Princeton Youth Ballet to Hold Auditions for The Secret Garden

Princeton Youth Ballet (PYB) will perform Risa Kaplowitz’s original ballet, The Secret Garden on Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10, at the Princeton High School Performing Arts Center.

Auditions for trained area dancers ages 6-21take place on Saturday, Feb. 7 at Princeton Dance and Theater Studio in Forrestal Village (116 Rockingham Row, Princeton, NJ).

“One of our missions at Princeton Youth Ballet is to give talented and well-trained young dancers the chance to perform principal roles in professional-quality performances,” Artistic Director Risa Kaplowitz said. “Another is to encourage a love and appreciation for classical ballet through inspired storytelling, magical productions, and uncompromising artistry.” Board president and local pediatrician Kathy Azaro says of the company, “There is nothing better than watching a child’s face fill with awe as they witness another child do something extraordinary. They develop an immediate appreciation for both the dancing and the music.”

The ballet is based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

The story follows the troubled and spoiled Mary Lennox who becomes an orphan after her parents are stricken with cholera in India. Mary is sent to live with her uncle, Mr. Craven, a recluse who is still bereft after the death of his young wife. Mary discovers the Secret Garden which Mr. Craven locked following his wife’s passing. With the help of a Robin, her new friend, Dickon, and the spirit of Mr. Craven’s deceased wife, Mary nurtures the garden back to life and reunites Mr. Craven with his neglected and sickly son, Colin. At the story’s end, Mary and her friends frolic with rabbits, butterflies, bees, and foxes in a garden that has been transformed into a fragrant sanctuary brimming with life.

For more information and registration, visit the PYB website, www.princetonyouthballet.org or email info@princetonyouthballet.org.

Princeton Youth Ballet is registered as a not-for-profit 501 (c)(3) organization in New Jersey.

Attached image and information for this post were submitted by Catherine M Piontek, PYB Trustee.