The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ballet is coming to Fresno for the first time. The

performance will be held Feb. 28 at 2:00 p.m. at the William Saroyan

Theatre. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs will feature seven international

dancers and three distinguished

Russian professional dancers from the State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara. Fresno City College students can get tickets for $10 by

going to the Fresno Convention Center Box Office and presenting their Student ID.

The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ballet is based on the story Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs written by the Grimm Brothers

published in 1812. The performance, full of theatrical magic, includes

colorful scenery, costumes – and more. “This is exciting for me

because Fresno doesn’t do much for ballet dancers … there aren’t many

ballets here, you have to go to places like San Francisco to see [ballets],” said Carmen Lopez, a Fresno City College dance

student.

The State Street Ballet is a vibrant, innovative professional dance company based in Santa Barbara, California. “We are really excited to come to Fresno … We’re looking at doing more [ballets] with VPAC in the coming years in order to bring more professional ballet [to Fresno],” said Maria Fliagina, State Street Ballet, Ballet Mistress. Fliagina is responsible for setting the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

ballet. “Snow White is a fun

ballet to perform, I think the

dancers really enjoy themselves with this one,” Fliagina said.

Founded in 1994 and

under the artistic direction of Rodney Gustafson, the State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara tours

nationally and internationally. Original touring productions include

“Carmen”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “Ballroom” and “The Nutcracker”. The dance company combines the rigors and timeless beauty of classical technique with updated special effects and digital

technology, producing original works that satisfy today’s diverse audiences. Each summer the company runs Summer Intensive, a national workshop that attracts emerging performers and choreographers.

Valley Performing Arts Council (VPAC) will sponsor both public and educational performances of the favorite fairy tale as part of its 2008-2009 season. VPAC also offers local ballet students the opportunity to share the stage alongside the professional ballet company. Auditions were held in June and over 45 students were selected to perform. Rehearsals began in August. “The children’s

participation in such an

elaborate and professional

production is a unique opportunity,” said Yukari Thiesen, Artistic

Director for VPAC. The educational performances will allow local school children to attend the ballet. Due to budget cuts, most schools have removed their arts programs.

VPAC’s primary mission is to bring professional classical performing arts to the Central Valley. VPAC offers the general public, local dancers and school children the opportunity to see a professional level of ballet and classical music to create a greater understanding of the

classical performing arts. Through separate educational ballet performances, VPAC has reached over 105,000 school students in 23 school districts throughout the Central Valley. “Our mission is now of the utmost importance as many school districts have lost or are struggling to keep their fine arts programs,” said Thiesen .