A New Year’S Toast To Dance

In a tradition that stretches back 14 years, Theatre Ballet of Spokane will stage an eclectic mix of dance styles in its annual New Year’s Eve performance at The Met.

The “Ballet and Bubbly” program ranges from jazz and ragtime to classical ballet danced en pointe to the music of Glazunov.

In more recent years, Ballet and Bubbly has included appearances by guest artists and new choreography commissioned for the event. Sunday night’s performance will be no exception.

Emily Grizzell and Yosuke Mino, both full-time dancers with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, will dance George Balanchine’s “Tarantella,” an eight-minute pas de deux to the music of Gottschalk.

“It’s very fast-paced with lots of leaps and jumps and beats in it,” says Peggy Goodner Tan, Theatre Ballet’s artistic director.

Grizzell is a Spokane native and Tan’s daughter. She was a company member of Theatre Ballet of Spokane before landing a position in the Royal Winnipeg Ballet school and with the company.

Mino trained in Japan and joined the Winnipeg company after also studying in the Canadian school.

Grizzell will also perform a solo choreographed specifically for her to dance in an international ballet competition this year. She made the finals round with the dance and was invited to perform it at the competition’s gala performance at Lincoln Center in June.

Karen Kromholtz Kraft’s new classical ballet will be premiered at Ballet and Bubbly. “Karen always does something geared toward New Year’s,” Tan says. “This is a beautiful piece for 10 dancers performed in five movements.”

Also on the one-hour program is a contemporary work for four dancers staged by Thyra Demetrick, a jazz dance by Kirsten Cooper and the revival of a popular ragtime dance by McGary Caven.

Caven’s “Roarin’ Ragtime,” to the music of Scott Joplin, debuted five years ago and was a big hit with the audience. The dancers portray flappers performing the Charleston en pointe at a New Year’s celebration.

“Ballet and Bubbly is an event that keeps evolving,” Tan says. “At first what we did was a lot of fun but not too sophisticated. When we started bringing in guests it raised the level.

“This year the dancers with Theatre Ballet are at a level of dancing that is really high. These dancers have been together four years and they dance like an ensemble. It’s really exciting.”

Theatre Ballet is composed of 14 pre-professional dance students from the Spokane area. Ballet and Bubbly is their lone public performance, but the troupe stages dancing workshops and mini-performances at area schools throughout the year.

“One of the important goals of this company is to be a resource for children so they get some exposure to ballet,” Tan says. “It’s important to us to go out to elementary schools or community centers with a high population of children that are underprivileged.”

This sidebar appeared with the story: Ballet and Bubbly

Presented by Theatre Ballet of Spokane, Sunday at The Met. The champagne and chocolate reception begins at 8 p.m.; the ballet begins at 9. Tickets are $15, through G&B (325-SEAT, 1-800-325-SEAT or www.ticketswest.com).