Plainfield Dance Academy Presents "Sleeping Beauty" May 13 & 20

The award-winning Plainfield Dance Academy kicks off the 2018 dance season with two performances of “The Sleeping Beauty” ballet: Sunday, May 13, 2018, at 5 p.m. at Chicago’s Studebaker Theatre, 401 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL; and Sunday, May 20, 2018, at 3 p.m. at Plainfield North High School Auditorium, 12005 S 248th Ave., Plainfield, IL. Tickets for the Chicago performance are $28 and can be purchased online at www.artsentertainment.thundertix.com or by calling 312-753-3210. Tickets for the Plainfield performance are available online at www.tututix.com and are $20 for children and seniors, $25 adults, and $30 the day of performance.

The Chicago performance, which coincides with Mother’s Day, features a special “Dance, Dine and Drive” package that includes a ticket for the performance at the historic Studebaker Theatre located in the Fine Arts Building; a 15% discount for lunch or dinner at the Artists Café located at the entrance of the Fine Arts Building; and a $12 flat rate parking special at the adjacent Grant Park South garage when showing your ticket for “The Sleeping Beauty.”

Plainfield Dance Academy’s presentation of “The Sleeping Beauty” features a lavish set and costumes, a company of 50 dancers including students, ages 8-18, and professional dancers of international renown such as Arionel Vargas with choreography by Altin Naska and Olena Nalyvaiko after Marius Petipa. Music for “The Sleeping Beauty” was composed by Peter Ilyitch Tchaikovsky.

After a rigorous February audition, three students from Plainfield Dance Academy were selected to perform feature leading roles in this production. They include 16-year old Naperville dancers Rachel Kelly and Jubilation Wang in the roles of Princess Aurora and the Lilac Fairy and 17-year old Shelby Vennekotter of Lockport as Carabosse.

First presented at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg in 1890, The Sleeping Beauty remains the best example of narrative ballet theater. As this timeless story unfolds, viewers come to believe in fairies who can magically soften a curse, thereby rescuing all goodness from evil, and in a hero united with his true love.

“The visual images of movement, the sumptuous music and the story works together to create a powerful and emotional experience,” said Altin Naska, artistic director of Plainfield Dance Academy. “This is an ageless story for all ages to enjoy

About Plainfield Dance Academy

The Plainfield Dance Academy’s mission is to provide dancers with a comprehensive artistic education that fosters excellence in all forms of dance and enhances a passion for the arts. A further goal is to instill in dancers a desire to care for the environment and enthusiasm for having a positive influence within their community. Staffed by a team of passionate and experienced instructors, Plainfield Dance Academy provides classes for all ages that range from classical ballet to modern and hip hop, ensuring everyone can find a style that is best suited for their temperament, interests, and unique style.

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About Altin Naska

Internationally celebrated dancer, choreographer, and teacher Altin Naska serves as the artistic director of Plainfield Dance Academy. He is widely recognized for his fusion of ballet and modern techniques and has worked with such companies as Thodos Dance, Dutch National Ballet, Dance Chicago Choreography Project with the Joffrey Ballet, Stars of Dance Chicago, and Chicago Dance Theatre. Additionally, he has worked with the Moscow Ballet for the past 10 years and has produced the annual World Dance Day and Chicago International Dance Forum for the past five years.