Ballet Theatre of Ohio presents:
Sleeping Beauty by Tchaikovsky
Saturday, May 2 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 3 at 2:00 p.m.
Akron Civic Theatre
182 S Main St
Akron, OH 44308
The majestic theatre, “The Jewel on Main Street” is the perfect fairy-tale castle setting for such a ballet. Children are welcome to come dressed up as their favorite princess or prince or their finest dress-up clothes. Attendees will feel like royalty as they enter the theatre designed to resemble the lavish gardens of a Moorish castle complete with twinkling stars and drifting clouds traveling across the domed ceiling.
This exquisite production features an elaborate set which includes Princess Aurora's castle and the woods where the fairies hide her away for sixteen years. The lavish costumes will be mesmerizing and sure to measure up to the high quality for which BTO is famous.
Christine Meneer, Artistic Director of BTO is a native of Cuyahoga Falls. Her early ballet training was with Heinz Poll, founder of Ohio Ballet. Meneer danced several seasons with Ohio Ballet as well as with Pennsylvania Ballet before retiring from the stage. In 1984, Ms. Meneer started her own ballet school (Christine Jones-Meneer School of Dance) in Munroe Falls, specializing in training children ages 3-18 in the art of classical ballet. Whether young students simply want to achieve poise and coordination, or if they wish to become professional dancers, Ms. Meneer manages to balance the fine art of discipline with a love of movement.
Ms. Meneer founded Ballet Theatre of Ohio in 1993. She has choreographed five full-length ballets for the company including the critically acclaimed holiday tradition, The Nutcracker, which has just completed its 21st successful run at the Akron Civic Theatre. Her fifth full-length ballet premiered in May 2009: The Wizard of Oz. Ms. Meneer also serves as the resident costume designer for the company. In 2007, the Akron Area Arts Alliance chose Ms. Meneer to receive the Outstanding Artist in Dance award.
Ms. Meneer is also the director of the highly acclaimed Christine Jones-Meneer School of Dance. All pre-professional dancers in BTO productions receive their training from Christine Meneer and her professional staff. Students are accepted throughout the year in ballet, jazz, tap, and hip hop.