Bringing ballet to the young

BY HOLLIE WATSON

It’s a unique concept, one that is providing young children a hands-on opportunity to immerse themselves in the magic of a live performance.

Ballet Ouest’s Danse Mobile is currently touring dozens of West Island and Montreal-area

elementary schools with its inspired production of Peter and the Wolf, an interactive ballet that combines dance, classical music, and theatre.

“The main idea is to involve the students as much as possible,” said Ballet Ouest director Margaret Mehuys, the show’s

choreographer.

“Kids have so few chances to be exposed to the arts.”

Since Danse Mobile surfaced a few years ago, over 20,000 students have seen its

productions.

To enhance the educational experience, the students participate in a variety of ways, said Mehuys, a Beaconsfield resident.

“There are several projects suggested in the kits we provide to teachers. Some choose art projects, where students make flowers and other items for the set, or they e-mail drawings the dancers. At one school, the grader sixers interviewed the show’s dancers for the school paper.”

Or they can explore Sergei Prokofiev’s timeless composition through a music project, she added.

In addition, four students from each school are trained to play a small role in the performance.

The show is built in front of them from the ground up. Using the gift of their imaginations, the students see ordinary things like ladders and boxes transformed into trees and other fanciful elements of the impromptu set.

The four professionals who appear in the 45-minute production talk briefly about the mechanics of their art, and they also lead a question and answer period and discussion following the show.

“The format presents different challenges,” mused professional dancer Daria Kruszel. “The number one priority is catching and keeping the kids’ interest. It’s been gratifying,” said the Beaconsfield native, who studied with Ballet Ouest from an early age and who has frequently appeared in its annual signature piece, The Nutcracker.

“The response has been unbelievable. The kids are mesmerized,” said Mehuys, who next year hopes to take Peter and the Wolf out into the community, to small

theatres and other venues as the production evolves. It was one of a handful of projects in the province which recently received a grant from Quebec’s Conseil des arts et des letters.

At the beginning of March, Danse Mobile gave two presentations at Westpark School in Dollard des Ormeaux.

“It was extremely well-received. Looking at the audience you could hear a pin drop,” said principal Mary Anne Bindner, adding, “it lays a solid foundation for their future appreciation of the arts.”

Danse Mobile’s next visit to the West Island will be April 5, when they perform at Ecole Jacques-Bizard in Ile Bizard. They have also scheduled shows at Ecole Gentilly in Dorval and Terry Fox School in Pierrefonds. The project, which can be performed in English or French, is available for bookings until the end of the school year. For more information, call 514-892-3512 or check admin@balletouest.com.