Eastern Connecticut Ballet Presents "Ballet Spooktacular" at The Kate

Eastern Connecticut Ballet has conjured up a new way for families to celebrate Halloween: a “Ballet Spooktacular.” Combining classical ballet and music, the special program for children will be held at the Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center in Old Saybrook on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 18 and 19 at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Children may attend in costume for a parade and trick-or-treating throughout the theater.

The “Spooktacular” kicks off with three short ballet works that capture the spirit of Halloween. Artistic director Gloria Govrin and associate director Krystin Baribault choreographed the works especially for ECB dancers to perform at the Kate.

A highlight of the program is “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” a tale of a boy who gets in over his head when playing with magic spells and wizardry. The piece has a lively classical score by Paul Dukas that was popularized by a scene in Walt Disney’s “Fantasia.”

“Dancing Bones” features dancing in the style of marionettes. The quirky music for this number, composed by Charles Gounod in the 19th century, later became the theme for the television series “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.” Another work, a haunting composition by Camille Saint-Saëns, inspired the program’s third piece, “Halloween Waltz.” The apparitions onstage are both beautiful and ghostly.

ECB is celebrated for its performance of The Nutcracker, held every December at the Garde Arts Center for the past 12 years, and for other family-friendly ballets and events throughout the region. Some might think that classical ballet and Halloween would make a strange combination, but Govrin points out what they have in common.

“Halloween is all about costumes, make-up and storytelling. Dancers feel right at home with all of that, since many famous ballets are tales of magic and make-believe,” says Govrin. “At the Kate, we’ll be adding classical dance and music to the usual Halloween mix. We hope it becomes a new tradition.”

Following the performance, children can parade in their costumes onstage, trick-or-treat through the decorated theater, and pose for photos with the Sorcerer’s Apprentice in his wizard hat and other costumed dancers.

Tickets to the “Spooktacular” are available from The Kate box office at 860-510-0453.

Founded in East Lyme in 1992, Eastern Connecticut Ballet is a nonprofit organization and one of the state’s premiere schools for dance. More than 300 students from 42 towns are enrolled in its programs, and registration is ongoing. More information is available at www.easternctballet.com or by calling 860-739-7899