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Bakersfield City Ballet will bring the tragic love story of Odette and her prince to the Fox Theater in its performance of "Swan Lake" on Saturday.
Bakersfield City Ballet's performance of "Swan Lake," coming Saturday to the Fox Theater, will allow its dancers to shine in the demanding and technically challenging roles as swan maidens.
When the pandemic hit, Bakersfield City Ballet, like many organizations, had to postpone plans. Now, three years later, it will bring its production of "Swan Lake" to the Fox Theater on Saturday.
Heading into the performance weekend, Erica Ueberroth, the ballet company's artistic director, said she is full of emotions.
"I'm really excited and a little nervous because it has been quite a buildup of anticipation."
At least three of the dancers in the cast of 28 were originally cast in the 2020 production and Ueberroth said they are excelling in new roles.
"Watching rehearsals from that time, you can see how much the dancers have grown in their artistry and their technique."
Given the company's size — currently at 20 members — and the demands of the show, Bakersfield City Ballet opted to pare down the four acts into one 65-minute act.
"Having such a small company, it is extremely taxing and demanding on the dancers," Ueberroth said. "You can't spread out the parts and you don't have the dancers to double-cast."
Ueberroth even ended up casting herself as Baroness Von Rothbart, the evil sorcerer who turns the princess Odette into a swan. The role is normally played by a male dancer but the performers Ueberroth had in mind ended up being unavailable.
Rest assured, the bones of the classic Tchaikovsky ballet remain with many recognizable moments including those with the black swan, Odile. (The staging is based on the 1895 Marius Petipa revival.)
"We’re giving the audience the most iconic moments of the story," Ueberroth said.
In addition to the performance, which will be preceded the day before by a young people's concert for schoolchildren, Saturday's events will include BCB's annual fundraiser Pints En Pointe.
Although performance pieces have always been a part of the fundraising event, this is the first year that it will include an entire production for attendees.
Limited tickets are still available for the fundraiser, which will begin at 11:30 a.m. across the street from the Fox at Lino's Venue.
Finding an event venue so close to the theater was a magical moment, Ueberroth said, noting "It felt a little like fate. It was too good to pass up."
As expected by the name, Pints will include beer as well as wine and a catered meal with salad and beef stroganoff with vegetable medley.
The afternoon will also include a silent auction of baskets with themes such as entertainment and "girls just want to have fun." There will also be items like a glider experience in Tehachapi up for grabs.
Closing the company's fifth season with the fundraiser and performance allowed them to go out on a strong note.
"We wanted to go out with a bang, and wanted to wow the audience with the production for the end of the fifth season," Ueberroth said.
"It’s the direction I would like to go. It feels very metropolitan to me: a preshow reception where donors and art enthusiasts come and then the opening performance or the closing performance of that season.
"It's a fun thing to try and start to do in this community."
Stefani Dias can be reached at 661-395-7488. Follow her on Twitter at @realstefanidias.
