Lauren Rock | Daily file photo
The Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet performance in 2012. The company takes the Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall floor again at 7 p.m. tonight.
The Chautauqua Regional Youth Ballet has performed at the Institution for the past 14 years, according to Artistic Director Monika Alch. While its ballerinas may have come and gone during that time, the company’s performances at Chautauqua have remained a constant.
They’ll return this year as part of the Family Entertainment Series, performing at 7 p.m. today in Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall. It’s the last performance in the 2014 season’s Family Entertainment Series.
The ballet company will dance a medley of classical pieces and one modern selection. The show will include a trio and a solo from “Swan Lake,” the “Spanish Dance” from “The Nutcracker,” excerpts from La Esmeralda and Paquita and a modern piece, “Vanity,” choreographed for the company by Michael Cerwinski.
“I wanted to show the people — a lot of children are coming, too — give them a little variety, ages, and classic and modern,” Alch said. “So we have a variety, a group of things.”
The company, which performs throughout the Jamestown and Chautauqua region, also offers classical training classes to a variety of ages. Alch said the performance will show Chautauqua families the trajectory of a dancer at a variety of ages and ballet levels.
“There are some kids in there who are 11, up to 18. So there are a variety of ages and there’s a variety of styles,” Alch said. “It’s very family-friendly.”
Fifteen dancers will take the floor at Lenna to perform a combination of ballet classics and more modern work. Alch said the venue at Chautauqua is usually full of families that gather to watch the show when the Regional Youth Ballet comes to the Institution.
“It’s wonderful to look at — beautiful costumes, young dancers,” Alch said. “We will show them a variety of where they’re coming from and where they can go eventually, hopefully.”
The Chautauquan Daily 
