This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Arts & Entertainment

Ballet, Tango Take Stage at Scheidegger

Dancers perform "Romeo and Juliet," and "Fire and Passion."

Whether you prefer the elegance of the ballet or the fiery passion of the tango, your dancing desires will be met this month at Lindenwood University's J. Scheidegger Center for the Arts.

The Russian National Ballet Theatre returns to perform its rendition of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21. The dance company Tango Buenos Aires will perform a musical history of the tango in Fire & Passion at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan, 27. 

Both performances will take place in The Bezemes Family Theater in the J. Scheidegger Center, 2300 West Clay St., in St. Charles.

Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This is the first performance we’ve had of Romeo & Juliet. The Russian National Ballet, who will be performing the piece, has been our guest several times now, having performed Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty in our previous seasons," said Chad Snider, director of marketing and box office manager for the art center.

The Russian National Ballet will perform two pieces. The first act will feature Mikhail Fokine’s Chopiniana, a piece inspired by the works of Frédéric Chopin. 

Find out what's happening in St. Charleswith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The second act presents a ballet version of William Shakespeare's classic tale of two star-crossed teenage lovers. Romeo, of the house of Montague, loves Juliet, of the house of Capulet, but their two families are locked in a feud. The performance features more than 50 dancers, music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and original choreography by Marius Petipa.

"The Russian National Ballet is one of the finest ballets in the world, and we are honored to welcome them back once again," Snider said. "We’ve always had a very good response from the public for the Ballet, and hope to continue this tradition."

The following week, a very different style of dance will grace the stage. Tango Buenos Aires formed in 1987 and has become an important cultural export for Argentina. The troupe has entertained audiences in North and South America, Europe and the Far East.

"The show changes every three to four years. This is our new show," said Lucrecia Laurel, art producer for the show. "We started at the beginning of last year with costuming and choreography. We rehearsed for four months every day."

The show features 10 dancers in five couples backed by five musicians.

 "With television shows like Dancing with the Stars and others,  there has been an increased interest lately in tango and other forms of dance. People seem to be very interested, as the tickets are selling very well," Snider said.

"Tango is the only dance where people stay embraced all the time," Laurel said. "It's a dance about relationships, communication, connection and love."

"Tango is so interesting because it can be fast or slow, abrupt or graceful, yet still maintain that tantalizing sensuality," Snider said. "If there is any dance that can adequately provide a vivid image of the emotions between two individuals, it’s the tango."

Tickets for both the Russian National Ballet and Tango Buenos Aires are available for $54.50, $46.50, $38.50 and $26.50. Tickets and more information are available at the Lindenwood box office, 636-949-4433, or online at www.lindenwoodcenter.com

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from St. Charles