Column: New ballet finds its inspiration from ‘Little Women’
It says everything that Emma Andres read "Little Women" at 21 and I read it when I was 13 and we both fell in love with the world of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Full disclosure: I still re-read parts of the book when the mood strikes.
Louisa May Alcott's coming of age tale of four sisters growing up in 1860s Massachusetts during the Civil War sparked an instant tie with Andres, 26, who said "I fell in love with the story, and found so many connections with the sisters."
Born in Glendale and raised in Pasadena, Andres started dancing ballet at age 4, continuing classes with Pasadena Civic Ballet even as she graduated from UC Irvine with a bachelor's degree in dance choreography.
"Because the book is in the public domain, I realized I could create so many worlds within it," Andres said. "And everyone can still relate to these characters. They're so human."
Her first creation was a six-minute ballet that served as a promotional video shown at Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles. Andres has since produced a series of dance works based on "Little Women," including a full-length ballet.
An immersive experience takes place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22; 3 and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23; and 3 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, at Heritage Square Museum, 3800 Homer St., Los Angeles. Tickets are $60 per person and include a goody bag with items used throughout the performance, beverages and desserts and a tour of the museum through dance.
The full-length ballet premiers at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Wilshire Ebell Theater, 4401 W. 8th St., Los Angeles. Tickets range from $28-$40.
Andres said both productions are in tribute to the forward-thinking Alcott as well as other female authors, and hopefully launches a movement toward more ballets surrounding women and their stories.
The choreographer, director, dancer and teacher has gathered more than 20 performers, ages 10 to 75, for the shows. Most are professional dancers who live in Pasadena and the San Gabriel Valley and many have performed with the Pasadena Civic Ballet.
"It was really interesting to see the dancers take on characters and warm up to them," Andres said. "We have a younger cast who play the sisters in their younger years and each bring their own wonderful energy to the production. We all work so well together."
The production also includes work from Daniel Robbins, who composed and will perform original work combined with recorded classic Victorian pieces and pieces by Debussy and Brahms.
Andres will also perform as Amy March.
"My personality is very much like Meg, I'm the oldest of my siblings," she said. "But I also relate a lot to Amy. I enjoy playing her the most. She starts out so sprightly but comes to a full maturity."
Andres herself said her childhood was immersed in Pasadena Civic Ballet.
"I just knew when I was little that I wanted to dance," she said. "Dancing always gave me such an ethereal feeling when I would do it. It would make me feel the happiest I have been. It brought me that much joy. And later, choreography became that thing, too."
Andres is the studio manager, teacher and resident choreographer for Pasadena Civic Ballet. She is also a ballet teaching artist for the Music Center at Los Angeles and is co-artistic director of SCOPIXdance, a group that highlights work from new choreographers.
ArtistsPlus Productions of Pasadena is helping smooth over less-creative concerns such as marketing or fundraising, which can be overwhelming, Andres said. ArtistsPlus is the creation of three Southern California director-choregraphers, Diane De Franco Browne, Shauna Goddard-Barger and Jackie Kopcsak.
"But there was never a point I felt I would have to give this up," Andres said. "The outcome would be worth all the hard work. I'm so happy this got to be created in my hometown and it's full of so many people I've known through childhood."
For more information, visit littlewomenballet.com, call 626-792-0873 or email V. Rivera, columnist and reporter, "Mom's the Word," Pasadena Star-News, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Whittier Daily News, Azusa Herald, Glendora Press and West Covina Highlander, San Dimas/La Verne Highlander. Southern California News Group, 181 W. Huntington Drive, Suite 209 Monrovia,
