Barrington Youth Dance Ensemble's production of Coppelia

(All Images above are courtesy of Kelly Stachura Photography)

June 2017, Barrington, IL – The Barrington Youth Dance Ensemble performed the time honored classic Coppelia on June 9th and 10th at the Richard C. Johnson Auditorium. Restaged by Barrington Dance Academy’s Roberta Pfeil-Begley, this three act ballet thrilled the audience with its exciting choreography and stunning sets and costumes.

The cast included professional guest artists, BYDE Company dancers, and Barrington Dance Academy students. Guest artists Fernando Duarte (Joffrey Ballet), Malachi Squires (freelance artist), and Jackson Ferreira (Joffrey Ballet Studio Company) stole the show with their comedic performances, and Gregory Merriman, frequent BYDE guest artist and choreographer, expertly portrayed the role of the strange inventor Dr. Coppélius.

BYDE graduating senior company members Victoria Van Hollen (Lake Barrington) and Sailor Streeter (Barrington) were spot on in their portrayal of Swanhilda, the story’s spunky heroine. Additional soloist roles were performed beautifully by BYDE graduating senior Alexandra Skopek (Barrington Hills) as Prayer, and BYDE graduating seniors Kate Buckingham (Rolling Meadows) and Eliza Seagrist (Lake Barrington) as the Betrothed Girl.

“Having the opportunity to dance the role of Swanhilda in this production was truly an incredible experience,” says Victoria Van Hollen, Lake Barrington resident, and BYDE Graduating senior. “I felt so prepared for the role – BYDE has given me the ability to take on strong roles, not only in this production, but also in college as a dance major.” Victoria will attend the University of Alabama this fall, majoring in Dance and Communications.

Other soloists included Stephanie Eggers (Kildeer) and Caleigh Meehan (Fox River Grove) as Dawn, and Emma Landenberger (Barrington Hills) and Tiffany Frankel (Lake Barrington) as the Burgomeister's Daughter. “The Burgomeister's Daughter is such a fun role as I partner with Franz to lead the joyous Mazurka,” explains Emma Landenberger, BYDE company member. “This soloist role gave me the opportunity to be a mentor to the younger girls who were part of the Mazurka corps. Of course, it was extra special having my Dad as the Burgomeister. He has always been very supportive of me and the ballet company, but this took it to a whole new level!” Emma’s father, John Landenberger (Barrington Hills) took to the stage playing the Burgomeister, or mayor, of the town.

Over 700 audience members enjoyed the delightful tale of a budding romance between two villagers, Franz and Swanhilda. “Coppelia, a picture perfect ballet, delighted the audience with brilliant dancing by professionally trained students from BYDE's home studio, Barrington Dance Academy, and local professionals,” says Jenny Shannon, Barrington resident and former professional dancer. “These performances brought many smiles to those who were lucky to be in the audience. A lovely summer dance treat!”

“Coppelia was such a stunning success on so many different levels. Our audience was treated to one of the dance world's most charming ballets and I received so many kind words of thanks for bringing this classic to a local stage,” says Mary Brennan, BYDE founder and Artistic Director. “We are very grateful to the Joffrey Ballet for making their gifted artists available to us for this production. Not only was their dancing and acting impressive, they were very giving to our company dancers during the rehearsal process. Our younger cast members who were dancing children's roles stood out like little pros and charmed the audiences with their smiling faces. Our company dancers executed the challenging choreography with a patina of professionalism which amazed those who did not realize that they were not professionals. My thanks to our dedicated staff, volunteers, fabulous audiences and financial funders who keep Barrington Youth Dance Ensemble flourishing!”

Local dancers age 6 & up are invited to join in the magic of BYDE’s upcoming production of The Nutcracker. Auditions will be held at Barrington Dance Academy on Sunday, September 10th. Performance dates for BYDE’s highly regarded production of The Nutcracker are December 1st, 2nd, & 3rd.

Barrington Youth Dance Ensemble (BYDE) is a 501©3 non-profit charitable arts organization that promotes artistic integrity, involvement, and awareness through exceptional dance training and performance in the Chicagoland area. Additional information about BYDE may be found at our website www.BYDE.org or by calling BYDE at 847.382.6333.

BYDE is grateful for the support of the following sponsors: The Benson Foundation, Illinois Arts Council, a state agency, The Sanfilippo Foundation, Rose Packing Company, RedLight Security, LLC, Barrington Junior Women’s Club, The DeMar Foundation, Inc., John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., C.H. Robinson, The Stephenson Family Foundation, Microsoft Corporation, Wickstrom Ford, M.J. Miller, Heads Up Apparel. Special thanks to BYDE’s Coppelia Presenting Sponsor, Rose Packing Company.