Repertoire
An East, Mid, West Side Story Choreography Ilona Missakian, Ileana Vasquez, Eric LaRue Shiring
This most recent production (June 2018) featured a musical reflection of America's Coasts and her Heartland as a dancer traveled from New York streets to Hollywood, passing through the family ranch in Colorado. Music selections included Gershwin, Copeland, and the Beach Boys! Full company and actors filled the stage!
Seasons Americana Choreography Ilona Missakian
This ballet is based on Ragtime music and celebrates the spirit of the turn of the century in a village during WWI, depicting its joys and sorrows.
Nutcracker Choreography Marielle Reyes, Marion Chaeff, Diane deFranco Browne, Ilona Missakian, and many guest artists
We've performed 8 seasons! Tchaikovsky's classic music accompanies Drosselmeier's visit with magical toys, the prince, a rat king, a sugarplum fairy, and a kingdom of sweets. Our lavish production has allowed us to bring the talents of the lovely dancers from Pacific Ballet Academy and the Pasadena Civic Ballet to share the stage. One production took place in the 1920s, giving CCYB performers a chance to expand their interpretations of this classic into another decade, and another production depicted past/present/future portrayals of the main character's, Clara's, experiences.
Pas de Quatre Choreography Jules Perrot
In 1845 Benjamin Lumley (the manager of the London Theater) came up with what seemed at first to be an impossible scheme: he suggested that Jules Perrot and Carlo Pugni devise a ballet that would star the four greatest ballerinas of the day--Taglioni, Grisi, Cerrito and Grahn--together on one stage. It was a fantastic idea; British enthusiasm for ballet was at its height and each of the four had her own group of fierce partisans. But, how to get the four spoiled, temperamental stars to work together at all, much less dance harmoniously in the same piece? The biggest battle was over the penultimate solo (all four ballerinas having decided that Taglioni deserved the honor of dancing last); Lumley, thinking fast, ordered that they appear in order of age, with the youngest first, and from then on the production ran smoothly.
Pas de Quatre, a divertissement with no story line, was an instant, overwhelming success. The ballet was only danced five times by the original cast, but it was the talk of London. Pas de Quatre has been recast and performed many times since its debut.
Sleeping Beauty Choreography by Marius Petipa, adapted for students by Marielle Reyes, Ilona Missakian
Our past version of the tale depicts Aurora's 15th birthday party rather than a wedding but features distinguished fairy tale guests such as Puss in Boots, Red Riding Hood, Lilac Fairy, Blue Bird, and various dolls from around the world. The 2008 production featured a full wedding-version of this beloved ballet complete with Carabosse and her brood, four suitors, and all the fairies and princesses that come to celebrate Aurora's survival through Carabosse's curse.
Spring Choreography by Marielle Reyes
Glazunov's music brings an atmosphere of vivid and vibrant color to life as blooms and bouquets dance together.
Enchanted Toy Shoppe Choreography by Marielle Reyes, Ilona Missakian, Krisitina Newcomer
A Victorian toy shop is visited by a demanding young customer who separates a pair of dolls with interesting results for the enchanted evening as the dolls puzzle about their missing friend. The magical fairy helps everyone dance through the evening to a new day.
A NEW production of Toy Shoppe for May 2012 took place in the dollmaker's workshop where the unsuspecting apprentice was surprised by the dolls who came to life!
Gems Choreography Ilona Missakian
A piece inspired by George Balanchine's Jewels for New York City Ballet. His trio of Emeralds, Rubies, and Diamonds performed to the music of Faure, Stravinsky, and Tchaikovsky. Our Gems highlights our intermediate and advanced dancers becoming the various personalities of the brilliant stones they represent, highlighting a specific instrument in the orchestration of their music.
Strings of Pearls Choreography by Ilona Missakian
Suggesting the underwater serenity of the deep sea, our lyrical, luminescent Strings of Pearls features the entire cast swaying to the fluid rhythms of waltzes, holding globes of many colors and moving in formations both formal and playful.
A Faerie Tale Choreography by Ilona Missakian
This delightful piece is a story ballet for CCYB. It brings classical and Celtic music together, reminiscent of ancient stories and recent dreams.
Taking us to the world of imagination and fantasy, faeries of various elements start the day dancing with and for each other. Flowers, Forest, Berries, Dew, Glow, and Fireflies enjoy their efforts until Glacia and Gust from the icy mountains disturb their peaceful evening. Mother Nature restores order to the realm and shows how they can all work together.
Gypsy, Paquita, and Spanish Festival Choreography by Marielle Reyes and Ilona Missakian
At various times, CCYB has explored the exuberant Latin and Spanish tones in music by composers such as Bizet, Rodrigo, and Tchaikovsky, bringing the various themes to the stage in colorful patterns and strong emotions.
Jungle Book Choreography Ilona Missakian
Costumes original design and construction Kristina Newcomer
CCYB’s original production brings Rudyard Kipling’s tale and its many characters to the world of dance. The story portrays Mowgli's interactions with Akela (head wolf), Baloo (bear), Bagheera (panther), Bandar-log (monkeys), Kaa (python), Shere Khan (tiger), White Hood (guardian cobra), Hathi (head elephant), Messua (Mowgli's 'maybe' mother), dholes (red-dogs), and swarms of bees and peacocks--before re-entering the world of man.
Les Sylphides Choreography Mikhail Fokine; corps de ballet Ilona Missakian after Mikhail Fokine
Based on the music of Chopin, orchestrated by Roy Douglas, Mikhail Fokine choreographed a plotless work in which a poet, dancing with ghostly sylphs (magical figures) in the moonlight, searches for the ideal.Performed in white tutus, the piece is known as a “white” ballet in the romantic tradition from the early 20thcentury.Premieringon March 8, 1908 at the Maryinsky Theatre, St. Petersburg, Russia, the ballet featured the world- famous Olga Preobrajenska, Anna Pavlova, Tamara Karsavina, and Vaslav Nijinsky.CCYB is proud to present its dancers in adapted corps and authentic soloist roles for today’s audiences, a century after its original premier.
Stars and Stripes Choreography Ilona Missakian
Inspired by the music that Soussa and Kay created for marching bands and George Balanchine's work with New York City Ballet, CCYB's various regiments celebrate both the music and our troops!
Tango Choreography Ilona Missakian after Lambros Lambrou, Eric LaRue Shiring
Inspired by Lambros Lambrou’s Tango ballet for Les Ballets Classiques de Montreal, CCYB’s production of Tango explores an evening at a dance hall where couples rehearse patterns and steps before they are interrupted by a group of friends out enjoying each others’ company. The new group quickly takes over the hall, showing off new steps as they dance and innocently flirt. An unannounced guest raises some concerns among the young ladies; an even more mysterious young woman’s arrival disturbs the otherwise peaceful friendships. After a young couple exchange their frustrations through an angry pas de deux and solo, the ladies dance a reflective reverie before the ensemble unites to pledge their friendship through dance once again.