arts-people.com/index.php?show=233777

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Category: Kids / Family | Theatre